Spotting Safety During Tumbling
With many tumbling sports, such as gymnastics and cheerleading, one of the most obvious risks for injury is to the athlete doing the tumbling skill. However there is also a risk for the spotter.
The spotter is usually a coach or teammate who works to make sure tumbling skills are performed safely. For many coaches, the ratio of athletes to coach is such that they can be performing many repetitions of the same movement during a single practice. This can place added stress and increase the risk of injury to the spotter’s shoulder, wrist and low back.
Stretch Rx for Achieving the Splits
Is your goal to learn the splits?
Beyond just improving flexibility, this skill can be useful for athletes in a variety of sports – from gymnasts and cheerleaders to hockey goalies. However, learning to safely perform this movement takes a lot of practice and consistency. See below for recommended stretches and some evidence-based tips for improving your flexibility and achieving this goal.
Ankle Strengthening for Tumbling Athletes
Gymnasts and cheerleaders are two types of athletes whose sports require tumbling. Tumbling can range from cartwheels to more complex flips and twists. Regardless of the difficulty of the tumbling, strong ankles for pushing off and landing are important. Weakness in ankles can result in injury such as an ankle sprain, ankle fracture, or tendinitis in muscles surrounding the ankle.
Is Back Pain Common in Cheerleading?
Cheerleading is a common sport in high schools and universities but it is also popular as a competitive all-star sport. These all-star teams are often a variety of ages, they can be co-ed, and the teams practice multiple days per week for competitions. Due to the nature of the sport, cheerleaders are more susceptible to certain injuries, including low back pain.
Concussions in Cheerleaders: Symptoms and Treatment
Cheerleaders are commonly seen on the sidelines of school and professional sporting events, but the sport is no longer reserved for the sidelines. Cheerleaders have their own competitions where they are in the spotlight. Competitive cheerleading participation is on the rise with teams ranging in age from 5 years old through college.
Offseason Training Tips for Cheerleaders
Once competition and tryout seasons are over, you may be thinking it is time to relax until next season… but this is incorrect! Offseason months are the perfect months to make sure you and your team are healthy and ready for a great season next year.
Cheerleading: Fact vs. Fiction
Cheerleading is rising in popularity and its composition has changed significantly over the decades.
Despite its popularity, there are still many things people don’t know about cheerleading. While some wonder if cheerleading is even a sport, others wonder if it could actually be the most dangerous sport. To help answer some of these questions, we are separating the cheerleading facts from fiction below:
