[cheergirl92]

Hello next year I'm going to be a freshman and I'm trying out for cheerleading. I have some problems though. I cannot do the splits, a back handspring, or a front handspring. Can someone please help me out to do some exercises or to be able to do that for cheerleading try outs. Thank you so much for whoever reads this! :)

[rudi_in]

Thank you for posting your question to the Ask Me Help Desk.

First the splits...

Splits are not the easiest of things to accomplish, so please understand that it would probably be several months of persistent training before you are able to do them. You will have to work hard and be prepared to do a lot of stretching.
Here are some ideas for you to try to get you closer to your splits.


1) It is important to get warmed up first. The muscles will stretch better when they are warm vs. when they are cold. Run in place for about two minutes.

2) Do 50 jumping jacks.

Now you can begin to stretch. Understand that you are stretching for flexibility not for warm-up. When stretching for flexibility you need to hold each of your stretches for a minimum of 45 seconds. This allow the body to "get the hint". The body can start making preparations for change to be able to meet the demands that you are placing on it. This is why you must stretch every day and hold that 45 second minimum. Small 10 second stretches won't help you to gain flexibility. They will only help you prepare for workout and maintain current flexibility levels.
Also make sure that you stretch until you feel the stretch. It should not be painful but should be slightly uncomfortable.

3) Sit on the floor and straddle (legs apart as far as you can, legs straight). Reach your arms up over your head and reach out and try to grab your right foot and try to place your nose on your knee. You are not allowed to bend the knees on this exercise. Hold for 45 and repeat on the other side. Do the same going down the center.

4)Bring the legs together and keep them straight. Put your hands under your thighs and gently pull your nose towards your knees. Go only as far as you can. After 45 sec, slide the hands down under the knees and continue pulling nose to knees. Continue by sliding the hands under the calves and under the ankles and finally, if you can, around the soles of the feet. Remember the 45 second minimum.

5) The half lunge is when you have one leg straight behind you and the other one is in front of you with a bent knee and foot on the ground. The front leg should have the knee directly above the ankle. Sort of like you just took the biggest step you could have. I wish I could show you this one because it is hard to describe. Repeat with the other leg in the front.

6) Work the actual split. We will hold this for 1 minute total. Start with straight legs and slide down as far as you can. When you begin to feel the stretch, hold it there. It is important to practice it with straight legs or you won't be doing yourself much help. After 15 seconds try squeezing your legs together like a scissors for 5 seconds then relax and let yourself slide a little lower. Repeat 2 more times for a total of one minute. Then repeat with the legs switched.

7) For center split, start by putting your hands on the ground in front of you with your legs far apart. Pull your toes up so that you are on your heels and slide down as far as you can. Check to see that your knees are facing upward and not inward. Do the same technique as with the other splits.

8) You can also practice the center split by laying on the floor on your back and putting your butt up against the wall so your legs are on the wall. Now, let your legs open up and allow gravity to pull on them. You may add a couple of pounds with ankle weights or something as you feel comfortable with it. You can hold this one for several minutes while reading a book or something. :)

9) Don't forget to do some light cool down stretching. This will help the muscles to ease back into normal everyday workload. Cool down stretching will help minimize soreness of muscles in the upcoming days.

Well, this should get you started in the right direction. Remember, it will be a long and hard journey to achieve your goal. I encourage you to keep at it though. These are only a few suggestions to help with your splits. There are oodles more stretches and techniques, but I trust that these will be helpful to you if done properly.


For back handsprings and front handsprings, while I could give you a ton of tips... it is best if get yourself into a class at a local gym where you can have a trained spotter available to help you. These really are not tricks that you should work on alone in the back yard.

If you find yourself having some difficulty learning them at your club, let me know your issues and I can provide advice to help you fix the problems.

Best of luck to you!