All-Star How Do You Teach A Flyer To Get Tight?

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12stepCheermom

Best Parent and Grammar Teacher '14
Cheer Parent
May 10, 2011
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I know this sounds strange but are there some drills etc to teach a flyer how to get tight. It seems so obvious and people think the flyer knows what "tighten up" means...but what if the flyer doesn't really "get" what that means? Maybe they're young and/or flying a level they haven't before.

Are there drills etc out there that can teaching a newbie flyer what it feels like to be tight? How can we help? My cp is a back spot and really wants this to work for her flyer (beautiful body positions but will not tighten up at all) but she thinks her flyer literally just might not "get" what that means and wants to help. Her flyer is getting frustrated and works hard-all she needs to do is get tight.

Suggestions?


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Have her lay on the floor and hold hollow. You should be able to pick up her feet and her entire body will come up as one plank (no break at the hips), if she's staying tight. I then grab her feet and try and pull them apart, and turn her side to side. She should hold that plank position the entire time, turning her whole body as one as you turn her feet. Once she has that down, have her lay down and pull different body positions (lib, heel stretch etc) and do the same thing-she shouldn't break form.
 
Actually, forget I asked. This was more a theoretical "how would one coach the concept" but were not coaches and don't need to be telling anyone what to do. I'm sure her coaches will handle it and my cp will just give positive general encouragement. That's all she should be doing in her position.


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Actually, forget I asked. This was more a theoretical "how would one coach the concept" but were not coaches and don't need to be telling anyone what to do. I'm sure her coaches will handle it and my cp will just give positive general encouragement. That's all she should be doing in her position.


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well theres nothing wrong with giving the flyer tips :)
 
@MissBee is correct as to drills for flyers. Planks should work great....I would like to add another plank drill.....grap the flyers ankles (while in the plank hollowed position on her back on the floor) and lift them up together, she must stay tight and hallowed out. You should be able to pick her up to the point that only her shoulders are on the ground.....in order for this to happen she has to stay tight and hallowed out.....Good luck
 
@MissBee is correct as to drills for flyers. Planks should work great....I would like to add another plank drill.....grap the flyers ankles (while in the plank hollowed position on her back on the floor) and lift them up together, she must stay tight and hallowed out. You should be able to pick her up to the point that only her shoulders are on the ground.....in order for this to happen she has to stay tight and hallowed out.....Good luck
My coaches used that drill for my flyer this past year who moved from level 3 flying to level 5 flying and was having trouble understanding the tight concept. It worked so well!


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Actually, this is a good thread for flyers to look at for tips about how to work on tightness.

I know a flyer who is extra flexible and that hinders her tightness. Every night in front of the mirror, she practices tick-tock libs, without letting her hip "pop out." If it pops outs, she starts her reps over. She swears it has helped.
 
Sometimes different words help. Flyers are forever told to pinch a penny and squeeze their bottom, but if they don't pull up through their hip flexors when they move on to libs they will often swing and accidentally turn out of their stunts. Similarly with half ups and other spinning skills they can squeeze their hiney and still butt out of their stunt. Pulling up through hips has helped a lot of my girls think about being tight in a different way and helped them stay centred because they're pulling up from the front AND back.
 
Sometimes different words help. Flyers are forever told to pinch a penny and squeeze their bottom, but if they don't pull up through their hip flexors when they move on to libs they will often swing and accidentally turn out of their stunts. Similarly with half ups and other spinning skills they can squeeze their hiney and still butt out of their stunt. Pulling up through hips has helped a lot of my girls think about being tight in a different way and helped them stay centred because they're pulling up from the front AND back.

I couldn't agree more - this tip made a huge difference when you told me the other day! :) Sometimes it's all about receiving the same information but explained in a different way to make it 'click'
 
Sometimes different words help. Flyers are forever told to pinch a penny and squeeze their bottom, but if they don't pull up through their hip flexors when they move on to libs they will often swing and accidentally turn out of their stunts. Similarly with half ups and other spinning skills they can squeeze their hiney and still butt out of their stunt. Pulling up through hips has helped a lot of my girls think about being tight in a different way and helped them stay centred because they're pulling up from the front AND back.
Yes, yes, and yes! That's exactly what Babydonna has been doing. She's moving from level 3 to level 4 stunts, and she swings out. She has also been butting out AFTER she hits the stunt. She and a couple of other flyers were having the same issues, so the coach had extra practice time with them this past week. I swear, he must have finally found a way to tell them to do what you just said, because they're doing tons better now.
 
Pinching a penny never works. The planks are awesome and are usually my first attempt at making them solid.

Also I will have the flyer stand on the ground w/ feet shoulder width apart and show them when I say squeeze, where (legs, abs - hollow out). Then I will have the group put her in a prep and do the same (I usually can reach enough). Usually the bases are like omg, wow, you are so light! In single leg stunts, I do almost the same just using the ground.

It's OK to give a flyer tips, but if you feel that you are invading the coaches place, you can mention it to the coach that so and so isn't really tight and see if maybe all of the flyers can do drills to not single out at first.
 
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