Cheerleaders: Here’s how to release tension – fast!
Any cheerleader and cheer coach knows that there are times when you experience too much tension. It could be right before a big event like tryouts or competitions or just in your everyday life.
You tense up your body in reaction to a perceived threat. Performing in a high stakes event is experienced as threatening to you even if you aren’t consciously aware of this. And a perceived threat leads to muscle tension along with all of the other classic flight-fight reactions. As I’ve mentioned before, this series of events can undermine your performance so it’s wise to learn how to manage this.
Here’s one quick technique that was described to me by Denise Maldonado, a wonderful coach with the World Cup All Stars whom I met at Cheer Ltd’s CheerConference 2 weeks ago. (Denise was also given one of the 30 under 30 coaching awards at CheerCon!)
This is what Denise taught her cheerleaders to do prior to a big event:
Take a balloon and blow into it. While you do so, imagine that you are getting rid of all your tension and anxiety and putting it into the balloon. Once the balloon is full, tie it up and then pop it! There goes all your fear and tension!
I like this because it’s so simple and fun. Denise said her team likes it, too!
Tags: cheerleader, cheerleaders, Cheerleading, coach, Competitions, Tryouts