Cheerleading & Dance Team Community http://www.championshipproductions.com/forum/list.php?5 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 23:46:33 -0500 Phorum 5.2.19 http://www.championshipproductions.com/forum/read.php?5,2359,2359#msg-2359 http://www.championshipproductions.com/forum/read.php?5,2359,2359#msg-2359
One of the hardest things for me every year is coming up with new material to use that will test the cheerleaders' (both returning and new) abilities.

This year I'm excited to say I've found cheers, chants, and dances within Championship Productions products and have then modified them to fit the specific requirements of my judging scoresheet (and of course I've changed the words of the cheers to relate them to my high school).

My favorite DVDs for tryout material are:

CHD-02634A Winning it All! Vol. 2 - Cheers & Sidelines
CHD-04282 Cheer to Pin: 25 Wrestling Cheers
CHD-03012A Cheers & Chants, Vol. 10
CHD-03329D Jomo's 15 Favorite Sideline Dances
CHD-03329E Jomo's Favorite Advanced Dances

When putting together tryouts for your squads, be sure to include everything in your tryout that you expect to see throughout your season. Don't forget about jumps, spiriting, voice/volume, and tumbling!

If you have any advice, stories you'd like to share, or questions on the tryout process, feel free to comment!]]> Dana Logan, Championship Productions Cheerleading & Dance Team Thu, 07 Mar 2013 10:23:06 -0600 http://www.championshipproductions.com/forum/read.php?5,1,2328#msg-2328 http://www.championshipproductions.com/forum/read.php?5,1,2328#msg-2328
Thank you for your question, and how exciting that you're just beginning cheerleading! While splits and back bends (which lead to tumbling) are important aspects of cheerleading, there are a few simple things that you can work on that will make you stand out as an excellent cheerleader right away:

1. Practice your motions in front of a mirror! Make every arm movement SHARP and TIGHT (no bent elbows). Make sure your wrists are not flexed back or curved down, your wrists should make a straight line with your arm. Fists should be tight (with your thumb wrapped around the outside). Make sure to keep right and left punches right next to your ear, don't let them stray sideways or forwards.

2. Smile at all times (even if you make a mistake) and use a loud audible voice. Smiling and volume exude confidence, which is a necessary trait for any cheerleader.

Now for the splits and back-bends, these skills take a lot of patience, flexibility, and practice.

To work on your front (left or right splits), the best thing you can do is get into the split position and hold it for a minute at a time, then take a break for 30 seconds, and try again. It is crucial that you do push yourself in this stretch position, and eventually you will get there. You will feel pulls in your hamstring muscle (back of your leg) as it stretches, but if you feel sharp pains, ease up a bit until you've increased flexibility. This is something you will want to do every day of the week; try to do this while listening to music or watching TV, a distraction can do wonders! Mastering the front splits will help you with kicks and if you're a flyer, this will make tricks (such as heel stretches) easier to perform.

For the straddle (side splits), sit in the straddle position with your feet touching a wall. Scoot yourself towards the wall as far as you can go, without causing sharp pains, but just enough to feel the insides of your legs stretching. It's sometimes helpful to have a partner sitting back-to-back behind you to help push you towards the wall. Be sure to point your toes during this stretch and keep your needs pointing up towards the ceiling or pointing back behind you (knees should never be rolled forward/pointing toward the wall). Mastering the straddle will increase your flexibility for jumps such as toe touches and side hurdlers.

Back bends are best practiced with a partner, coach, or instructor who is experienced in spotting tumbling drills. Make sure you're always doing back bend stretches or drills on a mat. If you can already get into the back bend position, work on holding it for 30 seconds or more, and arch your back more each time. Eventually try to hold your back bend using only 1 arm, then switch to the other arm. Also practice picking up one foot, then switch to the other foot. This will strengthen your arms and legs for the eventual back handspring. When attempting to perform a back walk-over find an experienced partner to assist you in kicking your legs up and over you while your hands remain on the ground in the back bend position (until you've kicked all the way over and may stand up). Do not attempt to move past this point on to a back-handspring without an experienced coach or instructor present. You may talk to your school's cheer coach or find a tumbling/gymnastics gym in your area that offers tumbling lessons or “open gym” times where they have trained staff available to assist athletes with the tumbling level they are at.

I hope these ideas have been helpful to you, and good luck with your future in cheer!]]> Dana Logan Cheerleading & Dance Team Tue, 04 Dec 2012 09:52:56 -0600 http://www.championshipproductions.com/forum/read.php?5,1,2327#msg-2327 http://www.championshipproductions.com/forum/read.php?5,1,2327#msg-2327 Amran,honey Cheerleading & Dance Team Fri, 30 Nov 2012 21:17:01 -0600 http://www.championshipproductions.com/forum/read.php?5,2294,2323#msg-2323 http://www.championshipproductions.com/forum/read.php?5,2294,2323#msg-2323
Examples:
1. Run laps while yelling one of your longer cheers in unison. This will improve the volume of their voices when they're cheering at games, or help them keep their voices strong and audible during stunting!

2. Run laps while having their arms glued cleanly to their sides. This helps prepare them for walking transitions in competition routines or half time performances.

3. Do jumping jacks, but have them hit High V's and Low V's with their arms. This will strengthen motions.

4. Create an 8-count of cheer motions, that the girls can repeat over and over to work on motion sharpness and placement. (I use: 1. Broken T, 2. T, 3. High V, 4. Low V, 5. Table Top, 6. Right Diagonal, 7. Left Diagonal, 8. Clap. Repeat!)

5. For stunting, as Rachel mentioned above, you can strengthen bases arms/shoulders by having them go from prep/elevator level up to a full extension and then back to prep/elevator. This is more effective than simply doing push-ups on the ground, as lifting their flyer is giving the bases stunting endurance.

If you are a current or past coach or cheerleader and have any other conditioning ideas, please share them so we can all get stronger and sharper together!]]> Dana Logan, Championship Productions Cheerleading & Dance Team Thu, 29 Nov 2012 14:51:30 -0600 http://www.championshipproductions.com/forum/read.php?5,2307,2319#msg-2319 http://www.championshipproductions.com/forum/read.php?5,2307,2319#msg-2319 “Data presented by the NFHS Sports Medicine Advisory Committee confirmed that the majority of head injuries in spirit are from body-to-body contact in stunts. The committee recognizes that the primary body-to-body contact issues are presented during double-twisting dismounts. Prohibiting double twists to a cradle is consistent with the NFHS focus on risk minimization."

This being said, there is still certainly room for injury in other types of stunts and cradles. That is why the most important thing you can do as a coach is to train your cheerleaders in spotting and performing high catches. You should also insist upon Perfection Before Progession when moving on to higher levels of difficulty in stunting.]]> Dana Logan, Championship Productions Cheerleading & Dance Team Wed, 21 Nov 2012 13:34:27 -0600 http://www.championshipproductions.com/forum/read.php?5,2307,2318#msg-2318 http://www.championshipproductions.com/forum/read.php?5,2307,2318#msg-2318 Ashley Cheerleading & Dance Team Wed, 21 Nov 2012 12:53:08 -0600 http://www.championshipproductions.com/forum/read.php?5,2307,2307#msg-2307 http://www.championshipproductions.com/forum/read.php?5,2307,2307#msg-2307 Double Downs are no longer permitted at the high school cheerleading level.

The National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) added this dismount rule to protect cheerleaders from the increasing number of injuries associated with this high-difficulty skill.

Has the elimination of double downs affected your squad(s)? What are your feelings about this rule amendment?]]> Dana Logan, Championship Productions Cheerleading & Dance Team Mon, 29 Oct 2012 12:54:02 -0500 http://www.championshipproductions.com/forum/read.php?5,2294,2300#msg-2300 http://www.championshipproductions.com/forum/read.php?5,2294,2300#msg-2300 Rachel Schmidt Cheerleading & Dance Team Fri, 12 Oct 2012 13:42:32 -0500 http://www.championshipproductions.com/forum/read.php?5,2299,2299#msg-2299 http://www.championshipproductions.com/forum/read.php?5,2299,2299#msg-2299 Lonnie Kragel, Championship Productions Cheerleading & Dance Team Fri, 12 Oct 2012 10:47:06 -0500 http://www.championshipproductions.com/forum/read.php?5,2294,2294#msg-2294 http://www.championshipproductions.com/forum/read.php?5,2294,2294#msg-2294
Stan Tabor satisfies this growing need for cheer programs all over the country in his DVD: 65 Conditioning Exercises for Cheerleading. This is an amazingly helpful DVD, and can be used by new or experienced coaches.

I certainly cannot wait to start using Tabor's drill ideas with my own cheer squads this winter!

What exercises do you like to use with your squads that are made just for cheerleaders?]]> Dana Logan Cheerleading & Dance Team Wed, 10 Oct 2012 13:10:31 -0500 http://www.championshipproductions.com/forum/read.php?5,822,822#msg-822 http://www.championshipproductions.com/forum/read.php?5,822,822#msg-822 If so, become a [b:80f32bdce3][i:80f32bdce3]"Championship Affiliate"[/i:80f32bdce3][/b:80f32bdce3] today! Championship Productions will pay you a 10% commission for every sale that originates from your website! Participation is an extremely easy and free process with absolutely no risk! What a great way to earn additional income for yourself, team, or organization! [b:80f32bdce3]Click here[/b:80f32bdce3] to learn more about the Championship Affiliate Program!]]> nate.landas Cheerleading & Dance Team Mon, 24 Jan 2005 09:26:56 -0600 http://www.championshipproductions.com/forum/read.php?5,1,772#msg-772 http://www.championshipproductions.com/forum/read.php?5,1,772#msg-772 Foundations for Successful Cheerleading, Volumes 1 & 2, for beginning cheerleaders. These videos provide great information for amateur cheerleaders. Volume 1 provides clear demonstrations that focus on the fundamental skills needed to be an effective cheerleader, while volume 2 provides instruction and demonstrations for the more advanced cheerleader. Preview these videos and let me know if this is what you're looking for.]]> nate.landas Cheerleading & Dance Team Fri, 02 Jul 2004 10:30:20 -0500 http://www.championshipproductions.com/forum/read.php?5,720,720#msg-720 http://www.championshipproductions.com/forum/read.php?5,720,720#msg-720
Coach Bec
Minneapolis KS]]> Anonymous Cheerleading & Dance Team Sun, 14 Jan 2007 16:28:41 -0600 http://www.championshipproductions.com/forum/read.php?5,1,1#msg-1 http://www.championshipproductions.com/forum/read.php?5,1,1#msg-1 Anonymous Cheerleading & Dance Team Thu, 01 Jul 2004 11:07:59 -0500