The Denver cheerleaders pushed into splits by coach and other teammates...

[KungFuPanda]

I don't understand HOW this could work. I can see gentle-moderate pressure working over time, but this method just seems like they'd get an injury, restart the clock, and end up taking longer to gain the flexibility. If they're scared and tense and fighting it it'll be even worse. I'm not getting how this became common practice in that area.

[Wheres Toto]

Every place I see this has people posting in the comments that this is common in competition dance and cheer.

 

Yikes.

 

Definitely NOT my daughters experience in competition dance and I've never heard of anything like that in competition cheer.  Both are very very popular around here.   There are specific stretches that are done to get ready to do splits.  Forcing or pushing someone into a split that they are not ready for is considered a very strong no-no.  .

 

ETA:  I do remember being told back in the 80's that to do splits you have to just push into it at least one time, it will hurt but then you'll be able to do them.  Even back then I thought that was a crock.

Edited August 26, 2017 by Where's Toto?

[Dmmetler]

My DD is a competitive cheerleader, and splits are actually an intermediate step-flyers do moves like scorpions, needles, heel stretches, etc. Some jumps and kicks require flexibility as well.

 

But this is achieved in the same way it is in gymnastics or dance-gradual stretching over time. And it's recognized that not all kids will ever get there. My DD is getting more flexible with time, but is nowhere near a split yet, and may never be. So, she's not going to be the one called on to fly when they have extreme positions in the choreography. (To get some idea, the top senior team at her gym was third at Worlds this year in co-ed. They have a total of 2 girls who can actually do a needle. It's something that basically requires being born with ridiculous levels of flexibility and then training it heavily since about age 3-4).

 

Here are some how tos on some of the moves

http://m.wikihow.com/Do-a-Scorpion-in-Cheerleading

http://m.wikihow.com/Do-a-Needle-in-Cheerleading

[KungFuPanda]

My DD is a competitive cheerleader, and splits are actually an intermediate step-flyers do moves like scorpions, needles, heel stretches, etc. Some jumps and kicks require flexibility as well.

But this is achieved in the same way it is in gymnastics or dance-gradual stretching over time. And it's recognized that not all kids will ever get there. My DD is getting more flexible with time, but is nowhere near a split yet, and may never be. So, she's not going to be the one called on to fly when they have extreme positions in the choreography. (To get some idea, the top senior team at her gym was third at Worlds this year in co-ed. They have a total of 2 girls who can actually do a needle. It's something that basically requires being born with ridiculous levels of flexibility and then training it heavily since about age 3-4).

Here are some how tos on some of the moves

http://m.wikihow.com/Do-a-Scorpion-in-Cheerleading

http://m.wikihow.com/Do-a-Needle-in-Cheerleading

Even at my bendiest, when scorpions, heel stretches, and splits were things I could do without dying, I don't think I ever had the back flexibility to do a needle. I don't even think we knew what that was way back when. I'm in pain just watching them!

[Murphy101]

I don't understand HOW this could work. I can see gentle-moderate pressure working over time, but this method just seems like they'd get an injury, restart the clock, and end up taking longer to gain the flexibility. If they're scared and tense and fighting it it'll be even worse. I'm not getting how this became common practice in that area.

This. What moron coach has not heard the phrase "slow and steady win the race"?! Literally pushing just causes injury and set back. There's no point to it at all if they want to be competitive bc injured players don't get to compete and they for sure don't get to compete at their best.

Edited August 26, 2017 by Murphy101

[Dmmetler]

There are scholarships that cheerleaders can apply for.

 

At the competition level, many in the competition gym center that my kids attended recreational gym at started private training at 4 years old. So at high school level the aim is to medal at state and national levels.

 

Kids are training there almost daily 7 days a week. The parents can be worse than the coaches.

And those scholarships are about as rare as finding a diamond on the sidewalk. Cheer is not even recognized as a sport by most schools, and usually doesn't have the alumni and booster support. Few schools can do more than support their teams and pay for uniforms, travel, etc, even for teams that regularly win at UCA or NCA nationals. Those that have scholarship money usually have a small amount. A typical cheer scholarship will be an out of state tuition waiver and $500. Boys have a better chance, but it's usually in line with bringing the cost of attendance down to what you'd pay at an in-state school in your home state. One of DD's coaches is on the USA National team. SHE doesn't have a scholarship for cheer!

 

It's like any other sport. If you do it expecting a scholarship, you are likely to be disappointed.

 

And yeah, there are cheer moms, just like there are dance moms, baseball moms, etc. Sigh....

[SamanthaCarter]

I'm not sure I understand the sense of urgency. Many if not most kids can do a full split if they work on it a little bit at a time. Once a day for a few weeks and I'd say the cheerleaders would have full splits with no force "needed."

 

 

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[Lady Florida.]

And those scholarships are about as rare as finding a diamond on the sidewalk. Cheer is not even recognized as a sport by most schools, and usually doesn't have the alumni and booster support. Few schools can do more than support their teams and pay for uniforms, travel, etc, even for teams that regularly win at UCA or NCA nationals. Those that have scholarship money usually have a small amount. A typical cheer scholarship will be an out of state tuition waiver and $500. Boys have a better chance, but it's usually in line with bringing the cost of attendance down to what you'd pay at an in-state school in your home state. One of DD's coaches is on the USA National team. SHE doesn't have a scholarship for cheer!

 

It's like any other sport. If you do it expecting a scholarship, you are likely to be disappointed.

 

And yeah, there are cheer moms, just like there are dance moms, baseball moms, etc. Sigh....

 

 

Yep. Without my cheer parents my girls would have missed out on a lot. When we couldn't afford new uniforms I was thankful for parents making repairs and alterations. When they wanted to go to any competition (they were high school cheerleaders not competitive, but they did like to compete) they had to raise the money or it came out of their parents' pockets. We did get a small stipend as being part of the athletic department, but it was laughable. Other athletes mocked them but they all wanted the support of the cheerleaders at their games. 

[Mabelen]

My daughter did rhythmic gymnastics up to level 4. She had the splits down and worked regularly on her oversplits, as all the other gymnasts, but the coaches never pushed anyone like that. They might push someone's leg down a little bit for a few seconds to help but that was it! This is ridiculous!

[rutamattatt]

I took up martial arts at age 36 after watching my kiddos enjoying it.  We were told by our instructors that "everyone can do the splits" and "everyone can kick head high".  On more than one occasion I had an instructor lift my leg up head level to "help" me see I could do it if "I took more yoga and practiced at home".  I explained that I had taken physical therapy for hip issues when I was as young as seven years old, but that was dismissed.   Two hip surgeries later and I am looking at a total hip replacement in my near future because I was born with something called "FAI" when the bones that make the hip joint aren't formed perfectly.  You can google it, but basically 40% of the population is born with FAI, and it is no big deal...until pushed past where your joint can safely rotate.  I tore my labrum, had surgery to repair the tear and shave/reshape the bones of my joint, had a second surgery when the sutures holding my repaired labrum together tore, and am looking now at a third surgery to possibly remove the labrum altogether because it is so torn up from martial arts.  When my surgeon heard about my experience at this particular martial arts school, he was NOT happy.  We promptly left.  Sometimes people who are educated in some areas don't know what they don't know.  

 

There are people who literally CANNOT do a split.  Their hip joints aren't shaped correctly for that kind of rotation.  The video absolutely makes me sick.  That coach's head is about the only thing that could get me to try a head kick ever again.