The extreme stunts seen on sports television during national cheerleading competitions might be exciting to watch, but easy cheerleading stunts are the best level of acrobatics for younger squads and beginning cheerleaders to attempt. Easier stunts are also a nice staple to have for games and warm ups. Small and medium size squads may not have enough people for the more complex stunts that need even more spotters than normal. In cases like this, simpler yet eye-catching stunts are a good alternative.
Best Easy Cheerleading Stunts to Try
Try some of these basic stunts with your squad, and use them as a starting point to creating new and original stunts together.
Shoulder Sit
Probably one of the easiest and most common stunts is the shoulder sit. This stunt requires three people: a base, spotter and flyer.
- The base lunges with her right leg to the side at a 90-degree angle.
- The flyer stands behind the base and places her right foot on the base's bent leg as near to the hip as possible and jumps up, swinging her left leg over the base's left shoulder. The right leg follows over the right shoulder.
- As the flyer swings the right leg into place, the base should stand. The flyer can hook her legs around the base's back for added support.
- A spotter stands behind the pair to catch the flyer if she loses her balance and falls.
L Stand
The L Stand is often seen at basketball games and performed during basketball cheers and chants. While it is an easy stunt, it is fairly impressive looking. When done synchronized by more than one pair, this stunt can appear more complicated than it is. The stunt requires two people.
- The spotter stands behind.
- The base lunges her right leg at a 90-degree angle, just as for a shoulder sit.
- The flyer stands behind the base's right leg and places her right foot near the top of the leg by the hip.
- The base grasps the foot and holds it in place with her left hand and uses her right arm to place it under the flyer's right knee to add support.
- The flyer places her hands on the base's shoulders and pushes straight up while swinging the left leg out to the left.
- As the flyer extends her left leg, the base should move her left arm to a V position, helping to extend the flyer's leg into an L position and holding the pose.
- At the same time, the flyer will stiffen the right leg, which the base will push up, helping the flyer to stand.
In the video above, the flyer then ends in a shoulder sit.
Thigh Stand
The thigh stand is a stunt that almost resembles a pyramid, but is perfect for younger and beginner squads. The stunt requires three people: Two bases and a flyer. A spotter is not usually required, but the coach should decide whether or not one is warranted. A spotter might be a good idea with younger children.
- Two bases stand side by side in a lunge. One base will lunge to the right and one to the left with the bent legs facing each other and feet side by side.
- The flyer places her left foot on one base's thigh up near the hip and her hands on the two bases' shoulders. The left base should grab her foot with the left hand and place her right arm under the flyer's knee.
- The flyer then pushes up into place putting the other foot on the other base's thigh and locking her legs into place. The right base should grab the flyer's foot with the right hand and hook the left arm around the back of the knee.
- When the flyer gains her balance, she lifts her arms into a high V or on her hips in the ready position.
Basket Toss
The basket toss is a basic stunt that beginners can learn. As the base and the flyer improve, the stunt can be made more impressive by throwing the flyer up higher in the air. For a basic basket toss you will need at least four cheerleaders: A backspot, two sidespots and a flyer. If the base is a bit unsteady, a frontspot can be added for stability and to better protect the flyer.
- Two bases face one another and clasp each other's wrists. It is important that the grip is strong between these two bases, so a trained coach should show the sidespots how to correctly clasp one another's wrists.
- The flyer stands behind the clasped arms and places her hands on each sidespot's shoulder.
- The backspotter places her hands on the flyer's waist.
- In one fluid motion, the two sidespots squat, and the backspot lifts the flyer onto the clasped arms while the flyer pushes up.
- Once the flyer is in position, the backspot places her hands on the flyer's buttocks so she is able to boost the flyer into the air.
- The flyer pushes up and the three bases throw their arms up, lifting the flyer high into the air.
- As the flyer comes down, she must keep her body straight and fall back into the arms of the base. Her arms should be tight at her sides and not flailing or she and/or the bases could get hurt. Try to never fall forward. The flyer must trust the base to catch her.
It bears repeating that this stunt should never be attempted without a trained coach overseeing the practice. A trained cheer coach will make sure the bases and flyer are in the correct positions, using the right technique and that everyone from the flyer to the backspot know what their roles are and how to safely land the stunt.
Elevator
The elevator stunt is a basic stunt that can be adapted into more advanced stunts later. You will need four cheerleaders to complete this stunt: Two sidespots, a backspot and a flyer. A frontspot is optional.
- The side bases should stand across from one another with the flyer behind.
- The flyer places her hands on the side spots' shoulders.
- The back spot stands behind the flyer with the hands on the flyer's waist.
- Once everyone is in the correct position, the two sidespots should squat with their hands cupped.
- On a count of four, the backspot should lift the flyer so that she steps into the side spots' cupped hands.
- The side spots stand while the flyer pushes off their shoulders until her feet are lifted to the chest height of the two side spots.
- The backspot steadies the flyer's legs by holding her legs in place.
Learn the Basics
Learn these basic stunts and you will have a strong foundation for more complicated cheerleading stunts. It is important to learn to perform these stunts regularly and without hesitation because the chance for injury increases with more advanced stunts, and not knowing proper form increases those risks. Put the time into learning these simple stunts and soon you'll move on to more advanced cheerleading.
