Time-Saving Hacks Every Cheer Coach Needs

If you’ve ever stood in front of a bright-eyed cheer squad, looked at the clock, and thought, “How on earth am I supposed to teach ALL OF CHEERLEADING in this tiny sliver of time?” — welcome to the club. Pull up a chair, coach. You’re in the right place.

I’ve spent over 20 years coaching this sport. I’ve tripped, I’ve face-planted, I’ve made every mistake under the sun, and I’ve sprinkled a few glittery victories on top too. And now, after coaching full-time, writing books, creating a podcast, filming YouTube videos, moving across states, running a gym program, and raising a family… somehow I’m still obsessed with helping this sport grow.

Today’s juicy topic?
How to build a super effective, time-saving cheer practice. Especially if you only get your athletes for one tiny hour a week.
Yes — it’s possible. Yes — we can make it fun. Yes — you will survive.

---

Why Time-Smart Coaches Win

When I used to run a full gym program, I’d see teams multiple times a week. Rec, comp, tiny, youth, seniors — everyone got a slice of the schedule pie. You don’t feel that same pressure when you’ve got a 3-day-a-week group.

But now?
I coach mostly primary-school students. One hour a week. Some only for two school terms. That’s 20 lessons to teach the basics and put together a routine and build their confidence and keep it fun.

No pressure.

So I had to develop systems that work fast, work consistently, and work across every age and ability. These are the exact systems that turned my 60-minute chaos sessions into smooth, productive, “Oh wow, we actually got through everything” classes.

Let’s break them down.

---

1. The Warm-Up That Saves Your Nerves

If you only have one hour, you cannot sacrifice 15 minutes on a slow warm-up and another 15 on long stretching. That would leave you with 30 minutes to teach stunts, tumbling, jumps, dance, performance readiness, and do corrections. Impossible.

So I built a warm-up that:

✔ Works for every team
✔ Teaches conditioning on autopilot
✔ Builds consistency and confidence
✔ Takes less than 10 minutes
✔ Keeps kids excited instead of wandering off mentally to Minecraft

The Magic Combo:

• Down-Ups with an eight-count track
• Leg sequence: knee–knee, straight–straight, arms–ears
• Tumble-body-position conditioning: table, side plank, front support
• Jump timing practice: two rounds, counting out loud together
• Dynamic stretch series: same order every week
• Silly names for younger kids: spaghetti, meatballs, sprinkles, sauce — whatever keeps them giggling while stretching instead of zoning out

Why it works:
Predictability makes kids feel safe. Repetition makes them stronger. Calling counts makes them focused. And it all happens fast.

---

2. The Bridge Warm-Up That Fixes Tumbling

If you don’t run separate tumble classes… girl, I feel your pain. Getting kids from forward rolls to walkovers with only 60 minutes a week is like trying to teach a goldfish algebra.

So I built a bridge warm-up routine that conditions and progresses walkover muscles in a tiny window of time.

The Routine (done on an eight-count track):

• Bridge
• Straight leg hold
• Three shoulder rocks
• One-arm bridge (both sides)
• One-leg bridge (both sides)
• Bridge hops
• Pony kicks
• Single-leg hold
• Kickover or attempt it

Every team does this. Tiny to junior. Beginner to experienced. They know it, they expect it, and they absolutely improve because of it.

The whole thing?
3–5 minutes.
And it has transformed my athletes’ walkover progress like nothing else.

---

3. Use Your Time Like It’s Liquid Gold

A 60-minute practice should feel like one smooth river, not a choppy lake. Your warm-up set the tone. Now you want:

• A mini skill-focus block
• A stunt-focus block
• A dance/perform block
• A quick cool-down and recap

Some weeks you might swap things around depending on season timing, but the structure keeps kids on track and prevents slow wandering transitions that eat your class alive.

---

4. Keep It Consistent Across All Teams

This is the secret ingredient.

Because my warm-ups, bridge routines, and timing drills are identical across every group, kids who switch teams, change schools, or jump programs:

⭐ Never feel lost
⭐ Never feel “behind”
⭐ Never start from scratch

Confidence shoots up.
Correction time goes down.
And your practices feel smoother than a freshly Zamboni’d ice rink.

---

5. Don’t Confuse Fun With Chaos

Fun absolutely matters. That’s why the silly words exist, that’s why I let younger kids choose the warm-up song sometimes. But fun doesn’t mean letting the session run wild.

Structure = safety
Structure = progression
Structure = confidence
Structure = HAPPY PARENTS (which we all know is the golden ticket)

---

Final Thoughts Before You Dash Off to Practice

If you’re coaching on limited time, you are not alone. It takes creativity, consistency, and a little boldness to get big results out of small windows.

But trust me — it’s possible.
And it’s worth it.
These tiny humans will surprise you every single week.

If you try any of these ideas, tag me, message me, or pop it in the comments. I’d genuinely love to cheer you on.

Now go crush that next session and see you in the next cheer chapter.

Allison xx

If you’d like to explore more — books, downloads, or tools I personally use — you’ll find everything below. Some links are affiliates and help support the blog at no extra cost to you. I only share things I genuinely use or recommend. Content on this website is shared for informational and entertainment purposes only and does not replace professional advice. Please seek appropriate qualifications or professional guidance for coaching, training, business, or financial decisions.

Allison xx