The Safety Net
by Pam Headridge
In "The Physician and Sportsmedicine" (Vol. 26, No. 9, Sept. 97), Mark R. Hutchinson, M.D. reports:
"Compared with other sports, cheerleading carries a relatively low risk of injury, but the injuries that do occur tend to be relatively severe in terms of time lost. The most common injury site is the ankle, with head and neck injuries less common but more severe. Two case reports illustrate overuse and acute injuries typical of the sport. Cheerleading injuries have been attributed to lack of experience, inadequate conditioning, insufficient supervision, difficult stunts, and inappropriate surfaces and equipment. Prevention recommendations are included."

As a coach, the prevention recommendations are your responsibility. A coach’s primary focus should always be on safety. Teach your cheerleaders the skills to protect themselves and team members from injury. Because cheerleading involves stunting, spotting drills are one of the keys to safety. Spotting is probably the most difficult element to learn because when an object or person is falling towards a person, instinct tell them to protect themselves first; therefore, they move away from the falling person. Teaching spotting is a leaned activity and should never be assumed that because you, as their coach, tell cheerleaders to catch, they automatically will do it. The need is to teach each member of your team the step by step technique of spotting. This will provide a safety net to preventing injury. No matter what position a cheerleader plays, all should learn the art of spotting.
Starting on ground level, have each cheerleader practice “catching ” drills. Divide the cheerleaders into groups of four. Take turns having each girl fall backwards into the arms of the other three catchers. Remind the cheerleader, that is falling back, to stay tight like a board and trust that the other three will catch her. The catchers should absorb the weight of the cheerleader in their arms and legs, not in their backs. When this drill is perfected, advance to a level higher.

Next, have a cheerleader (flyer) stand on a low bench or the bottom row of the bleachers. As she steps off to the floor, the catching cheerleader (base) this time will reach up and “bear hug” her, pulling the flyer close to her body and lifting the flyer upward during the catch (resisting). The flyer needs to have her arms extended overhead and her hands clasped together. Again, remind her to keep her body tight. Have every one practice both positions.
Now practice with two catchers. This is similar to if the flyer was in a shoulder-level-stunt. Still have the cheerleader step off the low bench. After this element is mastered, move to a shoulder-level-stunt and practice with 3 catchers - the two side bases and a back base. This type of dismount is called a pencil drop or shove wrap.


When learning intermediate stunts, it is important to have extra spotters around the stunt to keep everyone safe. Have extra people at each corner of the stunt like the corners of a box. This is called “four corner spotting”. Each person has an area that they can easily reach and are able to safely catch the flyer if she falls. Spotters need to stay
close to the stunt with their arms extended toward the flyer. They need to absorb the catch in their legs. Teach the flyer that she must always stay tight in a fall and trust that her bases and spotters will catch her. When falling, a flyer should never try to “save” the stunt by stepping off the front or reaching out to a person standing on the floor.
Spotting is one of the first elements that each cheerleader must master to maintain a safe environment. Have each cheerleader practice, practice, practice these skills that will develop a trust relationship between the flyer, spotters and bases. Spotting is the safety net that protects cheerleaders and helps to keep stunting injury-free.