Preparing for the big day......

Feeling confident!!

Okay so we all get a little nervous for our competitions, we can admit that, right? So feeling confident with your routine, your tumbling, and your stunt is a big factor whether you're going to do well or not. If you doubt yourself or your stunt group, chances are you're not going to put in as much because you already think it's going to fall or not hit. Something I do that some other people might do is staying focused. I take every section of my routine piece by piece to help me stay focused on what I'm doing in that section of the routine. Even if I'm a little ( very ) nervous or scared to preform, I always try to keep a good attitude and stay positive because it helps me stay focused throughout the routine and the out come is always better when I'm positive than when I'm nervous and scared.

The proper sleep schedule 

Making sure you have enough energy and sleep for the routine is very important. As an All-Star cheerleader ( someone who tumbles, stunts, and dances competitively on a non-school sports team and making cheerleading and actual sport ) you use a lot of your energy when you preform because you're doing so many things ( Tumbling, stunting, dancing, and preforming for the crowd ) in the routine. I try to go to bed and wake up at the same time everyday so my body is use to going to bed and getting up at the same time everyday. I wake up between 6:30-7 am and I go to bed between 10-10:30 pm everyday and on days I have competitions, I'm properly rested for my competition. Most cheerleaders are between 13-18 years old. If you happen to be within that age range and you're not sure how much sleep you should get, check out this link for some information about your specific sleep schedule. Sleep in Adolescents :: Nationwide Children's Hospital. I recommend clicking on the link and reading it a little because it has helped me.

Staying focused & giving it your all!!!

What helps me, and I've said it before take ONE thing at a time. My coaches always tell me "take it piece by piece & section by section. Don't think about what you have to do next, just focus on what you have to do now" and it always helps me out.  Always listen to your coaches because they know what they're talking about. I've learned that if my coach tells me to do something, I've gotta trust them and believe them.... even if it may seem crazy or weird. When I take it one part of the routine at a time I tend to do better than if I was thinking about what I have to do next. ALWAYS preform with energy, confidence, and giving your all!! When I'm watching teams compete, I always look for the people who preform and gives you energy throughout the routine and during the stunt because it makes you want to watch more. At practice try to preform like you're at a competition so then when you're at a competition its going to be easier to put on a show and keep the audience entertained..... and after all, that's what us cheerleaders do best!!! It might seem weird at first but when you get use to preforming at practice it'll make it soooooo much easier to preform for an audience and maybe your stunts can look as good and as cool as the one in the gif!!

Thing's that might hep you get ready for your next practice

Practice ready?

Thinking

Have you ever thought to yourself, am I ready for practice? If so you're not alone on this one. I always think to myself, do I have my water bottle, do I have my socks, do I have money for gas and food after practice, and do I have my cheer bag? A lot of my stuff I'll need for cheer in in my cheer bag and my cheer bag only. Some might just bring their shoes and water others will bring their bag with all of their stuff in it.

What's in my bag?


 My bag contains a lot of things including an ankle brace, knee brace, an extra shirt, an extra pair of socks, etc. Without my cheer bag I would be lost for practice. By putting everything you need in your cheer bag you'll be ready for practice, but have you thought about putting it back in your bag when you're done using the item you grabbed out of your bag? I'm ready for practice....... for the most part and that's because when I take something out of my bag I put it right back where I got it so I don't have to worry about not having whatever it may be for my next practice. Try doing something similar and seeing if that helps you in any way.

Making the right choice in your snack before practice

Fruit

Normally my brother and I don't get back from practice until about 11 at night on Mondays and Thursdays so I try to eat something before practice Something healthy is what I normally go for because in gives me the energy I'll need during practice. I'll grab a Granola bar, yogurt, or a piece of fruit to eat on the way to practice. I've found out that I do better in practices when I make a healthy snack option before practice rather than an unhealthy option like chips, a candy bar, cookies, etc. This link can give you some healthy snack choice you can think about eating before your next practice.
26 Best Healthy Snacks

Exercises I do throughout the week

Throughout the week I like to exercise when I have the time to help me prepare for my next cheer practice. When I have time I normally do push-ups, crunches, leg lifts, and sit-ups. On a nice day out I'll actually go outside to do my exercises just to enjoy the day so you're not all cooped up in your house all day. The push-ups help build up my shoulders and my arm muscle to help improve my stunting and tumbling. Crunches, leg lifts, and sit-ups help tone my core ( abs ) and that"ll help with my technique for my tumbling. The leg lifts will along build up your leg muscle at a slow rate but it will keep them toned so you're not losing muscle in your legs. Sometimes I will go for a run to help build my endurance and leg strength for our routine because a single routine takes a lot out of you with all of the tumbling and stunting you do throughout your time on the mat.

What are somethings you do to help get ready for practice and what snack choices do you making to help improve your practice? Or what are somethings you do at practice that makes it easier for your next practice?

Stretching and flexibility

Flexibility is more important than you think

My first year of cheerleading I wasn't really sure about the whole stretching thing. I was never informed on the importance of stretching so I didn't really have a need to stretch..... well at least that's what I thought at the time. I always got put in the back for jumps mainly because my jumps weren't all that good. As the start of my second year I understood it a little more with having done the sport before and my goal was to move up a little bit in the jump section so I wasn't in the back again. Flexibility is used in about every part of the routine. Weather you're a flyer, base, back spot, front spot, or just a tumbler.

This is going to be my last year cheering so I thought to myself "ummm why not start stretching and see where that gets me?". So one night I decided that I was going to stretch every night before bed and I was going to be more flexible than I ever was before. The three main things I did was my splits ( left, right, and center split), stretching my hamstrings ( sitting down with my feet in front of me and seeing how far I can go down), and my groin area( squats and all 3 types of splits). When I started stretching every night and within a week I started to notice a difference in my flexibility. I went from not being close to being able to do a split, to almost being able to do a split in the matter of 2 weeks. I was extremely shocked by the outcome and how much more flexible I've became over the past 2 weeks. My tumbling has actually gotten a lot better since I started stretching more. My round-off is a lot more powerful, ( if you have the right technique ) your tumbling after the round-off will be much more sharper than before. Here are some other stretches I add to my normal stretching routine. Click on the link to look at some stretches you can do to help improve your flexibility. How To Get Flexible Fast (yes it's really possible - and safe)

Comment below and let me know some of your stretching routines!