Bow and Arrow

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*DISCLAIMER: Please consult an instructor or medical professional before attempting any exercise routine.*

To do a bow and arrow, begin by pulling a front heel stretch.
Using your right hand, grab the outside of your left foot.
The right hand will replace the left hand’s placement.
Put your left arm in front of your body and hit a sharp ‘T’ motion.
Use the right arm to pull your leg as close to the side of your body as possible. More advanced flyers can pull their leg behind their body.

Back: No back flexibility required.

Legs: Left leg split; over-extended split

Arms: No arm flexibility required.

Step 1: Pull a front heel stretch.

Step 2: Using your right hand, grab the outside of your left foot. The right hand will replace the left hand’s placement.

Step 3: Put your left arm in front of your body and hit a sharp ‘T’ motion.

Step 4: Use the right arm to pull your leg as close to the side of your body as possible. More advanced flyers can pull their leg behind their body.

Mistake #1: Flyers tend to drop their chest when reaching for their leg to pull the Front Heel Stretch.

Mistake #2: Flyers tend to bend their leg while pulling a Bow and Arrow. The leg the flyer is standing on should never move or bend during any stunt.

Mistake #3: The flyer’s hand placement is wrong. When pulling the Bow and Arrow, the right hand should grab the middle of the foot, not the toe. The flyer will be able to pull her leg back farther (given she has the flexibility to do so) if she grabs the middle of her foot.

Mistake #4: ALWAYS point your toe.

In the Bow and Arrow stunt, the flyer does a vertical split, holding the toe (or heel in some cases) of the extended leg with the opposite hand, stretching the free arm horizontally across the extended leg while the flyer’s abdomen curves naturally like a bow.
The Bow and Arrow cheerleading stunt is a combination of basic cheerleading motions, and advanced techniques, for which the flyer must have excellent flexibility and the base must be firmly stable.

To master the Bow and Arrow position, one’s legs’ flexibility and body balance are both essential and must be worked on.
The flexibility of the legs can be developed by occasionally doing left leg splits as well as over-extended splits.
The flexibility of the back and arms isn’t that vital to master the Bow and Arrow.

Flyers tend to drop their chest when reaching for their leg to pull the Front Heel Stretch.
Flyers also tend to bend their leg while pulling a Bow and Arrow.
The leg the flyer is standing on should never move or bend during any stunt.
The flyer’s hand placement is wrong.
When pulling the Bow and Arrow, the right hand should grab the middle of the foot, not the toe.
The flyer will be able to pull her leg back further (given she has the flexibility to do so) if she grabs the middle of her foot.
ALWAYS keep your toes pointed.

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