The Lost Art of the Cheer Grip

  The Lost Art of the Cheer Grip

By Ryan Purkiser

Stunting is a major component in cheerleading, whether recreational or competitive.  The art of technique seems to be lost in the cheerleading world today, resulting in safety concerns and overall stunt execution.  The single most important component in stunting is the base’s grip.  Without the proper grip, the top girl cannot do her job in keeping her body positioning correct. Whether it’s a coed group or all-girl, holding a stunt is about the top girl holding her body position, and base(s) having the correct alignment and grip for the top girl to stand on.  Basically, the top girl needs to be a solid statue and the base(s) need to be a solid platform for that statue to sit on.

Let’s start first with the base(s).  The top priority for any base(s) is grip.  As mentioned before, the base(s) need to be that strong foundation for the top girl to stand on.  The position of your hands on the feet will directly determine how much control the top girl has on her body control/position.  For coed, solid support for the top girl comes from the right hand under the heel, while the left hand is under the ball of the top girl’s foot.  For all-girl, the main base should have their right hand underneath the ball of the foot, while the left hand is firmly under the heel.  The side base should have their right hand gripping the middle of the foot and their left hand on the main base’s right wrist.  These are examples of correct grips in one legged stunts, which are the most common variation. 

Fingers are also important in maintaining a solid platform for the top girl.  The use of the fingers in grips is where the majority of the control of the stunt can be found.  In coed, focus bases should focus on their thumbs and pinkies to gain control and maintain the stunt.  In all girl, the main base is responsible for maintain balance between the toe and heal, while the side base is responsible for the control of the foot from shifting side to side. .  In all girl, the use of fingers can make small adjustments to the stunt in a way that the bases do not need to move to control the stunt.

Finally, progressions are very important in stunting, but the correct way to progress is often lost.  Too many times athletes want to push the envelope of their skills without using the correct progression to get there. If your toss extension is barely getting to the top, full ups are probably never going to work.  Stunts are great, in that they build off each other.   A liberty, for example, is nothing more than an extension but switch to a one legged grip at the top.  The very best way to practice grips are floor drills.  For coed, the guy needs to lay on his back and have the top girl hold on to something sturdy to help her into the guy’s hands.  This way, the top girl isn’t high off the ground at all and it’s a very safe way to tell if the guy’s grip is correct and if the stunt will have a chance to hit.   All girl groups keep everything the same, except you just use a pair of shoes from your top girl to practice getting to your correct grips and body alignment for the stunt.

 The authors

Ryan Purkiser

-Member of UCA Cheer staff. 

-Cheered in College for 5 years and traveled throughout the US conducting stunt clinics for schools and cheer gyms. 

-Have worked numerous national and world cheerleading competitions and events.