"Go! Shockers!"　The booming voices of young men broke the stillness of the Heiwadai gymnasium in Tokyo's Nerima Ward on a chilly winter afternoon. A group of badminton players, who shared half of the civic hall, stopped swinging their rackets. They stared in amazement as about 20 guys began practicing snappy break-dance moves. They were the Shockers, Waseda University's men's cheerleading team.

"We're Shockers! Do the best!" they shouted and leaped into the air. Seemingly able to defy gravity, they did the splits, stretching out their arms in unison and grinning broadly.

After warming up, the team divided into several groups. They began working on three-man towers. First, one guy climbed up and stood on the shoulders of "the base," the man on the bottom. Then other members lifted up a third performer. Caught by the man in the middle, he climbed on top and stretched out his arms. "At first, I shuddered with fear. I couldn't believe that a person could stand on another person. Worse, I was the top guy," Junpei Arai says. "But, once I got used to it, it was a lot of fun."

Arai, a freshman, was chosen as a top man because he weighs only 50 kilograms. Still, some team members complain during stunts that he is too heavy.