Basketball Cheerleading Coach Sidelines 3rd-6th Grade Week 1 Practice Welcome and Games Warm Up and Stretch Review and Fundamentals Mid-Practice Huddle New Material Post-Practice Huddle 5 minutes 10 minutes 10 minutes 8 minutes 20 minutes 5 minutes Welcome and Games (5 minutes) This is your first impression as a coach. Make it count. Spend time at the beginning of every practice to welcome parents and cheerleaders with high energy and excitement. Name Game: Equipment needed: Five small balls Have cheerleaders stand in a circle and create a pattern by throwing one ball. Prior to throwing the ball, each cheerleader has to say their name and then throw it to another cheerleader. The last person to receive the ball throws it back to whoever began the pattern. Once the pattern is established, try speeding it up and see how quickly you can complete the pattern while still saying the names prior to throwing the ball. After they have mastered the speed, try adding balls to see how many you can get going at the same time. Warm up and Stretch (10 minutes) Warming up and stretching are the most important aspects of cheerleading. Play some fun music to keep warm up and stretching exciting. Warm up (5 minutes): Run a lap around the room. If you have limited space, run in place for a minute. 10 jumping jacks 10 trunk twists 10 shoulder circles 10 arm circles
Stretching (5 minutes): Now that your cheerleaders are warmed up, let s stretch out their muscles. Hold each stretch for an eight count. Back stretch: To stretch your back, sit on the floor, crossing right leg over left, and turn to the right. Using left arm, push on the right leg. Switch to stretch the other side of your back. Saddle stretch: To stretch your legs, sit on the floor with legs spread out. Bend forward at the hips, and keep head straight up. First reach toward your right foot, then your left foot, and finally, reach toward the middle. Pike stretch: To stretch your legs, sit on the floor with legs together straight out in front of you. Bending from your hips, stretch forward with your arms and torso, reaching for your feet. Quadriceps stretch: Support yourself against a wall or stationary object. Pull your heel up behind your body and hold for an eight count. Triceps stretch: Bring one arm up beside your head, bending it at the elbow while reaching across with the other arm. Hold for an eight count and stretch both arms. Runner s stretch: In a back lunge, lean to the front, placing both hands on the ground. Start with right leg forward and then switch to the left leg. Make sure your knee does not bend past your foot! Back Stretch Saddle Stretch Pike Stretch Quadriceps Stretch Triceps Stretch Runner s Stretch
Review and Fundamentals (10-12 minutes) Teach the following motions: Ready Position Touchdown Low Touchdown Coach Talk: Alright team, we are going to learn basic cheerleading motions. These motions are very important because almost everything in cheerleading has motions. Everyone get in a ready position. (Demonstrate a ready position.) High V Low V T Motion This position involves your feet shoulder-width apart, and hands on hips. Let s start with a touchdown. (Demonstrate a touchdown motion). (Make sure everybody hits a touchdown.) With this motion, your arms should be extended straight up and parallel to each other. Keep your arms tight. Right L Left L Clasp Alright, everyone put your arms down and relax. Let s review what we just learned show me a ready position great job now a touchdown remember your arms should be tight and straight. Right L (continued on next page) Next motion we re going to learn is a low touchdown... (Go down the list with every motion using this process)
Review and Fundamentals (10-12 minutes) Continued Teach the following motions (Continued): Right Diagonal Left Diagonal Broken T Candlesticks Dagger Right Punch Left Punch Clap
Mid-Practice Huddle Devotion 1 INSTRUCTIONS: Gather the cheerleaders together and get them to sit in a circle. Toss a pom to a cheerleader and have her share her name and the place she would go if she could go anywhere in the world for a week. Be sure each cheerleader gets a turn to share. Once everyone has shared their name and where they would like to go, instruct cheerleaders with the following: We all have our favorite places to go. But I wonder what you think about a few other places you d like to go for a week. I want you to give each a thumbs up if you like it, or a thumbs down if you don t. Ready?... The jungles of Brazil The trash dump The Swiss Alps The Chocolate Factory The Moon The South Pole The Caves of New Zealand That was fun! Getting to know each other better is something that we ll do a lot of this season. As a squad, we ll work hard to encourage one another to do our best at practices and games! At the end of each game, we will focus on five important attributes. You will be recognized with one of these attributes through your actions, attitude, and words during the game. The first attribute is EFFORT: What does it mean to show effort? It means working hard to try your best at all times. Next is SPIRIT: What does it mean to show spirit? It means doing all your cheers with excitement, eagerness, and good voice inflection. You show others on your squad respect and treat them the way you want to be treated. The third attribute is CHEERS: How do you cheer well? You work together well with the rest of the squad while doing the motions and jumps and saying the correct words along with the others. Another one is LEADERSHIP: What does a leader do? A good leader helps the squad stay focused and calls cheers well before the rest of the squad does them. And finally, one of the most important attributes is CHRISTLIKENESS: What does it mean to be Christlike? Being Christlike means to do your best to imitate Jesus in every way through words, attitude and actions. It means loving others and following God s Word in the Bible; choosing God over the temptations in the world around you. At each practice, we will stop to have a Mid- Practice Huddle. We will learn about God and learn virtues and Scripture verses together throughout the season. Our team is going to have a great season! Let s pray and then get back to practice. (Lead squad in short prayer as you thank God for all the cheerleaders and a great season ahead.)
New Material (20 minutes) MOTION DRILLS (10 minutes): Motion Drill 1 (start with Ready Position) 1. Touchdown 2. Low Touchdown 3. High V 4. Low V 5. T Motion 6. Right L 7. Left L 8. Clasp (See page 3 for visual demonstration) Motion Drill 2 (start with Ready Position) 1. Right Diagonal 2. Left Diagonal 3. Broken T 4. Candlesticks 5. Dagger 6. Right Punch 7. Left Punch 8. Clap Coach Talk: Remember the motions we learned earlier? Now we are going to put counts to them. Let s review all the motions first. Everyone get in your ready position! Show me a touchdown (demonstrate), great job, but squeeze your arms and keep them straight. Show me a low touchdown (Review all the motions and remind them of key points.) Now let s count it out. When I yell, 1, I want everyone to hit a touchdown ready 1 (Check to see if they hit a touchdown motion with proper technique.) Great job! On 2, hit a low touchdown. Let s review from the beginning, Ready 1 (should be touchdown) great job now 2 (should be a low touchdown) nice everyone let s move on. (Repeat the process with 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and motion drill 2.) (See page 4 for visual demonstration)
CHANT Here We Go (10 minutes): Words Motions Visual Demo. Coach Talk: Hey guys. We are going to learn a chant today. This chant is called, Here We Go. Here s how it goes (Demonstrate the chant). 1 Here Right foot forward while arms swing to the back Are you guys excited to learn it? Let s start by learning the words first. I ll say them first and when I point to you, I want you to repeat. Here we go! Blue and white! Let s go, Upward! Now you say it! Here we go! Blue and white! Let s go, Upward! Rhythm is very important in cheerleading. Let s clap out the rhythm as we say the words. Now let s learn the motions. (Follow the chart to the right and teach step by step) On Here, step forward with your right foot and swing both arms back On we go!, step forward with your left foot and swing both arms up On <pause>, step together and clasp twice Let s review that much before we move forward. (This will help to assure all your cheerleaders are learning the chant the same.) 2 we go! 3 <pause> 4 <pause> 5 Swing arms forward while switching feet Step together and Clasp Clasp Blue and Right High V (cont. on next page)
CHANT Here We Go (cont.): Words Motions Visual Demo. Post-Practice Huddle (5 minutes) 6 7 white! Left High V Remind your squad about skills learned at practice. Distribute squad rosters. Let parents know about appropriate dress code for cheerleaders at practices (gym shoes, shorts, jogging pants, t-shirt, etc.) Do NOT distribute practice cards. <pause> Clasp 8 <pause> Clasp 9 Let s Low V 10 go, Clasp 11 Upward! High V