Taking It Back to Basics – The Importance of Core Fundamentals

New cheerleaders do not start out doing back tucks and double downs their first day on the mat. But once you get to the point where those things come naturally, it is easy to forget where you came from. Stopping every once in a while to review the basics and work on the fundamental aspects of your cheerleading can improve your form and prevent injury to you and your squad. It may not be the most glamorous part of practice, but it will set you apart from the rest of the competition.

Foundation Fundamentals

Every cheerleader has to do their part to make the entire performance work. This is especially true in stunting, where one weak link can ruin a stunt or put a flyer in danger of being dropped. Don’t rush into difficult stunts without building a solid foundation and practicing simpler maneuvers like thigh stands first. Bases should make especially sure that they put in the extra effort to improve their strength through weight training and cardio exercises. A two-minute routine can wear on your muscles and you need to be confident your final stunt is just as polished and exact as the first.

Think Like a Judge

Consider all the details that judges are looking for in a stunt, like balance, pointed toes, and straight wrists. Breaking down all the elements can earn you (or cost you) points. Working on fundamental elements of cheerleading like this will improve the overall look of more complicated maneuvers. Judges may be impressed by an elite stunt, but something as simple as a crooked Arabesque sticks out like a sore thumb and draws away from the greater accomplishment. A basketball player who can shoot three-point shots is no good to a team if he or she cannot dribble the ball to the basket. In the same way, a cheerleader who can land a flip but looks wobbly while doing it is not much of an asset.

Stay Safe

The most important part of going back to basics is that by improving on your fundamentals, you and your team will cheer safer. Cheerleaders who fail to develop good fundamentals put themselves and their teams at risk during complicated stunts and risk not only personal injury, but hurting their team. If they are personally injured, they cannot perform, and may continue to be injury-prone throughout the entire season. Plus, having to build routines around an injured cheerleader limits the entire team’s ability to build routines. Learning how to land jumps correctly and hold stunts using correct form reduces the risk of injury to muscles and joints, which allows your team to try more complicated exercises and improve, while also staying safe.

One element of safety often overlooked is the selection of proper apparel for workouts and competition. A good place to start would be cheerleading footwear. Chasse Cheer’s new shoe, the Vault is a perfect cheerleading shoe, stylish and versatile – making it perfect for flyers, bases, tumblers, and anyone else on your squad. This shoe is made of high-quality products and is offered at an affordable price. Available at Omnicheer.

You may also want to consider updating your current collection of cheerleading practice and camp wear. Omni Cheer currently offers a number of affordable alternatives, like our large in-stock selection of printed tees. With so many different designs to choose from, you’re sure to find the perfect shirt for you. These shirts also go great with Soffee practice shorts– a favorite amongst cheerleading squads nationwide. Soffee shorts are affordably priced, lightweight and available in a number of popular team colors. Omni Cheer makes it easy to create your own custom cheerleading outfit, perfect for summer workouts and camp with a great selection of products in-stock and ready-to-ship, making sure you’ll be cheering all summer.