College Coed Stunting: Workouts And Drills

[ScottyG978]

Hey so I was wondering if some of you more experienced stunters could help me out a bit!! I'm on my college's team and going on my second year and all the coed stunting I have to fall back on is a solid toss hands, press extension. My flyer is doing fall tryouts this year (she was injured during spring) and I want to 'ideally' be able to get toss extension with her, and hold things like heel stretches. You know, the 'basics' haha. I'm not exactly a strong guy, and while I know most of this is technique that we need to work on, muscle never hurt anybody right? So pretty much what I was wondering is if any of you guys have specific workouts you do to work the muscles used for stunting. Any drills for hitting libs. Any help at all really. Anything you guys can offer would be awesome!!

Also, to all you flyers out there, my flyer took a year off from cheer during our freshman year last year and my high school flew on the opposite leg for libs. So for her to come in now and try to hit libs coed is extremely difficult. My flyers been up in libs with groups recently on the proper foot (Standing on right leg) but I'm afraid it'll be an issue once there's no backspot and less support. Do you have any tips for her to work on her balancing on that foot or simulating coed flying without necessarily being in the air (Aside from me laying down and holding her like a bench press)?

Again, any and all advice is appreciated!

 

[ShoWStoppeR]

for the flyer:
it honestly is ALOT different than being on an allgirl stunt group. I've messed around a few times with an AG group trying to do tick tocks, and I could not for the life of me do it because I could never stand on my bad leg. having this experience, i thought i was a goner for coed. It is, however, alot easier to stand on one guy than 3 girls IMO. i could do a bad leg lib all day with coed. The best thing she can do is practice! and since she can't practice in the air, have her practice balancing on a soup can, or something else little like that. not too high off the ground, but enough to hold a lib. I know they're pricey, but if she can get one of those boards, that would be the best option. Alot of it is just muscle memory. so to go along with that, make sure she is stretching and conditioning them equally. more often than not, alot of flyers will be "lopsided" when it comes to strength/flexbility in comparison of their dominant and weaker leg. we had 2 girls that flew on the oppposite leg all 4 years of highschool and they do just fine now if you have any more questions let me know!

 

[retiredl5cheer]

For the flyer:
If she is unsteady, her first instinct may be to balance, but DON'T LET HER. On an all-girl group it can be okay to shift your weight/balance if your bases are moving. For coed, however, I get yelled at like crazy if I even move a minor muscle. Tell her to just stay tight, pick a body position and stay there!

 

[MissBee]

Yup, what they said! She has to trust you, her base, to do the balancing. Also she should lean her chest just slightly back (not even noticeable really) to keep from toe-ing off the front.

 

[Aussiekat]

Sometimes the difference between a solid toss hands and toss extension is how fast your flyer stands up from her jump. Make sure you let her sink low and then get her to explode from the bottom. If you match her speed you'll get toss to the top easy! I find I jump better if I do a tiny pre-jump into my sink, I get a bit too heavy and slow if I just sink and then can't get up quick enough for the initial toss. A good drill is to pop down, immediate reload toss (like dont let go, her sink from the popdown is the start of the next toss jump) about 5 times. That way your flyer knows how much she has to work her jump because your base is gonna collapse if you don't work it!

 

[ShoWStoppeR]

For the flyer:
If she is unsteady, her first instinct may be to balance, but DON'T LET HER. On an all-girl group it can be okay to shift your weight/balance if your bases are moving. For coed, however, I get yelled at like crazy if I even move a minor muscle. Tell her to just stay tight, pick a body position and stay there!

I have been told my job is to stand there and look pretty lol once i get to the top of course. it's very important that she has a very good jump. and of course good timing with her base

 

[retiredl5cheer]

Agreed to everything that @ShoWStoppeR says at all times!

 

[Aussiekat]

I have been told my job is to stand there and look pretty lol once i get to the top of course. it's very important that she has a very good jump. and of course good timing with her base

My coach once yelled at a base (who was notorious for his hamburger/lobster grip), "your flyer's smile really makes your lib grip look great!"

 

[MissBee]

My coach once yelled at a base (who was notorious for his hamburger/lobster grip), "your flyer's smile really makes your lib grip look great!"

Love this!
Also, I wish the unicorn in your avatar was not only barfing a rainbow, but farting glitter as well.

 

[Aussiekat]

Love this!
Also, I wish the unicorn in your avatar was not only barfing a rainbow, but farting glitter as well.

Me too. But it would be too heavy a gif to make the glitter sparkle and I wouldn't be able to use it as an avatar. Yes, I actually thought about it that much.

Back to the OP, I know my base works on explosive muscle twitches, or something like that. I don't understand half of what he says he does in his gym workout. But something to do with the type of muscle that makes you quick, not just bulk for strength, like sprinters getting quick off the blocks. He works it for his legs - for a quick jump to match the flyer - and forearms so he gets the flick and the quick twists for fullups etc. Possibly other body parts too. Shoulders? Ask @kingston?

 

[ScottyG978]

Wow thanks for all this feedback guys! As for her flying, I'll be sure to let her know everything you've all told me. I feel her adjusting in the air would be a problem if I'm already below trying to fix it. She's a little scared of trying new things but I don't think it should get in the way too much. Also flyers, when you first did your libs, how did you pull it. I've had some friends who are trying to get me to go from hands to platform cupie, to lib. Or do you find it easier to pull it from straight hands to lib? I realize I'm eventually going to have to get both, the platform cupie is very important once I start hitting extensions and all, but I'd rather do the lib first with what will be msot comfortable with her. The platform is difficult for me a bit since I don't like the way I have to push up with the hand that's going to be spread out at the top, but that's mostly going to come with practice. Edie, you've given me alot to look into as well haha. First off, if it's not too much trouble, could you talk to your base and see if he's willing to share some of his workouts with me? That's what I'm really interested in for myself. If they're not common exercises could you get him to explain them? If not it's totally cool! I do some workouts for it, but I feel like I could be doing others which will carry more effect. I will also message kingston about it too, tomorrow, I'm tired now =) haha. Also, I don't know if my flyer is dipping enough now. On the count of 1-2, my flyer goes from flat foot, up to her toes, down a little bit, then jumps for the toss. She doesn't dip a whole lot, should I try to have her dip lower next time? And as for that reload drill, I've been thinking about doing it lately but my tosses (and they're higher than they have been in the past which makes it more pathetic) only have her feet reach, on a good toss, very slightly above my shoulders. I used to have to dip down quite a bit to catch hands. Now it's low but I hardly ever am not able to hit hands so atleast it's consistant if not all that great. I feel like with that sort of toss I'm not gonna be able to retoss so fast, but I guess I won't know until I try! thanks again everyone!

 

[Aussiekat]

I'll ask him, should get back to you in the next few days, if I forget PM me!

For libs, mentally I found it easier going from cupie and then my base shuffling his hands around and hitting lib, it isn't a very efficient use of energy or time though. Toss hands and then power press to lib is good, but your flyer has to make sure she pulls centre, otherwise her weight will transfer to the right and push the stunt off balance, and you need to make sure you don't chuck the left foot up, but press both feet together and then last second slide your hand across as she pulls up. Use an experienced side base support if you're both feeling hesitant, they can help out as much or as little as each stunt needs, and can observe from outside the stunt if that makes sense. Dipping comes with time and practice. Sometimes I dip great, sometimes I barely sink into it, sometimes I get stuck down there and can't be bothered standing up again and end up rolling around on the mat avoiding my bases feet as he tries to jump on me in frustration Don't give her too much to think about or she'll forget everything! I've only been flying partner for a few months, so I'm coming from a place not too far beyond you. My base is pretty experienced though and that helps, even if he picks on me all the time Maybe find a patient, experienced flyer to toss around a bit? It can be easier to get the muscle mechanics of a stunt when one of you has a clue.

 

[MissBee]

If there is an experienced flyer you can work with and an experienced base she can work with, that's best. It removes the "new learner" variable.

 

[ShoWStoppeR]

as much as you want to go from hands, I would suggest shying away from that, just based on the guys I've watched try to learn. It's better to just go for the platform/target/cupie/whatever you want to call it. lol and if you do go from hands, of course you can either go to platform, or go straight to lib. I have also observed that going straight for lib is better because the guys tend to shuffle for the right grip when going hands to platform (funny enough, they don't do it when they toss straight to platform.) that's my take on it form a flyer's perspective at least, and from watching guys learn

 

[ShoWStoppeR]

Love this!
Also, I wish the unicorn in your avatar was not only barfing a rainbow, but farting glitter as well.

home and auto together, its like peanut butter and jelly. oh, like burgers and fries. oh or pickles and ice cream, OR UNICORNS AND GLITTER! oh, no?

bahahaha. i love that commercial. its the first thing i thought of when i read your post. sorry, carry on with the relevenat stuff