Stunting 101 | 5 Tips from Kollin Cockrell | Inside Cheerleading Magazine

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Stunting 101! | 5 Tips from Kollin Cockrell

Are you learning how to stunt for the first time ever? Are you looking to improve your strength and technique while stunting? We’ve got you covered!

Here are a few tips from the 10-time National Champion (plus Weber State and Texas Tech Alum and member of Team USA) Kollin Cockrell!

1.Be A Sponge – No Egos!

Tip number one is you have to drop the ego or cockiness. You have to let all that go. You have to be a sponge. To this day, if I can’t hit a skill, I’ll ask my spotter or somebody, ‘Did you see anything?’ If you are learning how to partner start for the first time — no egos, none of that! You have to let that go and be a complete sponge and absorb everything that somebody’s telling you.

2. Work On Your Strength

You have to be strong – you are lifting a human! It doesn’t matter if it’s a little girl that weighs like 20 pounds or a girl that weighs 100 pounds or 120 pounds. You’ve got to be strong, you’ve got to be physically fit and you’ve got to be able to lift weights. I would say any guy that’s learning how to partner stunt has to have a certain amount of strength. You’ve got to be able to lift your own body weight. Everybody I talk to says, ‘What can I do?’ I’m like, ‘You just have to get stronger. You got to eat more, drink more protein and start lifting weights more.

3. Work On The Basics

A lot of people see these videos on Instagram and YouTube of people hitting these crazy skills and they’re like, ‘I want to try that!’ And they skip ahead and try to do the harder things when they’re not ready. You’ve got to spend a few months, or even a year on basics. You can’t run until you can walk! You have to have training pedals before riding a bike on your own. It’s all about hammering out basics and repetition! Don’t try skills when you’re not ready!

4. Have Fun!

Definitely have fun with the process of cheerleading! A lot of people think they have to take it so seriously but it’s so much fun to get new skills and then watch videos of yourself! Have fun with the journey! The journey is such a small gap in life, enjoy the small moments. A lot of people get frustrated at stunt sessions or cheer practices, but that’s one thing I always recommend – just have fun with it, document it, absorb it, and live in the moment. Don’t do it to get more likes on Instagram or this or that. Just do it because it’s fun.

5. Set Goals!

Set a goal, but be realistic, too. If you just joined cheerleading and want to make Team USA, that might take a couple of years. If your goal is to make mat or hit a new skill, set goals! Maybe like, ‘Tomorrow I’m going to stunt with this girl I’ve never stunted with, and I’m going to try to hit this skill with her that I’m capable of doing.’ Small goals like that are going to lead you up to bigger goals: I’m ready to try out for Team USA, I’m ready to try a handski, etc.