All-Star Progressions In Stunting Vs Tumbling

[King]

For a while I feel like allstar has come to terms with the fact that tumbling is not learned in a day. It takes many hours of practice doing the right technique to develop strong tumbling. But when it comes to building (which is baskets, stunts, and pyramids) we take the exact opposite approach and try to learn as much as fast as possible? Why is that?

A good example is camps. People seem to think they can get skills of higher levels in these 2-3 day seminars. Isn't that highly unrealistic? Most camps have already adopted the idea that you cannot learn tumbling properly in a camp setting, yet building camps still go strong. Look at any college prep clinic trying to teach level 6 skills.

BTW this is not discrediting camps and clinics that teach tumbling and building, just discussing that the expectations are unreasonable. You have Debbie Love come in for a tumbling or basket clinic you will not miraculously get better tumbling that day. You will, however, learn how to better train and execute the skills (as well as what you were doing / approaching it wrong) so you get them correctly in a shorter time period, and that is what Debbie Love is amazing at. Teaching you how to train to do the skills eventually.

 

[cheerKT]

Well, for starters, stunting goes beyond the individual. I think a lot of it lies in the teamwork aspect of stunting. It's common practice to pair someone with not as much experience with someone who has been performing that skill for a while to help level out the talent of the group. Rarely are all four (or two/three) members of a stunt group on the EXACT same experience level, so someone will always have to pick things up a little quicker.

I'm not arguing for or against quick stunting progressions, but I think having multiple parties involved definitely plays a role.

 

[gofriars610]

I learned how to backspot in a day. Went from having never ever backspotted ever to backspotting extended one-legged stunts in like, a matter of hours.

I still can't back handspring without a spot.

 

[King]

I learned how to backspot in a day. Went from having never ever backspotted ever to backspotting extended one-legged stunts in like, a matter of hours.

I still can't back handspring without a spot.

So is stunting significantly easier than tumbling?

 

[Official OWECheer]

So is stunting significantly easier than tumbling?

The Pope once said that "it's easier to teach a full-up than a full twisting layout."

In my opinion, it's not that one is easier than the other. It's just that the progression rates are different because the mechanics are different. The prep could be described as the forward roll of stunting.

 

[WinstonsGirl]

Personally, I find stunting to be so much easier than tumbling. I have a gymnastics background as a kid but was never good enough to tumble till I was much older. Tumbling requires all of the energy from me. Going over backwards is very much a mental thing too, which can take a lot of time to get over.

Stunting takes energy from all 4 people (I cheer AG), so I can stunt a lot longer than tumble, giving me more reps. The mental issues aren't there are much as in tumbling, especially for bases/backs. Perhaps in catching new skills, but I find people will push themselves more in stunting cos the other 3 people in your group are doing it. Mob mentality. But really, for a lot of skills, bases/backs do pretty much the same thing. It's the tops who have to work, and I do see more mental issues from tops overall. But catching a proper tuck basket is the same to me as catching a proper full/double basket. I do the same thing.

Finally, if you have some people in your group who know what they are doing, skills come much quicker as they don't have to learn themselves. Tumbling is all on you. If you're not progressing fast, watching another person tumble won't really help you get the skill faster the way you could with stunting.

 

[luv2cheer92]

Stunting was sooo much easier for me to learn, but I think a lot of that had to do with the fact that I didn't start tumbling until I was 14 since tumbling wasn't required at my middle school and I didn't do allstars until college. I'm sure there are some younger athletes (and maybe some older) that tumbling comes easier to than stunting.

 

[gofriars610]

So is stunting significantly easier than tumbling?

For me, and for most cheerleaders I've interacted with, yes.

 

[King]

For me, and for most cheerleaders I've interacted with, yes.

To do it well or just do it?

 

[gofriars610]

To do it well or just do it?

A mixture of both. My college team could put up level 6 pyramids with minimal issue but we had multiple girls with no tumbling.

 

[King]

A mixture of both. My college team could put up level 6 pyramids with minimal issue but we had multiple girls with no tumbling.

Level 6 structures with level 6 entries and level 6 dismounts?

 

[gofriars610]

Level 6 structures with level 6 entries and level 6 dismounts?

Not sure--but was definitely 2.5 people high. Swedish falls, 2-2-1, etc.

 

[Hodiestoe]

I wonder if stunting is found 'easier' because there are more people to fall back on. In tumbling there is only yourself, and it's very easy to psych yourself out. You are also having to do every aspect of the skill in order for it to hit-both mentally and physically very demanding. When it comes to stunting there are 2/3/4 others in the stunt, the mechanics of the skill is split between the different people and it's easier to mentally prepare when you know there are other people there to help.


The Fierce Board App! || iPhone || Android

 

[SarahS]

I think age has a lot to do with this. I coach mainly 9-11 year olds. My 9 year olds with no experience pick up tumbling much more quickly and struggle with stunting (any position). My 11 year olds with no experience struggle with tumbling but pick up stunting more easily. My 10 year olds are a hot mess mixture of tumbling and stunting struggle buses - they pick which bus they're riding depending on the day. I had the same experience last year (of course with a few outliers here and there).

But to answer your original question, at this age, we spend just as much time on the basics of stunting as we do with the basics of tumbling. I don't expect kids to pick up one more easily than the other.

 

[FlexyTumblerMom]

I find this discussion interesting. My CP is new to cheer this year - because of her flexibility and balance/contol they are training her as a flyer and have her on lower level teams than her tumbling skills - the reason given to me as to why she's on teams below her tumbling level is that it wouldn't be safe for her to fly at the same level as her tumbling this soon. It makes sense, and I'm glad she's learning to fly safely, but I think their theory goes against what I read on this site a lot - it seems like a quick progression from beginniner to advanced stunting is just expected, and that kids are placed by tumbling ability first, age second and stunting last. I think some have said it is different for flyers than it is bases or spots though (lol - it seems to me though that the bases do more of the work though, so not sure why exactly).