Crush It at competition Preparation Guide By Kate Boyd
Part One Crush It in practice
Practice Focus 6 Weeks Out Check Scoresheets and Rules When you re six weeks out, it s time to double check your routine against the rules of that particular competition. You need to make sure that you re going in with the highest possible score for your team, so you will also need to check the score sheets to make sure you have all the criteria for each category. Experiment with Difficulty This is your last chance to really experiment with stepping up some difficulty and trying new stunts. You want to give your team a chance to try some fresh stuff and see what sticks and what needs to stay the way you originally intended. 5 Weeks Out Finalize Stunts Last week you experimented with new material, but it s time to make your routine final. So start with stunts and ask, What worked and what didn t? Then nail down those counts for the main event so you can start working on perfecting them. Fill Dead Spots Now we re still tweaking the overall routine and it s time to turn your attention to other areas. Do you have some awkward transitions or places that don t feel like they re moving? How about formations that you re in for longer than two or three 8-counts? Those are all places you can consider changing it up. This also can apply to parts of the dances or cheers that need a little more variety through ripples or even just parts. 4 Weeks Out Polishing Cheer and Dance You now have all the major components of the routine down and we can polish them to shine. That means going through each count slowly so your team gets muscle memory and has perfect placement. You can still tweak some little things as you see fit, but this is really the time to focus on having everyone look their best as a unit across all motions.
Practice Focus Look for Synchronization The same way you re focusing on creating a unified look in motions you want to polish up in every area of your routine. Watch all the jumps to make sure they are hitting and landing at the same time. If people are tumbling at the same time, it s time to make sure that counts are coordinated. And stunts need to have definition and synchronization as well. Take a good look and polish every part of the routine. 3 Weeks Out Start Full Out Routines Now that everything is set in stone and polished over, you need to focus on the putting all the parts together as a whole because they need to build their muscle memory and stamina. Aim to do the routine full out 2-3 times in every practice. Also do the routine doing half the required skills or marking some sections to get them used to doing the whole thing all the way through as you work your way up to full out routines. Focus on Stamina Right now your team needs to focus on being able to get through the routine with ease, which is why we focus so heavily on doing everything together and working up to full out routines in each practice. This is the time to make sure that the routine as a whole isn t too straining that they can t make it through it or be ready for it the week of competition. 2 Weeks Out Full Out Focus Last week you worked your way up to more full out routines. Now it s time to make them the primary focus. Do full out routines 3-5 times each practice. Use the time in between to correct and tweak and encourage. They should leave the week feeling like they can do the routine in their sleep and hit it every time. Practice Performing As you get near the competition day, your team needs to practice performing as much as the skills. So it s a great idea to create an opportunity for them to show off their routine. A pep rally or a show off event for parents. They need to get dressed, put on their facials, and do the routine completely in front of a crowd. This gives them a good chance to get a sense of the nerves and adrenaline that will come out when they perform at competition.
Practice Focus 1 Week Out Full Out Only At this point, you re really exclusively doing full out routines after you warm up. So keep the focus on 4-5 per practice as the main event. Continue to correct but be sure to focus on the good and encouraging the same amount if not more than correcting so their confidence continues to build. This is also where you implement any tweaks from your show off day. Fun They ve done the hard work, and they should know their routine by heart now. It s time to keep morale high and your team injury free. So focus on team building activities and adding some fun, celebration, and rewards into practice. That way they not only feel great and confident but they re also rested and ready to crush it at competition.
Part Two Crush It MENTALLY
Activity # 1 Separating identity from results mental toughness This activity will help your team members understand that their identity is more than their results on the mat and help them separate their self-worth from their performance. How It Works Give the team members a piece of paper with approximately 10 circles on it or have them draw 10 circles on a blank sheet of paper. Ask them to think of words that either describe themselves, are roles they play, or are things they like and then write those words in the circles on the paper. Explain clearly that cheerleading or cheerleading related things can only go in one of the circles. Most of the circles will contain descriptions of themselves that have nothing to do with tennis. If the members need more circles, tell them to draw them in. Let them do this for several minutes. After everyone is done writing in the circles, instruct everyone to draw a big circle around all the little circles. Explain that that the larger circle represents the total picture of who they are and that finding a balance in their lives helps reduce the pressure the may feel when competing. Discuss this for a short while. Explain that they can only focus on cheerleading performance when in cheerleading activities, so it s a small part of who they are and doesn t affect the other parts of themselves. By recognizing this, they can realize that a bad loss or poor performance only effects a small part of who they are. They still have many other things that don t depend on their results. This will lessen the pressure they may be placing on themselves and allow them to compete with less worry about losing or playing poorly. Activity # 2 Factors team members can and cannot control This activity will help players become aware of which things they can and cannot control. They will also realize that trying to control the uncontrollable leads to increased stress and frustration, as well as decreased levels of performance. How It Works: Two circles (one inside the other) are put on the floor. Ropes, tape, or extension cords can be used to make the circles. The circle of control is smaller than the other circle. A coach will read a factor from the list below. The players have 5 seconds to choose and stand in one of the circles. If they think the factor could be in both circles, they can stand with a foot in each circle.
mental toughness After final positions are locked in place, a player from each circle could be asked to justify their choice. This often generates discussion among the players. After the correct answer is given, each player standing in the correct circle receives a point. The next round begins with a new factor. Possible factors to use: Intensity during practice, parent s actions, different floor than they re used to, injury or sickness that makes them adjust the routine, bigger crowd than they thought, music skips or messes up, how much they sleep, or judges score or ranking Activity # 3 Rituals and Routines Rituals and routines help your team to prepare for competition by getting in the right mindset for performance. How It Works Sit with your team or captains to determine some ideas for creating a pre-competition routine. Often this looks like a special cheer, game, or activity that helps your team feel energized, relaxed, confident, and focused. It could even be a series of activities that creates that feeling. For example, trying to help your team prepare by warming up as they would warm up at competition can become a ritual that helps them prepare. Additionally, creating a fun cheer or chant that they can come in and yell or a song to sing before they re up on the mat can help them feel energized. Or planting one thought in their head or having one person give a small signal every time they get set on the mat then their mind can focus at that instant. Experiment and find some things that your team is on board with and wants to be a part of their pre-competition ritual. Activity # 4 Self-talk This activity is designed to help team members understand the benefits and use of positive self-talk, and understand that negative self-talk can damage both the mind and the body. How It Works Your team may work individually or in pairs. A coach will read a negative self-talk statement out loud to the group. Then they will all clap their hands once. The hand-clapping functions as a signal to stop a negative thought. Each player or pair will then be asked to replace the negative thought with positive self-talk. They will get 30 seconds to write down their positive
mental toughness self-talk response. Then you will discuss those responses based on the following questions: Does the statement address the original negative thought? Is it re-framed to be positive? Is it fairly short? Is it under the person s control? Activity #5 Visualization This activity is designed to help team members cultivate a mindset of confidence and memory by practicing the routine in their mind. How It Works Have your team sit on the floor with their eyes closed. Play their routine music and ask them to visualize every move and skill being performed successfully. Do this more than once the first day. You can even make this part of your remaining practices or have them do it at home as they prepare for competition. When they do this they train their mind to think positively and set themselves up to perform the skills more successfully when they actually do them. Activity #6 Mental Reframing This activity helps team members to see their difficult skills in a simplified way and stay focused on each present skill they re performing. How It Works Sit with your team and verbally walk through each skill and sequence. As you do break them down into their most basic elements so they see how even their most challenging sequences are really made up of simpler skills that they can manage every day. Then as they go through the routine ask them to focus on each of those skills at one time rather than thinking ahead to the next part of the routine or considering the sequence as a whole. This builds confidence and helps them feel more in control of each skill they perform.
Part Three Crush It AS A TEAM
team building activities CRAFTS T-Shirts Take some time and make some matching t-shirts. Do it with markers, tie-dye, or even repurpose old shirts together. Jewelry making Get some materials and put together bracelets or necklaces for a fun gathering. Painting party Find a cute picture or graphic online and have everyone paint a canvas of the same thing to hang in their rooms. Spirit Signs We know you use lots of signs for every game on the field and around the school. Take one day and make all of them so you can be done with it and have a bonding experience. Bows If you have a special occasion or theme coming up, take some time to create bows for your team to match. Spirit treats for teams Put together goody bags and locker decorations for the teams you cheer for. Pumpkin carving or other holiday themed crafts Take advantage of a built-in theme with a holiday and create a craft party around it. SOCIAL EVENTS Pool Party This is a great way to bring your team together over the summer.
team building activities Movies Whether you do a movie night at someone s house or go to the movies, it s fun to bond over a common interest and experience. Roller Skating Because who doesn t need to throwback to when they were 7? Indoor Trampoline Park This is an outing your team is uniquely equipped for. So have some fun. Camping and/or Hiking Trip Take a couple of days and get out of town with an outdoor adventure to bring bonding to the forefront. Local minor or major league or college game There s always another sport going on. Take some time to experience a bigger stadium and crowd and have some fun in the process. Retreat or Sleepover Get your team together with some intention and have a sleepover or retreat focused on bonding and team-building. Bowling Rent a lane (or a few) and throw a few balls down the lane for some good, clean fun. Holiday Parties Christmas, birthdays, or other special occasions offer a great excuse to get social instead of serious. Community Events Participate in events happening in the community like local festivals and parades. Have a booth, put on a show, or just go together to hang out. It s all fun.
team building activities GAMES Ships and Sailors This is too long to explain, but you can find the whole rules and list of commands here: http://osls.emory.edu/files/leadership_emory_files/leadership_emory_staff/tenet_3_document s/ships_and_sailors Duck, Duck, Goose I think you know this one. Sock Wars Two girls face each other on hands and knees wearing one sock. The winner is the first one to remove the sock of the other player while staying at ground level. Lava River Also complicated, but you can find instructions here http://thegrid.centertheatregroup.org/index.php/grid_activities/detail/crossing-the-lava-riverteam-building-activity or a video here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3mq5vqi3dwy Jeopardy Create questions about cheerleading, your school, or team members (or all of the above and then some) for a game of jeopardy. Two truths and a lie Each cheerleader says two things that are true and one thing that is false about themselves. The team guesses which is the false one. Never Have I Ever Everyone stands in a circle with one person in the center. The person in the center says one thing they haven t done. Those in the circle who have done that thing must move around and find a new spot among the other people who have moved. One person is left in the middle to list something they ve never done.
team building activities In Order Jumble up your team and have them work together to be put in a straight line in order in a particular way, e.g. birthdays or height. Blind obstacle course Use mats, other materials, or even other cheerleaders to create an obstacle course. Pair up your teammates. One gets blindfolded and the other has to direct them through the course with their voice only with no help from the others. Vary the course or remove the blindfolded participants for each turn so they aren t familiar with the course beforehand. Knot game Have your team stand should to shoulder in a circle and with each hand grab a hand of someone else in the circle. Then your team must work together to untie themselves. You could do this in multiple groups and make it a competition as well. Candy Tell All Pass around a bag of candy. Then once the bag is around the circle. Announce that for every piece they took they have to share one thing about themselves. Then commence the sharing. CHEERLEADING-RELATED Themed practices Get dressed up for a practice. Possible themes include: neon, heroes, red hot, black and white, twins, pink out, backwards day, inside out, rock star, Halloween, patriotic, and more. Cheer clinic Put together a mini-cheerleading camp for young, aspiring cheerleaders. This can also double as a fundraiser. Friendly competition Have jump-off or some other semi-competition during practice to get everyone rooting for one another and pushing each other to be better.
team building activities Warm-up fun Play a game to warm-up or put on a fun group dancing song that can get their blood pumping while having fun. Creating New Sidelines Need to spruce up the motions on old sidelines or create brand new ones? Divide your team into groups and have them work on creating them and teaching them to everyone. Game Debrief The practice after each game, sit down and discuss how it went. What could be better and what was done well. OTHER Community Service Take some time to give back to the community and put everything into perspective. Big Sis/Lil Sis or Prayer Partners Pair the team up by older and younger early in the season and have time throughout the year for them to intentionally bond so your younger team members have someone to turn to throughout their transition on your team. Fundraisers These not only help to raise money you need but also create an opportunity for your team to bond by pursuing a common goal outside of cheerleading. Beach ball questions Write questions all over a beach ball and toss it to a cheerleader. Wherever her right thumb lands when catching it is the question she has to answer and then she throws it to someone else. Taking pictures Make impromptu photo shoots a part of your practice or activities to help boost morale.
Talking team building activities Taking time during practice to sort out issues or start difficult conversations is healthy and a good use of your practice time if communication (or lack of) is keeping your from accomplishing your goals. Teaching activities and discussion time Creating specific lessons to teach and talk through during practice can help build character and your team. What I Like About You posters Write each girl s name on a poster and have every team member write something they like about that person on it. Goal Setting Have your team submit goals together that they want to accomplish and check in on them throughout the year to keep everyone on track. Spirit Stick Make a spirit stick that you give to the girl with the best attitude during practice. At the end of the next practice, she has to pass it on to the person of her choice. Snap Cup or Cheers for Peers Create a cup or box where cheerleaders can leave notes about someone who did something good that day and read them weekly. Team Circle Circle up and make your team members say one thing that went well during practice or that they did well during practice to the person on their right and/or their left. Team-building book Go through a team-building book together. A couple of books that were suggested are: Tribes, 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens, and Lead Like Jesus.