Stunts!

Note : If you see the little red x's where a picture should be, right click it with your mouse and click on show picture, if this doesn't work, it is my fault.

Welcome to my stunt page. The page with all the stunts, duh.

All Girl Stunts -

As a girl base, do you feel like it takes longer to master a stunt than it should? Are you using your back when you stunt? Are your wrists and grips in the incorrect positions? Does the stunt come down every time? If you answered yes to these questions, then you are probably using poor technique. Poor technique is the most common problem when it comes to all-girl bases. And it doesn't just affect the quality of your stunt. Bases can be plagued by injuries. Performing some simple exercises will help with strength and technique. Below are some common problem areas along with exercises to help you improve your technique and become a better girl base. Have fun and safe stunting!

Problem: You use your back every time you stunt. All-girl bases do not use their legs enough and use their backs instead. The legs on a human body are the strongest part of the body and along with the torso are crucial when stunting.

Solution: Make sure you lock out your legs and arms at the same time while performing a stunt. If you lock your legs first, and then your arms, you'll try and use your back. During a cradle, use your legs to absorb the momentum of the top person and make sure you keep your back straight.

Exercise: Simple exercises such as lunges for the legs will help strengthen them. Other exercises include squats with or without a weight bar, crunches for the abs to strengthen the torso and lower back exercises. For the lower back, lay flat on your stomach on the ground. Place your arms on your head and slowly raise up, squeezing your lower back at the same time. Perform all exercises 15 - 20 reps for three to four sets.

Problem: Your wrists and grip give out on you when you stunt. Why is this? Your wrists and your grip are probably in the incorrect position while performing the stunt. This causes you to overexert yourself and become tired quickly.

Solution: Make sure your wrists and grip are in the correct position for the stunt and perform exercises to help strengthen them.

Exercise: Simple exercises, such as squeezing a tennis ball, squeezing grips and using free weights to perform wrist and forearm exercises, will help. Perform all exercises 15-20 reps for three to four sets.

Problem: You are not able to hold a stunt once it's up. Often the base is not locking out her arms or shrugging through the shoulders. When the arms are unlocked, it causes pressure and makes the base work harder than needed.

Solution: Make sure you lock out your arms and shrug up through your shoulders.

Exercise: Push-ups, handstand push-ups and dips for the tricep muscles will help the arms. You can also use a weight bar and perform the military press and upright row for the shoulders. Perform all exercises 15 - 20 reps for three to four sets.

Beginning Preparations -

In all beginning stunts, you need 2 bases, a backspot, a front spot, and a flyer. The bases face each other with their knees bent and hands cupped together, fingers touching. The flyer is on her toes with her hands on the bases' shoulders. The back spot is behind the flyer with her hands on the flyers waist. The front spot stands in front of the stunt with arms reaching up incase flyer falls forward. The back spot calls the count: "1, 2, down, up, down, up." You use "1, 2" to get ready for the stunt. On "down," the flyer bends her knees to get height when she jumps. The backspot keeps her hands on the flyer's waist. On "up," the flyer jumps up and straightens her arms and locks out her elbows. She brings her knees up, but make sure she doesn't drop her bum below her knees. The flyer's bum should always be over her knees. She should be hanging over the bases. On "down," the bases dip as the flyer lowers herself so her feet land in the bases cupped hands. On "up," the bases lift their hands up and straighten their knees. When they lift up their hands, they should turn them out so their own wrists are touching or are close together, with one hand holding the toe and one hand holding the heel of the flyer. The flyer should push off the bases' shoulders and stand up in their hands while they lift up. The bases should stop when they hit their shoulder level. Without a flyer in their hands, this position should feel comfortable, like, if you lower or raise the height of your hands, it doesn't feel normal. Does that make sense? Anyways, that's how you get into beginning stunts. This is called an elevator. Once you have mastered the elevator. The bases can press their arms fully up to the locked position and the flyer stays tight. This is called a full extension. Or you can go all the way from the strating position without stopping into the extension. The following animation is a full extension, using the beginning approach.

There are different ways to load into these kinds of beginning stunts. Some are the twist, one-foot, half-in, and re-take.

1,2, right foot in right base's hands, 3, down, 4, up, flyer put all her weight on rigt base like a liberty, 5, down, 6, up, flyer straighten out legs like liberty, keeping left leg straight and next to your right leg, 7, at the top, left base grabs left foot, flyer, don't help, stay stiff and straight.

Flyer stands in front of bases, not behind. The bases have their wrists crossed, right over left. The flyer jumps in with her feet crossed, left over right. As they go up, the flyer keeps her legs crossed until the very top and uncrosses them. Bases keep their wrists crossed until the very top, then theyuncross them, so they are holding the feet the proper way. So on 1,2 you rest, 3, down, 4, up, 5, down crossed, 6, bases, go up, flyer, try to lock out knees while crossed, at the top, uncross.

Once the flyer is in the elevator position, the back spot calls "1, 2, down, up, down, up." On "down," the bases bend their knees. On "up," the bases push the flyer up to their noses and brings her back down to starting position on "down," the bases remembering to recup their hands. On "up," the bases rotate their hands, again, and push the flyer back up to elevator position.