Every flyer that I have ever known has had very strong feelings about doing full down, or twist, cradles—they either love them or hate them. Those who love them are often eager to attempt them and can’t wait to reach USASF Level 3. Those girls have no fear! Those who hate them may have had a bad experience or may be afraid to try them.
No matter what category you fall into, you can’t deny it-- the full down cradle is by far one of the prettiest dismounts in cheerleading.
Done correctly, it will wow the crowd. Done incorrectly, it can result in disaster. At the very least, poorly performed full downs look messy, but sometimes it is hard to figure out how to fix your full down.
Regardless of whether you are a twister or a resister, the following tips will help you figure out what is going wrong and clean up that cradle!
If Your Problem Is Fear
Tip #1 Trust Your Coach, Yourself, & Your Bases
Seriously. Your coach wouldn’t ask you to attempt a skill that you or your stunt group isn’t ready for, so trust is the key. Well, trust and progressions.
The important thing to remember here is that you need to be working progressively toward new skills. Before you start learning full down cradles, you should have mastered straight cradles both from prep and extension. And before you start leaning to full down from a one-leg, you should be able to straight cradle your liberty and full down from an extension.
You coach will know when your group is ready.
If your coach hasn’t cleared you to start full downs yet, it isn’t a good idea to try throwing them in the back yard.
Tip #2 Relax
One of the most common causes of failure in full downs is nerves. You know what I am talking about—you are up there, ready go and you talk yourself out of the twist before you even feel the pop. Stop that!
I know, I know, easier said than done, but how will you know if you can nail that full down if you won’t even try. Spend some time visualizing yourself doing a perfect full down and reassure yourself that you can do it. Relax. If you have completed all of the necessary progressions and have practiced twisting on the ground, you might just surprise yourself.
Tip #3 Commit
Once you start to twist, you must finish it. This is another really common problem. The flyer rides the pop, starts to twist, sees the back spot, and clobbers her. What happens is that when the flyer sees her back spot, she panics and reaches for her.
This is a big mistake that can have serious consequences. You may head butt your back spot, you may fall face first toward the mat. You certainly won’t be successful in your full down. Close your eyes if you have to, just don’t reach for your bases or back spot. Let them reach for you.
Tip #4 Lie Down
This is another common mistake of new twisters. They are so worried about the twist they forget that they need to lie down to be caught in the cradle. So they come down like a torpedo. Maybe they don’t forget to lie down, maybe they are afraid they won’t be caught and they figure they will land on their feet.
Not only are you not going to get caught if you try to cradle standing up, you are probably going to hurt your feet, ankles, or legs. When you twist, remember to lie back. Trust that your bases will catch you and you will make yourself easier to catch.