Heel stretch in cheerleading: a one-legged stunt with a held heel. From which level it is allowed, which prerequisites and spotters are needed, how to prepare.
The heel stretch is a one-legged stunt: the flyer stands on one foot, holds the heel of the free leg with her hand and stretches that leg forward and up. It builds on the liberty and is a classic flexibility stunt — and an element where the rulebook sets clear limits.
The honest answer to "From when may I do this?": as a stand-alone stunt at extended height only at ICU level Median (level 3); before that there are only intermediate steps. At level Intermediate, single-leg stunts above prep level are not allowed, but they are in pyramids with a brace [1][2]. From Median, single-leg extended stunts are allowed and every top person above prep level needs a spotter [1].
Important for the order: a full up directly into an extended heel stretch is explicitly prohibited; at level Advanced a full up at extended height may only land in a two-leg stunt, in the platform position or in a liberty [1][2]. So the heel stretch is not a shortcut but a building block at the end of a chain.
Why so strict? Because stunts are the most dangerous area: in a US study they made up 60 % of all injuries and 96 % of concussions [5]. This guide explains rules, prerequisites and preparation for the flyer; the bases' technique and the work on the stunt itself belong exclusively to a qualified coach.
Before you stretch the leg, the liberty must stand: steady, without re-gripping and with coach and spotter. Milestone: three repetitions without re-gripping (practice value).
Standing on one leg you hold the heel of the free leg with your hand and stretch it forward and up as far as it goes without a rounded back, at a wall if needed. Milestone: 10 seconds per side, standing leg straight, upper body upright.
You train mobility in separate sessions, not shortly before the stunt. In a review of 23 studies, static stretching improved flexibility by about 3 % but lowered performance in the short term by 0.9 %; dynamic stretching raised it by 0.6 % (low study quality, data from gymnastics and dance) [10]. Active strength comes on top: the leg should stay up without you just "hooking it in". Milestone: hold the leg actively at hip height for 5 seconds without the hand.
Wobble board, one-leg standing with eyes closed, small jumping drills. Milestone: 30 seconds one-leg standing with eyes closed per side.
The heel stretch only goes into the stunt when coach, bases and spotters are ready: first in the lower prep-level variant, at level Intermediate as an extended variant only in a pyramid with a brace, as a stand-alone stunt at extended height only from Median [1][2]. Build-up and assistance are decided by your coach. Milestone: release by the coach, not by you.
This guide explains and motivates but does not replace supervised training. One-legged extended stunts belong in training only with coach, spotter and mat.
Bring your measurements to your coach. Note how long you hold the leg without the hand and how long you stand on one leg with eyes closed. A coach who sees numbers can tie the release to facts instead of gut feeling. That is coaching experience, not a study.
A one-legged stunt: the flyer stands on one foot, holds the heel of the free leg with her hand and stretches it forward and up. The rulebook names the heel stretch as an example of one-arm stunts above prep level, in which the bases carry with only one arm; they need a spotter at level Premier [1].
As a one-legged extended stunt only at ICU level Median (level 3) [1][2]. At level Intermediate, single-leg stunts above prep level are not allowed; extended one-leg stunts are only possible there in pyramids with a brace [1][2]. From Median, every top person above prep level needs a spotter [1].
No. At level Advanced (CCVD level 4) a full up at extended height may only land in a two-leg stunt, a platform position or a liberty. A full up directly into an extended heel stretch is explicitly prohibited [1][2]. In addition, at level Advanced an extended platform position must be visibly held before a one-legged stunt other than the liberty follows [1][2].
There is no fixed number. Practice benchmark: the free leg reaches hip height standing without a rounded back. Extreme flexibility is not a prerequisite and can even stress the hip [9]. Train flexibility separately from the stunt [10], regularly, without pain and with rest days.
Pyramid in Cheerleading: Rules, Bracers and Safety in the Team