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Heel Stretch Drills For Cheerleading

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Tips and Drills to help you get a kick up to heel stretch for cheerleading

This Lens focuses on drills, exercises and stretches to help you with your heel stretch for cheerleading.

Flexibility

Stretches

First place to start after you are warmed up is the splits to get the flexibility needed for a heel stretch. If you stand on your right leg and pull your left, start with left leg splits. Start on the floor, keeping your back leg underneath you and straight, your chest should be facing forwards and foot pointed. Keep stretching like this until you are flat on the floor and can sit comfortably with your hands on your head.
Tip: To keep your hips square place your right hand on your left knee.

Once you have a nice split, put your front foot on some built up cushions (or a beam if you have access to one) and repeat this stretch. Gradually raise the height as your flexibility improves.

Leaning forward and grabbing your foot while in splits will stretch your front leg even more, leaning backwards will aid the flexibility for your scorpion stretch.

Strength

Leg Exerices

It is a common misconception to kick up a heel stretch - wrong. You should LIFT it, as kicking is uncontrolled and will knock you off balance. There are exercises to help you build up the strength for this; Stand with your right hand holding the back of a chair for balance and your left leg pointed in front of you. Lift using your top leg muscles to your highest point and then lower to the same place, lift at a relaxed pace, slower if you want a harder workout. Do not swing your leg behind you. Do 15 reps, increase this and the height of your kick as your muscles build up. Doing this to the side and to the back will help you arabesques and Toe Touch Jumps also.

When you can lift your leg to at least 90 degrees, you can do an advanced leg lift. Start in the same position as before and lift your leg as high as you can. Do small bounces with your leg, keeping at that level. Start with 30 reps, again increasing reps and height as your muscles build up. Keep your bottom leg locked at all times as it would be in a stunt.