Being involved with any type of competitive sport, it is not unusual for an athlete to seek additional coaching from someone who specializes in a certain aspect of their sport in order to gain every edge possible.
Tom Brady, who many regard as the greatest Quarterback to ever play the game of football, has a Quarterback Coach.
Someone who may not stop and think about it may hear that and at first think to themselves, why on Earth would Tom Brady need a Quarterback Coach at this point in his life when he himself may very well know more about the position than anyone to ever step on the gridiron???
The simple answer is that Coaches can often see things, regarding technique, approach, etc., that you yourself may not be able to see when simply going through the actions of whatever your individual sport may require.
This includes Tom Brady and is probably one of the many reasons why he is as good as he has been throughout his career.
When it comes to competitive cheer, many involved are wholly familiar with taking a similar path towards working on their tumbling.
We refer to lessons working privately with a Coach, whether in a Small Group setting or in a one-to-one environment by the term ‘Private Lessons’ or ‘Privates’.
While it is not unusual for athletes to seek extra help with their tumbling to achieve a specific skill or to also increase the sharpness of the skills they already have, there are other types of Privates that are held within competitive cheer that can be equally helpful.
One example of these such Privates are Flyer Privates.
Flying is a position in cheer that certainly requires a unique skillset.
A flyer has to not only be extraordinarily flexible, but they also have to learn and execute positions in the air that are typically difficult to perform while standing on solid ground, never mind while being held, moved around, and tossed about in seemingly a million different directions.
It is imperative that flyers learn how to control their body and make things as easy possible for those underneath them in their stunt groups who are basing and back spotting to help make sure each stunt is able to be properly performed and achieve its maximum difficulty and technique scores at competition.
To accomplish all this, it takes amazing effort and hard work and requires flyers to be in as peek condition as possible in order to stay focused and not let up as they are working through their stunts.
If a lack of conditioning or paying attention sets in, this could lead to an injury for the flyer or the other athletes in their stunt group.
Although through the course of practicing a routine or stunt can absolutely help out, practice away from regular practice time can be a critical component to one’s success as a flyer.
Stretching outside of practice is one of the key things that many flyers do to make sure that things run smooth for them when at their normal practices.
One extra item that can prove extremely valuable is working with a coach to take Private Flying lessons whenever possible.
Just as in the Tom Brady example, even the best flyer in the world can benefit from working one-on-one with a coach.
Especially if you are a flyer and working with a coach that has had a successful flying career and is able to convey pointers that have helped them along the way, Privates can be an invaluable aspect of your training as a flyer.
Private Flying lessons will most likely center around overall stretching and flyer position-specific stretches that are sure to provide an additional edge in training and help in your overall development as a flyer well beyond what can be achieved in regular practices and simply stretching at home.
Afterall, if Tom Brady sees the value in having a position coach, having a position coach (if at all possible) for help in your career as a flyer should be a no brainer!
