Cheerleading is an exciting sport.

It can also be a dangerous one. In fact, is ranked the #1 cause of catastrophic injury among female athletes.

If you’re a beginner, you might be overwhelmed by the cheerleading stunts you see on TV. Before national teams get to where they are, they had to master the basics. Check out five easy cheer stunts that are perfect for newbies.

Understanding Everyone’s Role

When it comes to cheer stunts, it’s important to know everyone’s role. In most stunts, there are 4-5 people:

• flyer
• bases
• back spot
• front spot

Each position is important and vital to the safety of the stunt. The flyer is the person on top. The base or bases are the individuals who lift the flyer.

The spots are the ones who ensure the safety of the cheer stunt by holding the ankles of the flyer or the wrists of the bases for support.

You can learn all the basics of cheerleading and the importance of everyone’s role when you attend a cheer camp or academy like Golden Dance & Cheer Academy.

1) Thigh Stand

The thigh stand is a great introduction to cheer stunts. For this stunt, you will need three people, unless the cheerleaders are young and then a spot may be needed at the cheer coach’s discretion.

The bases will stand side by side and they will bend into a lunge. One to their left and one to their right so that their knees are towards each other.

The flyer will place one foot on one base’s thigh. The foot will need to be at the top of the thigh.

The flyer will then place their hands on the bases’ shoulders and boost themselves so that their other foot is the other base’s thigh. Then the flyer must stand up and lock their legs.

Each base will take their outside arm and hold the front of the flyer’s foot and their inside arm will wrap around the flyer’s knee.

2) Shoulder Sit

One of the best cheer stunts for beginners is the shoulder sit. For this stunt, you need the flyer, one spot, and one base.

The base lunges into a 90-degree angle with her right leg. The flyer, standing behind the base, steps onto the base’s thigh with her right foot as close to the base’s hip as possible. The flyer will then jump up, swinging her left leg onto the base’s left shoulder.

While the flyer is swinging her left leg, the base will stand up.

The flyer can hook her legs around the base’s back while the base either holds the flyer’s knees or holds her fists at her waist in one of the cheerleading poses. The spot will stay close to ensure the safety of the flyer.

3) Elevator

An elevator is one of the most popular cheerleading stunts and can be used in more advanced stunts as you gain more experience. Needed for an elevator stunt are two bases, one flyer, and a back spot. You can add a front spot if needed.

The two bases will stand facing each other. While the back spot holds onto the flyer’s waist, the flyer will place her hands on the bases’ shoulders. The bases will squat down and form cupped hands at their waists.

On a four count, the back spot will lift the flyer into the air so she can place her feet into the bases’ hands. The bases stand up holding tight to the flyer’s feet while the back spot holds on to her ankles. The flyer needs to lock her legs while she is in the air.

As you become more experienced, this stunt can be elevated. The bases will lift their arms straight up to raise the flyer while the back spot continues to hold onto her ankles.

4) Hanging Stag

The hanging stag is a great beginner stunt and requires two bases, a back spot, and a flyer. The flyer will make a “T” with locked arms. Each base will hold the flyer on her wrist and upper arm to stabilize and lift her up. The back spot will hold onto the flyer’s waist.

5) Basket Toss

A basket toss is a fun stunt for beginners. To perform a basket toss, you need four cheerleaders: flyer, two bases, and a back spot. You can add a front spot for extra supervision.

The bases need to face each other and clasp the wrists of the other. A coach will need to show the bases how to do this properly. The flyer will stand behind the bases with her hands on the bases shoulders while the back spot holds on to the flyer’s waist.

Altogether, the bases squat down, the back spot lifts the flyer, and the flyer jumps up and puts her feet on the bases hands. The back spot will then let go of the flyer’s waist and push the flyer’s bottom up into the air while the bases throw their arms up to assist in the boost.

When the flyer comes down, the two bases will hold their arms out to catch the flyer from the sides, while the back spot catches her under her arms.

Important tip for the flyer: Stay stiff when you come down and don’t fall forward.

How to Prevent Injuries

There are ways to try and prevent injuries during cheerleading stunts. For flyers, they need to be sure to lock their legs in place when they are up and when landing, it’s important to land with bent knees.

Bases need to remember to lift with their legs and not their backs to avoid injury. Having a spot or spots is necessary for stunts to be performed. Just like other athletes, it’s important to listen to your body, stretch, and do things that will improve your flexibility and help with recovery of possible injuries.

You Must Know the Basics of Cheerleading Stunts

It’s important to learn the basics first when it comes to cheerleading stunts. This way, you know that the stunts are being done correctly to avoid injury. Proper form is vital even for basic cheer stunts.

Check out our blog for more useful tips.