Shoulder Stability for Cheerleaders
Co-author: Megan Partain, SPT
Have you ever wondered how your favorite cheerleaders spend hours tumbling, stunting, and holding each other up in the air? Well, in cheerleading, it comes down to a little more than just sheer talent but incredibly strong and stable shoulders. Athletes with decreased shoulder strength are prone to injuries like dislocations, sprains, and strains. Current research suggests that regular shoulder strengthening exercises can help prevent these types of injuries. The following exercises are recommended for tumblers and especially indicated for main and instep bases, as well as back spots.
In-Season Arm Care Programs: Keeping Your Upper Body Healthy All Season Long
Keeping your arms and shoulders strong and mobile are important in a successful season for any overhead athlete. Often, skipping out on warming up, cooling down, and stretching can cause preventable injuries. Athletes can excel throughout their season without worrying about injury with proper care and effort. The throwing or hitting motion of sports such as baseball, softball, tennis, water polo, swimming, and volleyball could result in injury due to the tremendous force athletes put through their shoulders. In women’s volleyball, the ball can be spiked up to speeds of 70mph, and in tennis, players can serve up to 128 MPH. With such high velocity and force behind hitting and throwing, athletes need to keep up with strength and mobility. Here are six exercises all overhead athletes can do for a healthy upper body.
