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Cheerleading: Standing tuck, Stretches for flyer's
Hi Katie,
I am a varsity cheerleader at my high school and have been for a few years now... I know this sounds ridiculous, but I have been working on a standing tuck for almost 3 years now... I've gotten it for certain periods of time before but it was very inconsistent and it just never came easy for me... my coach's just think im completley mental about it...my running tumbling is really strong and consistent.. I can do it anytime anywhere.. my coach's are rude about it, and they pretty much gave up on me.. I used to "throw my head back" alot.. and just go straight back etc... i've been going to tumbling alot more lately and working on my technique.. my form has gotten alot better i set up... and i've been doing alot of excersises to get stronger..running,abs,calf raises,etc... but my tuck is just not happening...most of the time my legs are slow on getting around..and I feel like my core/lower abs aren't strong enough..I'm not heavy at all, i'm in shape, my legs are strong,calves aren't that strong.. but overall its my abs i feel aren't strong enough at all.. I used to do ab workouts with incorrect form so it hasn't done much for me..lately ive been focusing alot on better form and theyre getting more toned.. but do you have any advice for my tuck...and also toning my obliques/abs/etc? haha sorry this is extremly long.. but i honestly dont know what else to do.. it's frustrating and make's me feel worse then everyone else on my team.. also im really flexible on my right leg but not as much my left..and i pulled a muscle in my leg and it's been getting better.. but i need it to become alot more flexible for heel stretches etc.
if you can help me out that'd be greattt.. thank you!! (sorry this question was massivley long)
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Oh don't worry about the legnth, tackling a long question is a big accompllishment for me haha. Well first to make you feel better, I understand your tuck situation. Ive had a full since I was in 6th grade.. its not a good one but Ive done it enough times. Still, I can't do standing tucks. I know how I should do them and the techineque and everything.. I just can't do them. It's half mental half stregnth, maybe alittle more mental though? Even if I am physically capable of landing them I still get freaked out and start having mental blocks. But to get over my mental blocks I just picture myself on my trampoline.. the veiw and everything like I am right on the trampoline. Then I just pretend I'm bouncing and try and do them like I do on the trampoline. It helps for the most part. I really wish I had a consistant tuck to help you out but I don't, I'll try and help though. For me, I never do specific exercises for my tumbling. I mean, I do crunches and stuff but I never think "Will this help my tuck". So just keep doing tucks, trampoline, matt, hard floor whatever. Practice does make perfect. Before you just throw it, think about what is causing you to have trouble and try real hard to change that. I always get scared that I won't land so I don't pull up and I fly back, which of course causes me to put my hands down. But when I think, I go.. "okay I need to pull up alot" and I picture myself doing standing tucks perfectly and try to match my physical power with that mental image in my head. And yeah, when I think about doing them good my tucks can be good, but when I get scared I go back to doing shitty techniques. Just practice each tuck you do and try to make them the best ever, so hopefully instead of making them crappy when you get scared/nervous/tired, you will have practiced enough that they are all the same.
For stomach exercises, I just do normal crunches. Plain ones, and I know that I'm doing them right because I feel my stomach. I figure, that If I feel my stomach mucsles working then whatever I'm doing is good haha. Try snap v's, they're good help too. One for the side of your abs.. (this is hard to explain) lay on your back in a hollow position. Reach up with your left arm towards your right leg, then come back down and do the same with your right arm and left leg. It shuold look like siccor kicks and you should feel it in your sides.
For flexibility.. just go down as far as you can in the splits every day. I stretch every day and seriously, over the past half a year I went from barely the splits and a crappy healstretch, to splits both ways and a bow-in-arrow. Honestly all I can say is stretch each day. That's pretty much it haha.
I hope this helped, I really do! Because I know excalty what your going through. If you need anything else please dont hesitate to ask again or i.m me. =)
katie
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