It's not easy to be me...

Super X-Toss

The first part of the video below shows what is X-Toss.



It is a name we gave for a toss without the flyer jumping and flicking. We gave it a name because we did not see it being done before and cannot find a name for it.

The next goal is SUPER X-TOSS...

Milestone

3 times Cheerobics Champion consecutively. How many people out there get to proclaim this? Not much, just a handful. We have booked a place in the hall of fame.

X-Wonder will resume training after their injuries heal, and then we will bring cheerleading to even greater heights and show it to everyone.

The end or the start?

Where do I go from here?

勤能补拙

Getting your toss high is the key to moving on to more advance stunts.

For 1 arm stunts, posture is very impt, unless your 1 arm has the equivalent strength of 2 arms. Remember also to balance your master and weaker arm also, try both sides.

Also try to do a few different stunt at a go to gain the stunt stamina required for more flow in your sequence

Higher

When I started off cheerleading, toss to hands was something very new in Singapore. After doing 7 months of basics, I was finally introduced to toss to hands officially, and get to see it live. (JCA workshop). I was so happy to do it after a relatively short time of about 1 month. Nowadays, toss to hands has become a common thing, and people are learning and trying it even on their first week of starting cheerleading. With the right flyers, every base can do a toss to hands now and with the right base, every flyer can also do a toss to hands.

The question now is how to toss higher, to extention. I picked up doing toss to hands real quick, but I was stuck at doing up to hands for over a year plus, almost 2 years, 2004 August to 2006 June. (Not considering unusually light flyers at less than 35 kilos.) Even then toss to extension was more like a gamble, certain days can certain days cannot. And it stayed this way for another year, till 2007 June, sometimes can sometimes cannot.

During this 3 year period, I must have done at least over 10000 toss to hands. (Taking 150 training days a year for 3 years doing 25 tosses each day, a very modest estimate.) And I have been sourcing through the web the whole of this period looking for tips. Below are some tips that I found...

How to get a higher toss

1. (flier) lean back - Lean slightly back into the base. It will give him an opportunity to feel your center of gravity and get your timing.

2. (flier) jump - Take a good jump off of the ground and don't rely on your base to just throw you.

3. (flier) quick flick - First make sure you flick with your base, then make sure it is quick and strong. Again don't realy on your base to flick by himself.

4. (bases) follow her - Feel her timing and follow her as she bends and jumps.

5. (bases) allow her to jump - Don't lift her too early before she jumps.

6. (bases) jump off the ground - Get you legs into the toss by jumping off of the ground as you throw her.

7. (bases) finish your flick - Make sure you are releasing at full extension and quickness. Don't give a have flick at minimal height. That will give you poor results.

8. (bases) extend - Make sure you are extending your arms when you toss. Don't flick when your arms are bend.

How come toss is so low

Fliers

1.) Gives a little jump
2.) Drops her chest
3.) Gives a little flick
4.) Flick is off with base
5.) Body loose on the way up
6.) Butts back into the base
7.) Jumps flat-footed
8.) Head is down
9.) Flick is NOT quick

Base

1.) Won't let flier to jump
2.) Flick too early
3.) Grip is too hard
4.) Flick is off with the flier
5.) Doesn't use his legs
6.) Doesn't extend his arms/flick
7.) Not strong enough
8.) Not fast enough


Doesn't it all sound so simple? It all makes sense too, and I fully understood what the tips meant, but applying it is a completely different story. How many times have your seniors teach you how to do a stunt, and they go: "Just use more strength, just toss harder, use your legs, toss up not back, or just toss lo, etc etc" and yet you still cannot do it after hearing your senior repeat over a hundred times till you want to bash up him up?

Well I may not be as good as the pros who provided the tips, but here is my tip for doing a toss to extension...

Just keep tossing!!

No matter how many tips you hear or read, its not going to get you anywhere without practicing.

Disclaimer:
Some may be able to to it immediately after reading the tips.
All this is coming from an untalented base who can only depend on hard work.
勤能补拙

"台上一分钟，台下十年工”

Another very important thing to take note is: Do not only stunts with your master arm, train up your weaker arm too. It is very crucial to stunt with both arms for you to move on.

Ocean

It has seems that we have both come so far, from learning the basics to trying the advance. But the ocean is so big, we have only swam to the middle of it so far, there is still a long way to go. The next breakthrough will be the tougest, every breakthrough is tough, but to go from trying advance stunts to being the elite is going to be the mother of all challenges.

Lets brave through the treacherous ocean once again in search for our destiny. In the search of being the elite, there is still one thing that we have to remember all the time, that is progression. It applys to all levels； basic, intermediate, advance and even when you are an elite. Lets hope the tides and waves does us a favour and give me a favorble push forward.




What you saw is "台上一分钟”，What you never see is “台下十年工”

Progression.

Toe Pitch

I injured my ankle after tossing a toe pitch on tuesday. It seems that not only flyers get injured while doing toe pitch, bases get injured too. It was my first time spraining an ankle while doing toss up. I guess the force generated that time was just too great.

I believe our particular set of toe pitch is 2nd from best in Singapore.

Precious

With so little days left, whatever action you do becomes very crucial, whatever energy you used also becomes very critical.
Talk straight to the point, no time to beat around the bush, and save whatever energy you can, even from speaking.
No more time and space for ego or any other rubbish. Do as told or be constructive.
There is nothing personal.