The Cheer Coach

If your child has decided to tryout for cheerleading, but you have no idea how to help them prepare, we're here to provide you with some tips along the way. We also have other great resources on our site for your child, so encourage them to take advantage of our help as well. Now let's get into it! Encourage them to practice. Cheerleading take a lot of practice and the small details are so important. You can help your child by taking videos of them cheering, dancing, jumping and doing their arm motions then go over the videos with them. Sometimes our muscles make us think we're doing things perfectly even when we're not. By analyzing the videos your cheerleader will be able to pinpoint areas that need improvement.   Have your child ask for videos of the tryout content. Speaking of videos... ask if the tryout material is available in video format for practice and review. Some coaches do not like to share videos because they want to see what the cheerleader will learn dur...

It's one of the most exhausting, challenging, and most FUN events of the entire season, cheer camp!! If your team is going to camp, but you're not sure what to expect or what to bring with you, we've got you covered! We've included a comprehensive checklist that you can use to be fully prepared. Just click on the list to download the file!  First of all, we recommend separating your daily outfits in your checklist so you don't forget anything and you're prepared for each day individually. Obviously, we can't fill in the type of shirt and socks or color of shorts and bow, but I've left a space for you to fill in which one you need to wear each day. This list should help you be prepared for all aspects of cheer camp so you can stress less and enjoy the experience more. Are there items that we didn't list that you always bring to camp? If so, please share!

So, you think you might want to be a cheerleader? That's fantastic! Go for it! There is no harm in trying and coaches are constantly looking for new athletes.  Cheerleaders are not only all-around athletes, they are usually leaders within their school, positive role models and some of the biggest proponents of school spirit that you will find. If this sounds like something you're interested in then keep reading! Before I get started with the details, as a coach I feel like I need to say that if you're serious about cheering be prepared to put in the work! Especially if you're starting cheer at an older age. It's never too late to start cheering, but you may have to make up for some lost time so be prepared to work harder than everyone else for a while.  Now, let's get on with the helpful tips! DO YOUR RESEARCH Contact the cheerleading coach. First, I suggest going straight to the source to get as much information as possible. The coach will be able to tell you w...

Who doesn't love a great pep rally! You get out of class early (usually on a Friday when you're over the week anyway) to have fun! It's always a good surprise to see what entertainment awaits! Then again, if you're the one planning the pep rally it can be stressful! You want it to run smoothly, be entertaining, and be something everyone absolutely loves and remembers! Let's face it, we put too much pressure on ourselves. I mean, who really remembers everything that happened during all of your high school pep rallies? Definitely not me. Hopefully you can use these tips to make the planning process a bit easier the next time you're responsible for planning a pep rally at your school. "The Cheer Coach is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Thank you for your support!” Have a plan. This one probably seems pretty obvious, but get a plan together. The sooner, the better! The first thing to decide is who ...

Let's face it. It's one of the scariest things you can do in school, tryout for the cheerleading squad. Especially if you're new to cheerleading. Every cheerleader has experienced the anxiety. So let's make it a little less painful, shall we? Gather information. First and foremost, every cheer coach conducts their tryouts a bit differently, so it's important to know what to expect and what is expected of you. You may not know what questions to ask, but after you read this article you should have a pretty good idea. If you do have questions, don't be afraid to reach out to the coach, but here are some things to remember before you do.  Speaking as a coach, I don't mind questions at all, but make sure you use other resources as well. Do not ask questions that have been answered on the flyer or in any other communications, that's a red flag for a coach.  Ask previous cheerleaders your questions before reaching out to the coach. If you have more than one qu...

Recently we held our first skills clinic and we were pretty pleased with how it went! I have several articles about the clinic so be sure to read through everything for more detailed information.  Not sure what a skills clinic is? Start with our article describing what it is and how your team may benefit from it. Then you can come back to this article to start diving into the details.  "The Cheer Coach is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Thank you for your support!” SETTING UP YOUR SKILLS CLINIC Select a date: Dates are so important! Pay attention to your school's calendar to see when is the best time to hold your clinic and consider when your special guests might have availability. We chose the end of February for a couple of reasons. 1. It is about a month before our tryouts 2. We were able to squeeze it in at the end of the winter season before spring sports officially kick-off. How long will your skills clin...

Sometimes I have okay ideas, but every once in a while I have a really great idea. That's exactly what happened when I thought of holding a cheer skills clinic at our high school. It may not be a new concept to you and you may have been doing it for years (if you have I would love to hear from you), but it was a new initiative for us and it was successful enough that I wanted to share. Who knows maybe you will want to add a similar clinic to your annual lineup.  Here's the general idea... Hold a skills clinic for any interested athletes (no experience necessary) Charge a small cover charge to add funds to your program Invite some special guests to really spice things up End the clinic with a mock tryout Why a skills clinic? Find new athletes. Take time to dive deep into each skill and tips to help overall cheer performance. Give athletes direct feedback and time to improve before tryouts. See who is dedicated and always wants to improve. Raise extra funds. Who should be invite...