Every cheerleading squad has some members who are – well – a bit difficult. They can be a challenge to coach and to manage.  Let’s look at one type today. 

The “Diva” is someone who likes to be in the spotlight.  He (Divo?) or she might be a bit pushy at times.  How to manage such a person? 

It’s useful to remember that the Diva may actually be quite insecure.  Her clamoring for the spotlight reflects her need to be loved and her wish for approval.  Sure it can be annoying but this girl needs reassurance and guidance. A good overall approach is one of frank kindness.   

As a coach I might say something like this to her: “Hey Kathy, you did a great back handspring at practice today.  I want to be sure to acknowledge that.  You are a very important part of the team but at the same time, I’d like to remind you that you are part of the team and sometimes I’ve noticed that you seem to set yourself apart from the rest instead of being a part of the rest.  Do you understand what I’m getting at?  Let’s talk about how we can resolve this.  I worry sometimes that your behavior puts you at risk for being disliked by the other girls.  Let’s figure out how we can avoid that from happening.” 

Another technique is to ask Kathy to help out another cheerleader who might be struggling.  Give Kathy a task that will feed her need to be important while also helping the team.  This will help prevent Kathy from being ostracized for being such a Diva…it gets her more integrated with the team. It also redirects her attention from herself to another. 

How do you handle the Diva?  Please share your secrets!

It happens every day.  You, as a cheerleading coach, are constantly giving feedback to your squad as you observe them in practice. But did you know that the way you offer praise can affect the motivation of your cheerleaders? 

Psychology professor, Carol Dweck, studied what happens when people praise others for ability versus praising for effort and the effect this has on young people’s motivation and performance. 

The results showed that 90% of young people who were praised for effort (“you worked really hard on this;” “your persistence is helping you succeed,”) wanted to perform tasks which were challenging and from which they could learn (and not necessarily immediately succeed). 

Two-thirds of young people praised for ability wanted to carry out a task which ensured further success; they weren’t as interested in being challenged.  

When both groups were given a set of harder problems, the students who were praised for their ability (“you are so smart;”  “you are really good at this”) reported the least enjoyment. They were also the least likely to take problems home to work on.  Also, the students who were praised for their ability (not effort) demonstrated considerable negativity after failure (“I am stupid”) even though they had had a previous string of successes! 

The group that had been praised for ability also showed a significant decline in performance compared to those who had been praised for effort. 

The group that had been praised on effort continued to enjoy the task even when they encountered problems and they were more likely to persist when they confronted challenges. This group (effort) on the whole performed much better than the other group (ability). 

How does this translate to cheerleading?  Well, I would suggest cheer coaches will enjoy more success with their cheerleaders when they praise them for their efforts rather than their abilities.  Why should this be true?  Effort is something we can control.  We either exert effort to learn, to improve, to refine, or we do not.  It’s a matter of choice.  Ability is innate; we either have it or not and thus we cannot control it per se.

So take note of how you give feedback to your cheerleaders.  It’s fine to say, “good job!” or “great focus on that last jump” but be wary of saying, “you’re the best flyer we’ve ever had.”  Even if this is true, add to this: “…your focus and practice time is paying off; you’re really enhancing your natural talent by all your hard work.”

In my many conversations with cheerleaders, cheer coaches, and parents, I have discovered that not all cheer coaches are created equal! 

To be fair, sometimes a person with no cheerleading background or no training is asked by a school authority to lead a cheer team.  (Actually, they are usually “told” to do so, not asked!)  In this situation,  we can easily understand if the “coach” is less than proficient in managing his or her team.

 There are so many facets to being a good cheerleading coach and this short posting does not assume to discuss them all but I came across some interesting research that I thought you might find useful. 

It seems that sport psychology researchers looked at 2 different kinds of approaches to coaching (and you should know that the research was not on cheerleading per se but athletic teams in general) to see which one created a more optimal environment for the athletes. 

One approach is called a Performance Climate and the other approach is called a Mastery Motivational Climate. 

A Performance Climate encourages intra-team competition and a punitive approach to mistakes (yelling, shaming, etc.). Now you may think that a punitive approach would be rare in cheerleading but if a coach is lacking in training and experience, the frustration level would be higher and so would the possibility of expressing that frustration in potentially punitive ways. 

The Mastery Motivational Climate, on the other hand, us is one where the coach supports effort and cooperation (instead of who’s the best) and where there is an emphasis on learning and task mastery. 

Not surprisingly, the Mastery Motivational Climate is a happier one for the athletes.  It promotes well-being, persistence and task perseverance.  It also attenuates negative responses and optimizes positive ones. 

Let’s hear it for the Mastery Motivational Climate!  Give me an M…!

Cheerleaders and cheer coaches have many opportunities to learn how to perfect motions, jumps, tumbling and stunts.  There are books, of course, many of which are excellent, and there are videos. 

The advantage of books is their portability and the fact that you don’t have to rely on technology to use them.  Videos require either a computer or a DVD player but since most people have one or the other, this usually doesn’t pose a problem. 

 I’ve taken some time recently to view several cheerleading videos and I’m happy to say I recommend them all!  Here’s the scoop: 

1. Coaching 101: Introduction to Motions and Progressions (with Shari Goodman) 

(This DVD and the 3 that follow are all produced by Cheer Coach & Advisor Magazine and can be found at http://www.ChampionshipProductions.com ) 

Coach Goodman expertly teaches 10 separate motions, ways to drill a squad while moving into basic motion sequences, and then demonstrates an intermediate level sequence that includes a cheer with the motions.  This is an easy-to-follow video that will make your learning a pleasure. 

1. Coaching 102: Beginner Cheer Formations and Transitions (with Alison Dytko) 

Alison Dytko begins with a review of how to set six different formations and then demonstrates six transitions. There is a demonstration of the full skill for each transition. Every move is broken down into simple steps to enhance your learning. 

1. Coaching 103: Introduction to Jump and Jump conditioning (with Mayra Brandt) 

Coach Brandt takes her squad through 3 basic stretching exercises (important!) and then moves into 3 jump approaches.  Brandt offers specific instructions and tips for 7 jumps.  She also provides conditioning exercises and other goodies! 

1. Coaching 104: Level 2 and Level 3 Tryouts (with Stephanie Scurrah) 

Getting ready for tryouts?  This DVD will definitely help! Coach Scurrah’s cheerleaders demonstrate tryout skills required for Level 2 such as running, and tumbling.  She also shows a simulation for Level 3. 

1. FlyGirl Elevation Series: Coaching Confidence in Cheerleading

Visit http://www.flygirl.ca for more information. 

Mandy Cheetham is President of FlyGirl.  She is a choreographer and coach who has worked with some of the best teams in the world. Mandy narrates this DVD which depicts 4 cheerleaders executing stunts. 

A thoughtful and patient teacher, Mandy puts her cheerleaders through several stunt routines as she describes each detail of how it’s done.  She also demonstrates several common mistakes stunters make and how to resolve them. 

The DVD covers double base elevators, cradles, full twist cradles, liberties, and more. 

1. For the Love of Tumbling by Debbie Love

Contact Debbie at Debbie@showtimespirit.com  or Marcandluv@aol.com 

Debbie Love is Tumbling Director at Showtime Spirit in Lexington, KY.  Debbie also consults to cheerleaders and coaches nationwide. 

This DVD comes with a manual that includes detailed instructions on how to do several tumbling moves, from basic skills such as a forward roll and a handstand to combination skills. 

Debbie narrates the video as several cheerleaders demonstrate the various moves. One thing that Debbie stresses over and over is the need for cheerleaders to develop a strong and conditioned body. Her manual offers detailed information on what exercises a cheerleader can do to get in excellent tumbling condition. For example, she has a pages on “tuck conditioning” and “jump conditioning” which include explanations for the suggested exercises.

Most people would agree that cheerleading coaches have the ability to influence their cheerleaders in a positive way  but some cheer coaches may not fully appreciate the extent of their reach.  

A fellow named Jack, from a website called aha.com, wrote to me about a cheerleading coach who describes his “aha” moment when he realized just how powerful his mentoring had been.  It’s on a short video and can be seen at http://www.ahamoment.com/pg/moments/view/2520 .  Check it out!

If you’re a cheer coach, you’ve probably heard a cheerleader say, “I can’t” at least once in your coaching career.  And if you’re a cheerleader, you’ve probably said, “I can’t” at least once or twice in your cheerleading career. 

Too often however, the “I can’t” really means “I won’t” or “I don’t know how.”  This is an important distinction.  When you say “I can’t” you are selling yourself short; you are limiting yourself.  This can happen when you are anxious or afraid or – just plain lazy! 

I invite you to pay attention to what you say and if you catch yourself saying, “I can’t” consider what you might really be feeling.  Are you nervous?  Are you worried you will make a mistake?  It may be more accurate to say, “I don’t know how…” and then work with your coach to find a way to learn what is being asked of you.  

If you really mean “I won’t” when you say “I can’t” it’s time to determine if you have the necessary commitment to the sport of cheerleading. 

So, keep your ears tuned to what you say and think about what it means!

Let’s say you’re a cheerleader and you just heard this feedback from your coach: “You’re getting better and better with your toe touch jump.  I’m happy to see the improvement.  It will be even better if you can keep your arms level in a T position and bring your feet closer to your hands.” 

Ok, now what did you hear?  Did you hear it all?  Would you rate it a favorable critique?

If yes, you’re on the right track and you have no need to read further.  If you saw it as a negative critique, please read on! 

As I mentioned in a previous post, cheerleaders and cheer coaches can benefit from knowing about cognitive distortions which can adversely affect the overall performances of cheerleaders. 

Overgeneralization is the most common cognitive distortion and Mental Filtering is one type of Overgeneralization.  Using the example from above, the cheerleader who saw this as a negative critique filtered out the positive and only focused on what was wrong with the toe touch jump.  Do you see how the filtering can work to the cheerleader’s disadvantage?  The cheerleader might spend the next several hours feeling bad because he or she is convinced that the coach disapproves of the toe touch jump! 

Lesson: If you filter out all the positive and focus only on the negative, your performance will suffer. 

Coaches!  Knowing that this scenario is possible, be on the lookout for your cheerleaders using Mental Filtering and engage them in a conversation that might sound like this” “It might be useful for me to hear what you think I just told you so we can be clear we’re on the same page.”  Then, if the cheerleader has seemed to focus on what was wrong with the stunt, you can gently help them see the whole picture.

You know what it’s like: you zero in on one cheer routine or one stunt and do it over and over until you get it right.  But sometimes it seems the harder you try, the worse you do! 

Well, there’s a reason for that and it has to do with the science of concentration.  I won’t go into all the technical details here except to say that when you engage in narrow-focus attention for too long (like when you rehearse a cheer move over and over), it literally affects your brain!  

Yep – you see the brain is the master control panel for your mind and body and if you are stuck in narrow focus, this will induce changes in your muscle tension, breathing, and even the flow of neurotransmitters and hormones. 

You see, everything is influenced by how you pay attention. 

Now narrow focus serves a purpose.  It allows you to see and deal with urgent or important situations and so it can be helpful in the short run but if you stick with narrow focus, you’ll be revving up your brain in ways that aren’t healthy, leading to chronic stress problems. 

So, what can you do? You can take mini-vacations or “focus breaks” periodically throughout your cheer practice to offset the negative impact of too much time spent in narrow-objective focus. 

For example, make it a habit to occasionally pause during cheer practice and allow your eyes to gaze at some open space.  The open space can be a big blank wall or a ceiling.  Just take in the largeness of the space. The trick is not to zero in on any one object but to soften your gaze as you take in a sense of background or space. Exhale slowly three times while doing this.  This should not take too much time away from your practice and – you will return to it feeling more relaxed and refreshed. 

When you gently direct your gaze to and imagine feeling space, your brain will respond by changing its electrical activity.  In other words, you will be able to induce alpha waves which are associated with feelings of well-being. 

So, take a mini-break, gaze out a window, at a wall, at a ceiling, or close your eyes and visualize the vast expanse of sky or the ocean.  You’ll feel better and then you’ll be able to return to your cheer practice with the ability to perform at an optimal level.