Preventing Injuries in Cheerleading through Strength Training
Strength training should be an essential component for cheerleaders who want to stunt.
The types of injuries sustained during a stunting session at a local summer cheerleading camp suggest that a solid conditioning program focusing on core strength and strength for the shoulders, arms, and wrists should be a mandatory requirement for all cheerleading programs that choose to stunt.
Stunting safely requires strength in the core muscles, and strength and power in the shoulders, arms, and leg muscles. Cheerleaders with a background in gymnastics already have this training. However, many young people stunt for the first time upon entering a cheerleading program.
Flyers should not be selected solely by their height and weight. Unfortunately, this seems to be a primary criterion for many programs. Small and lightweight individuals are the logical choice for flyers, but height and weight shouldn't be the only criteria.
Developing Core Strength for Flyers and Bases
Core strength is a critically important criterion for flyers. Core strength allows the flyers to be lifted into the air, change direction, and return safely to their bases because they can control their bodies in space. Flyers without core strength may easily lose balance when lifted and be injured on the way down.
Before a cheerleader is ever lifted into the air to stunt, the individual should have a solid foundation of core strength sufficient to hold their bodies tight and strong for a period of at least one minute.
Cheerleaders who base need the same type of core strength to be able to hold flyers in the air without injuring their backs. Tight core muscles will stabilize the spinal column and prevent injuries during stunts.
One easy way to test if a cheerleader's core strength is strong enough is to test how long the cheerleader can hold a plank. The plank should be performed as a full-body plank with the athlete's forearms and feet on the ground. The athlete should be able to hold a straight body position (without moving their hips up into a piked position) or dropping and sagging their bellies to the floor.
If potential flyers are unable to maintain a solid plank for a minimum of one minute, then the focus for these athletes should be on strengthening their core muscles before they are allowed to go up into the air.
One way to develop good core strength is through pilates. Finding a good pilates instructor who can come in and teach some basic core strength exercises is one good option to getting the athletes in the program well on their way to good core strength.
Improving Arm Strength and Power
Along with core strength, programs should focus on arm strength and power. Because most females tend to have insufficient arm strength, increasing and improving arm strength is a key component for cheerleaders who base.
Because athletes who base need to be able to lift flyers up above their shoulders and sustain the position or be able to toss flyers into the air, every athlete who bases should be on a strength training program for their arms.
These athletes should target their biceps, triceps, and deltoids for strength and power. This can be developed through arm curls, arm extensions, and behind the neck presses.
Initially, athletes should train for strength using the basic principles of three sets of 10 repetitions. Once athletes have a strength base, they can move to power lifts. The only difference between a strength lift and a power lift is speed.
When lifting for power, the athlete needs to perform the initial movement as quickly as possible (concentric phase) and then control the return movement (eccentric phase).
Power lifts mimic what bases do when they stunt. Bases have to be able to lift their flyers quickly and with speed.
Preventing Wrist Injuries
Because wrist injuries are prevalent in young female cheerleaders, coaches should also focus on wrist strengthening exercises for all those who base. Wrist strengthening exercises strengthen the muscles on either side of the forearms.
This can be accomplished through dumbbell exercises. Again, the basic principles for developing strength can be employed with the athletes completing three sets of 10 repetitions for both wrist flexion and wrist extension.
Developing strength in the forearms and wrists will help prevent wrist injuries in the bases while they are sustaining flyers in held positions. Stronger forearm and wrist muscles can maintain the wrist's position during stunting maneuvers. However, athletes with weak forearm and wrist muscles may be unable to sustain a hold and thereby risk wrist hyperextension injuries.
Just as athletes in all traditional sports have learned the benefits of strength training to enhance their performance and to prevent injuries, cheerleaders who stunt can obtain the same benefits. Coaches who choose to include stunting in their programs should also include strength training to help reduce injuries in the sport of cheerleading.
Preventing Injuries in Cheerleading through Strength Training
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