During school breaks, you have a lot of downtime that you can use to your advantage. This time can be used in a lot of ways, and as a busy cheerleader, you most likely have compiled a long list of to-dos during your normal season. Winter time is consumed by competitive cheerleading, which keeps you…
Yoga might not fit into traditional fitness plans incorporated with cheer training. Sure, you need cardio and core strengthening conditioning sessions to get you into top physical condition for the cheer season, but low-intensity workouts bring their own benefits to the fitness table, too! To truly go full out, you have to maintain a well-rounded…
We have all heard the “cheerleader” stereotypes. Stupid. Mean. Ditzy. These words hurt, and are a far cry from the truth. Think about the movies, TV shows, and books that feature cheerleaders as characters. How are they represented? In most cases, those characters are the bullies, the “dumb blondes” or the anti-heroes. With the exception…
1. Take A Break Yup, that’s right. Stop the skill completely for a week or two. In certain cases, it is best to hit the “pause” button and give yourself a rest. If you are having trouble with a skill, sometimes the best answer is to take a time-out. As cheerleaders, we are constantly…
Progressions are the fundamental building blocks of learning any new skill. In order to master the final goal, you need to have completed the progressions required before moving on. However, people tend to skip over these important middle steps and rush to the end- which can do more harm than good. From Level 1 to…
Coachability is the drive and willingness to listen and act on what a coach says. Being coachable is essential to becoming a better athlete, and more importantly, a better person. There are many coaches who would much prefer a beginner Level 1 cheerleader who is completely coachable than a Level 5 cheerleader who refuses…
Being a part of a team is a great reward, and is often one of the most important parts of participating in a sport. In cheerleading, you are especially close with the team you are on. You literally have each other’s lives in your hands! The team you are on is like no other team,…
We may not always like it, but conditioning is essential for strong tumbling. A stronger body means stronger muscles for your tumbling passes and conditioning is key to throwing safe, solid passes that judges love to see! We can actually target our conditioning to help fix a tumbling issue. Check out some conditioning tips to…