Question by Emmy: Help from anyone who is or was a cheerleader?
I am on the cheer leading team in my high school and I am a flyer. Whenever we practice stunts I do a good job on the stunts but the only problem I have is the cradle. I don’t get how you are supposed to “ride” the stunt(when they throw you in the air). Also when are you supposed to pike. Any advice???? I need help on my cradles.
Best answer:
Answer by BrittanyLovee
When your thrown your suposed to Pike, And Twist youll get higher,
:]
ive been a cheerleader for 9 yrs. 🙂
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you pull up with your shoulders and you pike when you feel your ponytail go up. =)
When they say “Cradle! 1, 2!” On 2 you need to slap down and feel like your belly button is on a string. Ride it by thinking of that. And come down by toes pointed, legs straight, and bear hug the bases. Good Luck 🙂
when riding the pop in a cradle you wait til you feel your bases pushing you to the top when at the top is when you push off. and as for piking wait till youve felt yourself get as high as you go and once you feel that you pike.
When riding the cradle pop, sniff in through your nose to help you pull up through your chest and shrug your shoulders. (Ask the coach if it is ok for you to pull to a high touch down motion on the ride. That helps a lot of new flyers out.) If you have bangs, keep riding straight up until your bangs lift up off your forehead. That means you have hit the top of the ride and should either lay out for the trip down or hit your trick, then lay out.
Pike & make a low V with your arms on the way back down, when you are right about at your bases’ hands. Catch around their shoulders, and don’t forget to press your elbows in like a “chicken wing” to help take some of the weight off of their hands.
If your coach hasn’t had you do it yet, ask if you can do cradle drills, where your stunt group scoops you. Once you are in place as if you had just cradled, the side bases let go. You should be able to hold your legs up so that your feet are directly across from your face and your body is in a V shape, If you can’t do this you need to work on some ab exercises like crunches, since they are the muscles that hold your legs up.
Good luck!