How to Coach Cheerleading With Minimal Equipment: My Mobile Setup

I used to coach in an all-star cheerleading gym with a full-size sprung floor, tumbling tracks, air tracks, crash mats, wedges and almost every piece of equipment you would expect to find.

My current cheer program looks completely different.

Now, I coach at a different location almost every day. I might be in a school, church, community hall or suitable outdoor area. Everything I need has to travel with me—and it all has to fit inside my car.

That means I’ve had to become very creative about coaching cheerleading with minimal equipment.

Start With “Need” Versus “Want”

Cheerleading equipment is very easy to become excited about.

I regularly have to ask myself whether I genuinely need something or simply want it. My husband sometimes asks me the same question when I’ve already produced a very convincing list of reasons why the program apparently cannot continue without it.

Before buying a piece of equipment, I consider:

• Which classes will use it?
• How frequently will I use it?
• How many athletes can use it at once?
• How many different skills can it support?
• Will it fit inside my car?
• How difficult is it to carry and set up?
• Can it be stored safely at a venue?
• Do I already own something that can serve the same purpose?

The most exciting equipment isn’t always the most useful. When storage and transport space are limited, every item needs to earn its place.

My Mobile Cheerleading Equipment

The main pieces of equipment I regularly use are:

• Four folding panel mats
• An inflatable air track
• An inflatable tumbling trainer
• Cones
• Pom-poms
• Three soft toy mascots
• Portable balance equipment

The mats, cones, pom-poms and teddies are the items I use most consistently.

The inflatable equipment only comes into class when I have planned drills that specifically require it and have access to a suitable place to inflate and use it.

I’m currently debating whether I need more folding mats. My classes have grown, so another two could be useful—but I also have to work out whether they will physically fit in the car.

That is the daily puzzle of running a mobile cheer program.

Why Folding Mats Are My Most Useful Item

My folding panel mats are easily the most versatile equipment I own.

They can be joined together with Velcro to create a larger matted area. They can also be folded and stacked to create different heights for suitable progressions and coach-led drills.

Depending on the athlete, skill and environment, qualified coaches can use folding mats for appropriate:

• Body-shape exercises
• Handstand drills
• Bridge progressions
• Cartwheel and round-off drills
• Controlled tumbling progressions
• Stunt practice
• Strength and conditioning stations

They are portable, adaptable and useful across several age groups.

Of course, a folding mat does not transform every surface into a safe tumbling environment. Coaches still need to assess the floor underneath, available space, mat movement, surrounding hazards and whether the planned skill is appropriate for that setup.

Meet Jaws, Crush and Hank

Three of the smallest—and most effective—items in my coaching bag are soft toy mascots.

Jaws the shark represents our first stunt section. Crush the turtle represents the second stunt section, and Hank the octopus represents the pyramid.

When I hold up a particular teddy, the younger athletes know which section of the routine is coming next.

I originally developed this system after watching coaches use hand signals to prompt tiny athletes at competitions. Hand signals can work well, but young children may struggle to distinguish them or remain focused on a coach standing far away.

The mascots provide a much clearer visual prompt.

Eventually, the athletes also learn the names. Even if they cannot see me holding up the toy, hearing somebody call “Hank!” reminds them that the pyramid is coming.

It is simple, takes almost no space in my car and has been incredibly effective.

Cones Can Replace Floor Markings

My competition teams do not normally train on a full cheer floor, so cones help us recreate the important reference points.

I place cones at the front and back of our training area to represent the Velcro lines they will see on a regulation competition floor.

The athletes learn their formations and transitions in relation to those markers.

Before a competition, I hire time at a friend’s all-star cheerleading gym. When the team moves onto the sprung floor, we first walk through every formation and connect the familiar cone positions with the real floor lines.

This helps athletes adjust to the size of the floor instead of discovering it for the first time at a competition.

Hiring specialist facilities occasionally can be more practical than trying to own and transport equipment that a mobile program cannot realistically accommodate.

Use Simple Equipment in Several Ways

Pom-poms aren’t only for learning routines.

They can become visual markers, spacing guides, relay equipment or obstacles for suitable movement activities. Cones can organise stations, create pathways, establish boundaries and help children remain in their lines.

The most useful portable equipment often has several purposes.

With younger athletes, colourful and visual props can also make instructions easier to understand. A child may respond more quickly to “Stand beside the blue cone” than to a complicated explanation about their position in the room.

Simple doesn’t mean ineffective.

Make Careful Use of the Venue

Different venues contain different features, but coaches need to assess them carefully before including them in a class.

A clear wall may sometimes support suitable stationary body-shape or conditioning drills. A secure, correctly sized step may be useful for certain balance or strength activities.

However, ordinary walls, ledges and steps were not designed as gymnastics equipment. They must never be assumed safe simply because they are available.

Check:

• The surface and surrounding area
• Stability and structural condition
• Slipping or falling hazards
• Sharp edges and nearby obstacles
• The athlete’s age and ability
• Whether the activity is covered by your qualifications and insurance
• Whether the venue has approved that use

If an activity cannot be performed safely in the available environment, it needs to be changed or removed.

Know When You Need a Proper Cheer Gym

Creative coaching can achieve a great deal, but there are limits.

I do not have the ability to carry a sprung cheer floor in my car. Certain tumbling skills, full routine sections and competition preparation require access to appropriate specialist facilities.

That is why I hire a cheer gym when my competition teams need experience on a full-size sprung floor.

Minimal equipment should encourage creative coaching—not encourage coaches to perform inappropriate skills on unsuitable surfaces.

Tumbling and stunting should only take place with suitable mats, qualified supervision, appropriate progressions and a proper risk assessment. Concrete and other hard surfaces are not tumbling floors, even if portable equipment is nearby.

Adapt the Class to What You Have

Most of my classes are primary-school aged, with a maximum of around 16 athletes. The majority of the skills I teach are Level 1, with occasional Level 2 work where the athlete and environment are suitable.

My equipment works because it matches the program I currently run.

A coach teaching advanced tumbling or much larger teams would have very different requirements.

The question isn’t, “What is the smallest possible amount of equipment anyone could use?”

It is, “What do I need to coach these athletes, at this level, in this particular environment safely and effectively?”

Creativity Matters More Than a Packed Car

You don’t need to buy everything at once to begin building an effective cheerleading program.

Start with versatile equipment. Give every item more than one purpose. Use visual prompts that make sense to children, create consistent systems across venues and occasionally hire specialist facilities when your teams need them.

Most importantly, keep revisiting your need-versus-want list.

Your car, back and bank account will probably thank you.

You can find more honest conversations from life on the mat and inside my books at The Cheerleader Book Club.

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