If you are new to All Star cheerleading, you may hear the words “tumbling” and “stunting” used often.

Both are important parts of cheerleading, but they are different skills.

Tumbling is the part of cheerleading that involves an athlete moving across the floor using skills often associated with gymnastics.

Cartwheels, roundoffs, walkovers, back handsprings, and combinations of these skills (known as ‘tumble passes’) are all examples of tumbling.

Tumbling can begin with basic skills and progress to advanced skills.

An athlete may start by learning how to perform a proper cartwheel or backbend.

From there, they may learn a roundoff, a back walkover, or a front walkover.

As their strength, flexibility, balance, and confidence improve, they may progress to back handsprings, layouts, fulls, and other advanced skills.

Tumbling is usually performed by one athlete, although athletes can tumble at the same time as part of a team routine.

The athlete controls their own body through each skill.

Good technique is important because tumbling skills are performed quickly and often involve significant amounts of force.

Stunting is different because it involves two or more athletes working together.

In a stunt, one or more athletes, called bases, help lift or support another athlete, called a flyer.

A back spot may also be part of the stunt and helps support and protect the flyer.

A simple stunt might involve a flyer being lifted to shoulder level.

More advanced stunts can involve the flyer being lifted much higher, changing positions, rotating, or transitioning from one skill to another.

Stunting requires teamwork, communication, timing, strength, balance, and trust.

Every person involved in the stunt has a specific role.

The bases need to work together, the flyer needs to maintain the correct body position, and the back spot needs to provide support and help keep the stunt safe.

One of the biggest differences between tumbling and stunting is who controls the skill.

In tumbling, the athlete is primarily responsible for their own movement.

In stunting, several athletes must work together to successfully complete the skill.

There is also a major difference in the type of training required.

A tumbler spends time developing body control, strength, flexibility, and technique for individual skills.

A stunt group spends time learning how to move together and communicate while performing skills as a unit.

Both areas are important in All Star cheerleading.

A team may have athletes who are especially strong tumblers, athletes who are excellent flyers or bases, and athletes who are good at both.

Successful teams learn how to use the strengths of each athlete.

It is also important to understand that tumbling and stunting are not competing parts of cheerleading.

They work together.

During a competition routine, a team may perform tumbling passes, jumps, stunts, pyramids, dance sections, and other elements.

Both tumbling and stunting can be developed through proper coaching and consistent practice.

The goal is not simply to learn a new skill.

The goal is to learn it correctly and safely, build confidence, and continue to progress.

In simple terms, tumbling is about an athlete moving through skills on the floor, while stunting is about athletes working together to lift, support, and move one another.

Both require hard work, but each brings something very different to the sport of cheerleading.