Author Archives: Jason Mason

Coaching tips to help keep your team injury free and more powerful

Coaching Tips To Help Keep Your Team Injury Free And More Powerful

Coaching Tips

By Jason Mason

Updated September 21, 2018

You know what’s one thing that can really throw a wrench in your season?

An Injury

It always seems that just as all the gears are turning and your team is starting to gel that someone gets hurt.  Depending on the severity of the injury, you may now have to go back to the drawing board.  You know what this means.

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New stunt groups, rearranging spots, athlete from ripple 1 now needs to remember ripple 3 – which she always forgets.  It’s basically a brand new routine.  You know what’s probably more frustrating than an unexpected an injury?  The fact that it probably could have been prevented.  How you ask?  Properly conditioning your team may be monumental in keeping your athletes injury free.  We’ve provided you with an easy-to-follow guide that help to reduce injury and keep your athletics more powerful.

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Develop a Dynamic Warm-Up/Dynamic Stretch.

This is to get your athletes muscles warm. It is best to stretch when muscles are warm versus static stretching.  This is also a great way to mimic movements that are performed during routines….and perfect them :)

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Take a step back

Many times we go into a season with high expectations. This is great unless you skip over the basics.  Take a step back and look at your athletes movements and their strengths.

Do you see anything common among your athletes?  If so, that is a great place to start.  A couple common issues I see are Squatting ability, Shoulder/back flexibility, Core activation.

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PROGRAM OUT YOUR PRACTICE

Set time limits or set time aside for things that are important and must be accomplished. One being constant improvement on the athletes stamina and power production.  Yes, you are challenged when running a routine full out over and over….However, if your athletes are tired and start to practice bad form.  They are now teaching themselves improper mechanics which lead to injuries.  Save time at the end of practice or don’t be afraid to drop something from your practice and condition where the athletes can be successful by performing at their top ability at that time versus lifting, flipping, twisting etc.

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Open to change

The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, expecting a different result.  If you tend to have drops, weak tumbling, a sloppy second half of your routine or a mixture of these.  Then it might be time to have a second opinion review your teams.  This consultant should be knowledgeable both in fitness/health as well as understand the cheerleading/gymnastics/dance requirements.

Don’t be afraid of what they might tell you

It could be anything from a couple quick tips for fitness to changing/firing/moving staff members around so they are best utilized.  Sometimes people are placed or hired for a certain part of the job but are a better fit somewhere else.  By putting them where they belong it increases moral and helps them be a better coach.  This gets the athletes excited and doing what they need.  When athletes do what they need and are excited to be there….Well the results speak for themselves.

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Add a strength training day

  • On this day your athletes will work on just strengthening their body. Athletes tend to do the same movements in a sport over and over again.  Strength training allows the athlete to increase the activation/strength of the opposite muscles that are typically used.  These create balance which not only will make them stronger but balance helps prevent injury!

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6 Exercises To Strengthen and Improve Your Back Tuck

Back Tuck Excersises

By Jason Mason

Updated September 4, 2018

6 Excercises to strengthen and improve your back tuck

We all remember that first time landing our standing back tuck.



The feeling was amazing.  The set, the flip, everything finally clicked.  The moment you landed you heard all of your teammates and coaches screaming for you!  It was unreal.  Now it’s time to perfect that back tuck so that you can gain consistency, confidence and move on up the progression ladder to standing fulls.  Not sure of what exercises to do to strengthen your mind, body and tuck?  We’ve laid it out for you below.  Follow these awesome back tuck exercises to strengthen you back tuck so that can be ready to advance your skills to the next level!

Back Tuck Exercises

Back Tuck Excersises
  1. Box Jumps – This exercise helps change the distance in which an athlete sits.  Maximum height for a tuck is not achieved when they sit the same way they sit for a back handspring.  Typically the tuck is taught after the back handspring so teaching the athlete proper jump technique for maximum height is a must!
  2. Backward rolls – If you can’t do a backward roll how do you expect to be able to do it in the air and then land back on you feet?
  3. Snatch, Clean, Deadlift – These exercises promote triple extension.  That is full extension of the ankles, knees, and hips.  These movements done at a fast speed and with or without weight help promote the body mechanics needed.  Have you ever been jealous of someone who has never tumbled but is athletic and played other sports who just out of the blue throws a standing tuck?  It’s usually because they have all the building blocks from other sports.  Drill Drill Drill and your Skill will follow!



4. Knees over shoulders/Toes to bar (core)  a strong core and hip flexors are a must!  A standing tuck requires speed when rotating.  A strong core and hip flexors help increase your how fast you rotate.  If you do not have a bar or need less resistance to start.  Grab a panel mat, squeeze it above your head (smallest way), then roll up/leg lift getting your shins to touch the mat.

5. Hip Thrust/Glute Bridge –  Glutes are one of the assistant muscles that complement your quads and hamstrings in increasing your jump height

6. Jump Rope – Increasing calve strength and in a plyometric form.  Quick contractions, endurance, and improving upon another assistant muscle for jumping!

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