How to Feel More Prepared for New Cheer Skills

by | Dec 19, 2023 | Backspotting, Basing, Blog, Cheer Training, Flying, Stunting, Tumbling

5 tips to feel more prepared when doing new skills:

USE THE SURFACE-TO-SURFACE STRATEGY

This involves starting to do the skill on a surface you feel most comfortable on, that makes doing it easy and has the least amount of injury risk. When you perfect the skill on that surface, are aware of every aspect of it at all times and feel no mental strain/anxiety, move to a more difficult surface. Once you’re fully comfortable there and the skill is perfected once again, switch. Continue until you’re on the floor. An example of this process would be learning a back handspring on a trampoline, then moving to a tumble track, then to a thin mat on the floor, and finally directly on the floor.

UP YOUR REP NUMBER

The more reps you do, the more comfortable and confident you’ll feel. You may think a few hundred is enough, but the more the better! Thousands need to be done to fully master a skill.

TAKE THE SPOT WHEN NEEDED

When you feel you need to be spotted, ask your coach to do it. It’s better to do that than to be too afraid to ask or refuse one because you’re frustrated and just want to do it on your own already. Safety and confidence are more important than trying to throw it as soon as possible.

TAILOR YOUR WARM-UP

Include aspects of the skill in your warm up. For example, do a set of jump backs onto a crash mat 20x before practicing your handsprings, or do some forward kicks as part of dynamic stretching before kick full baskets. Also, use your warm up as an opportunity to get into the right headspace for training. Don’t talk with your teammates while warming up – focus on what your body is doing & feeling.

UPDATE YOUR COACH

If you don’t feel comfortable enough to do a skill in your routine by competition, let your coach know ahead of time. As you’re learning the skill, make sure they’re updated along the way with how you’re feeling mentally. That way, they’ll be able to support you how you need & gauge when you’ll be able to do it on your own. Having them on the same page as you also takes pressure off yourself.