Spike/needle

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Keep_Believing

Staff member
Cheer Parent
FBOD:LLFB
Apr 11, 2011
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My 8 year old daughter has a nice scorpian, but she had to work very hard to get it. She is not naturally flexible. Now she wants to get her spike/needle down. She is doing the recommended stretches daily, but not seeing much progress. Are spike/needles possible for all girls if they work hard & stretch daily or do you need a certain amount of natural flexibility to get these skills?

Thanks
 
When you're in your right leg splits, make it hyper extended by putting your right foot on a mat. Then have her do intervals of leaning back and then sitting up in the splits while grabbing her left foot.
 
everyone i know that can do this has had more natural flexibility. I've never seen a girl work from no flexibility to get a flat back scorp.

However some stretching is required. Most people i know that can do it have had amazing back flexibility and just had to stretch a tiny bit more to get there.
 
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Thanks, that is what I was starting to think, but wasn't sure.
 
great stretches for needles include...
1) sitting in right split, pull left leg up so its bent and almost looks like a scorpion, then lean backwards while in the split and while still holding the back leg. best stretch for needles. make sure not to force it though, so you dont injure your back instead of stretch it.
2) go in a door frame or hallway, do a right split against the wall. then pick your chest up and walk up the wall using your hands to push your chest up.
3) go into a backbend/bridge and try to walk your hands as close to your feet as possible, this helps back flexibility.

hope i helped!
 
don't give up hope yet! i am possibly the most naturally UNflexible person you will ever meet. i have something wrong with the alignment from my hips down, and it makes getting and maintaining flexibility EXTREMELY difficult. i believe my doctors quote in regards to me being a cheerleader, and more specifically trying to bend like one was "you're trying to put a round peg in a square hole." this is what made me decide to take myself out of the air, telling my coaches i wanted to base, but of course i still proved him wrong just because i could :) this was from a while ago and i most definitely can't do this anymore lol mostly because my back problems have gotten progressively worse, and there is no reason to maintain this skill when a. it causes me pain and b. i go to a uca school and will never use it. unfortunately it isn't the final product, but pretty close to it, so you get the general idea.
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nnow, i took a very different approach to getting this skill lol i mean, i literally just DID then every single day, for at least a half hour. but to stretch it, i would lay on my stomach and pull the scorp. when i first started i had to have someone hold my leg straight (the bottom one) but after awhile i could do it alone. i dont know if it will help her, but it helped me immensely. i got to the point where i would lay on the ground, pull the scorp, and roll around like that lol my teamates would get creeped out and it was so funny. they called me gumby :) tell her to keep working, and good luck!
 
i danced for about 10 years and could never even do a split, and now i have a spike/neede. im not sure exactly what stretched to do, but you dont need to be naturally flexible.
 
  • do right leg splits on a door frame and walk hands up the frame on the opposite side of the split. this helps back flexibility.
  • sit in a right leg split, pull back leg(left leg) up, so it looks like your almost sitting in a scorp. then grab the back leg with both hands, lean back on your leg until you cant go anymore and hold. THIS IS DEF THE BEST STRETCH FOR ME.
 
I would also like to thank everyone because i came here to ask this exact question. I've been working towards this for so long haha
 
I have had my Needle/Spike even before I was in cheer because one of my friends kinda taught me how to do one but I always had natural flexibility and everyone that I know that has theirs were all naturally flexible! But don't give up their are some girls that work REALLY hard to get theirs :)
 
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