All-Star What Happened To The Basics?

[oncecoolcoachnowmom]

The less-than-reputable rec programs near me are notorious for teaching kids tucks first. You don't know how many "tuck first" kids I and other gyms/coaches have to take clear back to step one (walkovers and handspring drills) because they have an average to horrible tuck, NO BHS, and want to progress in cheer (like, they want to make school cheer that requires a BHS but can't do it, or they come into all star thinking they'll be level 4 when they cannot handspring.) They really can't move on because they have no foundation.

 

[Official OWECheer]

The less-than-reputable rec programs near me are notorious for teaching kids tucks first. You don't know how many "tuck first" kids I and other gyms/coaches have to take clear back to step one (walkovers and handspring drills) because they have an average to horrible tuck, NO BHS, and want to progress in cheer (like, they want to make school cheer that requires a BHS but can't do it, or they come into all star thinking they'll be level 4 when they cannot handspring.) They really can't move on because they have no foundation.

S. M. H.

When skipping progressions goes REALLY bad.

Just wow.

 

[Official OWECheer]

I've seen pictures of kids basing extensions with their fingers on the outside of the flyer's feet.

Like this (yes, it's a North Laurel photo. Go Jags.)

Does that work better than when you grip with your fingers on the flyer's heel and toe?

 

[cheernerd5678]

I've seen pictures of kids basing extensions with their fingers on the outside of the flyer's feet.

Like this (yes, it's a North Laurel photo. Go Jags.)

Does that work better than when you grip with your fingers on the flyer's heel and toe?

I don't think it's better or worse just a different way of doing it. That way is kind of how you land when you full up to the top, and I personally think it's a lot easier to keep it there than try to switch grips so that's typically how I'll base if I full to the top but on a straight up skill I do heel toe 99% of the time

 

[vannahlexis]

I've seen pictures of kids basing extensions with their fingers on the outside of the flyer's feet.

Like this (yes, it's a North Laurel photo. Go Jags.)

Does that work better than when you grip with your fingers on the flyer's heel and toe?

We had the main base hold her hands like this for double downs. My flyer always said it helped her.
I don't base but I do sometimes for fun and when I do libs and stuff (usually w a way shorter side base) my hands always end up like that.
And we usually have the main base turn her hands like this for reverse 360s too.


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[nicolee]

Every coach I've ever had has been adamant that kids should build skills slowly, carefully, and in the correct order. Everything had to be perfect before I was allowed to move to the next skill, for the purposes of cleanliness, ease of learning, and safety. Walkovers, then handsprings, then tucks, so on and so forth. With thousands of drills in between.

Anything other than that is totally foreign to me.

 

[gofriars610]

It's also REALLY common for college males to learn standing tucks and really nothing else. The guys who picked up cheer in college are usually there to stunt first and foremost. They teach them a tuck (oddly simple for guys that age to learn, albeit sometimes janky) and the rest of the tumbling is carried by the girls or tumbler guys who have a cheer or gymnastics background.

I would say majority of the guys on my school's team had a standing tuck and nothing else. Usually once that was clean (or at least landable) they would move them straight on to standing fulls. :confused:

I've seen a guy walk in to an open gym with no tumbling skills/experience whatsoever and leave an hour later with a standing tuck.

You could say I was jealous.

 

[getsum]

I've seen a guy walk in to an open gym with no tumbling skills/experience whatsoever and leave an hour later with a standing tuck.

You could say I was jealous.

is this him:

 

[ilikebigbows]

I've seen a guy walk in to an open gym with no tumbling skills/experience whatsoever and leave an hour later with a standing tuck.

You could say I was jealous.

The kid I took to my sorority's fall formal is a P.E. major and learned a standing tuck in 20 minutes during gymnastics class while he just playing around. It took me 3 years.

 

[WinstonsGirl]

I've seen pictures of kids basing extensions with their fingers on the outside of the flyer's feet.

Like this (yes, it's a North Laurel photo. Go Jags.)

Does that work better than when you grip with your fingers on the flyer's heel and toe?

I've been taught this way, mainly for extensions over libs/etc. But it does help if you can catch and hold the flyers foot in any position. But I believe the reasoning behind it is that you can help control the flyers foot/ankle from breaking sideways, or keep her foot pointing forward. I think it's for those stunt where the ankles roll or start to turn. I believe it's also a more natural way for your arms/hands to turn when extended, giving more strength and stability. It was super easy to hold anyway, so I do either toes/heel or fingers on the outside depending on the stunt.

 

[canz]

Flyer basic things that have been really noticeable lately:

BEFORE you make your sassy face or fiercely sing along to your music, make sure you HIT your body position.

Ex: If you're going scorp to scale or arabesque, FULLY AND COMPLETELY PULL the scorp before going out to scale or arabesque. Don't just barely Dorito it, take it out to scale and make a face like you just pulled the most amazing position on this planet.

Oh if you're pulling heel stretches, actually HIT your stretch. Don't just barely grab the TIP of your shoe RIGHT before you double. That's not a stretch.

I can't even with heel stretches barely held at the toe #petpeeve

 

[cheerKT]

I've seen pictures of kids basing extensions with their fingers on the outside of the flyer's feet.

Like this (yes, it's a North Laurel photo. Go Jags.)

Does that work better than when you grip with your fingers on the flyer's heel and toe?

I had a coach for a while who taught that way. His theory was that you created a better platform for the flyer to stand on and held more of the foot with your hand turned that way, and also that you were naturally stronger and could hold more weight in that position. He made us hold our hands that way and the "traditional" way without anyone in the air and pushed down on them. It was true, our arms gave out more easily in the traditional grip than that way.

We didn't end up keeping that method since he left the gym shortly after, but I kind of wish I had learned that way since the beginning. It was too hard to switch to that after using a traditional grip for so long. I felt like my hands were moving too much under the flyer while going up. But I did feel stronger once she was up there.

 

[Eyes On The Prize]

I've seen pictures of kids basing extensions with their fingers on the outside of the flyer's feet.

Like this (yes, it's a North Laurel photo. Go Jags.)

Does that work better than when you grip with your fingers on the flyer's heel and toe?

My coaches at my last gym ALWAYS tried to correct my grip because I would use this grip instead of the traditional. In my head I was always like "I'm sorry my hands/wrists/elbows don't work that way!" That way felt more natural than the traditional grip. The traditional way reminded me of when people did back handsprings with their hands turned out. Now I'm glad it wasn't "wrong", just different.

Reason #387 why I preferred to side base because 9 times out of 10 I was using the sandwich grip.

 

[Official OWECheer]

My coaches at my last gym ALWAYS tried to correct my grip because I would use this grip instead of the traditional. In my head I was always like "I'm sorry my hands/wrists/elbows don't work that way!" That way felt more natural than the traditional grip. The traditional way reminded me of when people did back handsprings with their hands turned out. Now I'm glad it wasn't "wrong", just different.

Reason #387 why I preferred to side base because 9 times out of 10 I was using the sandwich grip.

I always did the grip that your coaches were talking about. But I have tried the side grip on my own (no flyer) just to see how it feels and I like it a lot more. It definitely feels more natural.

 

[AScheer]

And the fact that some of them want to try out for college cheer with bad motions...

I cheered in college. The worst motions I've ever seen... University of KY white squad when we played UK. I was shocked. #sorrynotsorry