Featured Image: Action Moments for Inside Cheerleading Magazine
I’m sure most, if not all, of you are stuck at home since school, work and just about every other activity has been cancelled. Not being able to go to the gym is probably a huge concern for those of you feeling like you may lose some tumbling or stunting skills.
Despite not being able to practice skills at home fully, there are things you can do to help prevent the loss of these skills – and maybe even improve them!
1. Focus on the Foundations
Take time to practice simple drills and body positions required in tumbling and stunting skills.
For example, do stomach-to-wall handstands since they apply to just about every skill.
Practicing upwards reaching is also very beneficial. Stand with your back against a wall, making sure that your heels, hips, lower back, shoulders and head are all touching the wall (this requires you to roll your hips under to push your lower back against the wall).
While maintaining this position, raise your arms overhead and place them against the wall – it’s going to be difficult to keep your lower back flat as you do this, but try your best. Reach upwards through your shoulders as much as you can and hold for at least 20 seconds.
This is also the time to make your motions perfect! You can hit high Vs and do T jumps all day. Practice your motions in front of a mirror so you can see your positioning.
2. Increase Your Body Awareness
Another way to keep your head in tumbling mode is to practice basic skills that don’t require too much space, yet still help with developing awareness.
Back rolls and front rolls seem so simple, but when done correctly and regularly for a prolonged period of time, they can greatly increase your awareness during backward and forward flipping skills. Imagine being able to feel what every single part of your body is doing at any given moment during a tuck? Rolls will help with that.
To further enhance your body awareness, stand or sit in random different positions (can be anything) and try to feel which specific muscles are working to hold you in that position. Start at your feet and work up, or start at your head and go down.
Also, think about what your joints are doing – are they turned inward or outward? Do you feel a stretch anywhere? Do you have to work to stay balanced? Are any muscles getting tired?
Be mindful of how your body is feeling and what it is doing.
3. Improve Strength, Endurance and Power
Now is the best time to condition hard!! You have no practices or competitions, so you can really push yourself and be sore for a few days.
Go for a run, grab a skipping rope or try out some of the exercises listed on this blog and my Instagram.
You can really get yourself to the highest fitness level you’ve ever been at, just make sure the exercises you’re doing translate to the skills you need in cheer!
4. Work on Flexibility
All this time off is also the perfect opportunity to become more flexible!
Stretch every day, even if it’s only for 10 minutes. After a while, you should see huge improvements, and once you get back to the gym, you’ll notice some skills are a lot easier to do.
5. Reflect on Your Goals
This free time can now be used to think about what you want to achieve for the rest of the season, or even next season.
Write down both short-term and long-term goals, and think of what steps you need to take to reach them. If anything can be done outside of the gym, now is your time to get started!
Also, make note of any goals you previously made but have not yet achieved. Jot down what you can do at home to keep working towards those goals.
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