18U cheerleading practice plans (ages 17 and 18)

Cheer Warm-Up, Ages 14 and Up 5 min

1. Jog easy for 1 minute, then skip, side shuffle and backpedal for 1 minute.
2. Moving warm-up over 15 to 20 yards: high knees, heel flicks, carioca each way, walking knee hugs and walking quad pulls (one step in each, no long holds).
3. Leg swings, 10 each way each leg; walking lunges with a twist, 6 each leg; then 5 inchworms (walk your hands out to a plank and back).
4. Strength: plank 30 seconds, side plank 20 seconds each side, 8 slow squats, and 6 single-leg reaches each side (hinge forward on one leg with a flat back).
5. Single-leg hops: 3 small hops forward on one leg, holding the last landing for 2 seconds; each leg twice.
6. Cuts: run 5 yards, plant and cut at about 45 degrees off the outside foot, 4 each way at three-quarter speed, knee over the toes.
7. Build-up runs: three runs of about 20 yards at 60, 80 and 90 percent; walk back each time.
8. Sport moves: arm motions to an 8-count (high V, T, low V, touchdown), then 3 straight jumps with soft landings.

Coaching point: Quality over speed: quiet feet, knees over toes, hips level.

Safety: A flat, clear space with room to run. Stop if anything hurts: a warm-up should leave you ready, not tired. No flips, stunts or skills in a warm-up; those start when your coach says. Growth spurts: many girls have theirs between about 10 and 14 and boys about two years later. While you grow fast, muscles can feel tight and landings clumsy for a while; that is normal and it passes. Keep the work light (your own body weight), stretch gently and never push into pain. Sore just below the kneecap or at the back of the heel after sport? Tell a parent or coach and rest it. If the pain keeps coming back, makes you limp, or is there even when resting, see a doctor.

Coached Cradle Catch 12 min

1. Practice the cradle shape on the floor: flyer in a V, bases with arms ready.
2. With your coach, catch from a low level first.
3. Bases catch under the back and legs, spotter protects the head and shoulders.
4. Do 6 reps only with your coach and spotter.

Coaching point: Catch high, absorb low.

Safety: Only with a trained coach and spotters, on mats or a sprung floor. Never stunt at home. Any hit to the head, or dizziness or a headache after a fall: stop, tell your coach, and no more stunting or tumbling until a doctor clears you.

Back Handspring Drills with a Coach 12 min

1. Practice the sit-back with arms up against a wall.
2. With your coach, roll back over a barrel to your hands.
3. Snap your feet down from a handstand on the barrel.
4. Do 8 of each piece with your coach.

Coaching point: Sit, swing, push, snap.

Safety: Only in a gym with a qualified coach and proper mats. Never try this at home. Any hit to the head, or dizziness or a headache after a fall: stop, tell your coach, and no more stunting or tumbling until a doctor clears you. Pain in your lower back, worse when you bend back, is never normal: stop and tell a parent or coach. Keep back bends few and gentle.

Jump Combination Timing 12 min

1. Choose two jumps, like a tuck and a toe-touch.
2. Practice the rebound between them on the counts.
3. Keep your arms clean and your chest up between jumps.
4. Do 6 combinations with a full rest.

Coaching point: Rebound fast, stay tall.

Safety: Warm up first. Land on two feet with soft knees on a mat or sprung floor, never concrete. Stop if your knees or ankles hurt.

Five-Ten-Five Technique Rehearsal 15 min

1. Set three cones in a line, 5 yards apart; start at the middle one.
2. Run 5 yards right, touch the line with your outside hand, turn low.
3. Run 10 yards to the far cone, touch, turn, run 5 back through the middle.
4. Do 3 walk-throughs, 3 at three-quarter speed, then 2 timed with full rest.

Coaching point: Low turn, push off the outside foot.

Safety: Use a clear, non-slip space and change direction only as fast as you can control. Stop if a knee or ankle hurts.

Cheer Cool-Down Stretches, Ages 14 and Up 4 min

1. Walk easy for 1 minute and let your breathing slow down.
2. Front of the thigh: hold a fence, wall or partner and bring one heel toward your bottom, knees side by side. Hold 20 to 30 seconds, each side.
3. Back of the leg: sit with one leg straight and the other bent, and reach toward the straight leg’s ankle until you feel a gentle pull. Hold 20 to 30 seconds, each side.
4. Calf: hands on a wall, one foot back with the heel down and the back knee straight; then bend the back knee a little to move the stretch toward the heel. Hold 20 to 30 seconds, each side.
5. Front of the hip: kneel on one knee, tuck your hips under and shift forward gently until the front of the hip feels a stretch. Hold 20 to 30 seconds, each side.
6. Seat: lie on your back, cross one ankle over the other knee and pull the bottom leg gently toward you. Hold 20 to 30 seconds, each side.
7. Wrists and forearms: one arm straight in front, palm up, and gently draw the fingers back with the other hand; then palm down. Hold 20 to 30 seconds, each side.
8. Back of the arm: reach one hand down between your shoulder blades and rest the other hand gently on that elbow. Hold 20 to 30 seconds, each side.
9. Lie on your back with one hand on your belly: 5 slow breaths, breathing out longer than in.

Coaching point: A gentle pull, never pain, and no bouncing.

Safety: Stretch only to a gentle pull and stop if anything hurts. An injured muscle or joint is not stretched until a doctor or athletic trainer says it is OK. Growth spurts: many girls have theirs between about 10 and 14 and boys about two years later. While you grow fast, muscles can feel tight and landings clumsy for a while; that is normal and it passes. Keep the work light (your own body weight), stretch gently and never push into pain. Sore just below the kneecap or at the back of the heel after sport? Tell a parent or coach and rest it. If the pain keeps coming back, makes you limp, or is there even when resting, see a doctor.

Cheer Warm-Up, Ages 14 and Up 7 min

1. Jog easy for 1 minute, then skip, side shuffle and backpedal for 1 minute.
2. Moving warm-up over 15 to 20 yards: high knees, heel flicks, carioca each way, walking knee hugs and walking quad pulls (one step in each, no long holds).
3. Leg swings, 10 each way each leg; walking lunges with a twist, 6 each leg; then 5 inchworms (walk your hands out to a plank and back).
4. Strength: plank 30 seconds, side plank 20 seconds each side, 8 slow squats, and 6 single-leg reaches each side (hinge forward on one leg with a flat back).
5. Single-leg hops: 3 small hops forward on one leg, holding the last landing for 2 seconds; each leg twice.
6. Cuts: run 5 yards, plant and cut at about 45 degrees off the outside foot, 4 each way at three-quarter speed, knee over the toes.
7. Build-up runs: three runs of about 20 yards at 60, 80 and 90 percent; walk back each time.
8. Sport moves: arm motions to an 8-count (high V, T, low V, touchdown), then 3 straight jumps with soft landings.

Coaching point: Quality over speed: quiet feet, knees over toes, hips level.

Safety: A flat, clear space with room to run. Stop if anything hurts: a warm-up should leave you ready, not tired. No flips, stunts or skills in a warm-up; those start when your coach says. Growth spurts: many girls have theirs between about 10 and 14 and boys about two years later. While you grow fast, muscles can feel tight and landings clumsy for a while; that is normal and it passes. Keep the work light (your own body weight), stretch gently and never push into pain. Sore just below the kneecap or at the back of the heel after sport? Tell a parent or coach and rest it. If the pain keeps coming back, makes you limp, or is there even when resting, see a doctor.

Create Your Own Eight-Count 16 min

1. Write one motion for each count from 1 to 8.
2. Practice it until you can do it without looking.
3. Teach it to someone and watch them do it.
4. Fix one count that was hard to teach.

Coaching point: Simple, sharp, teachable.

Choreograph a Sideline Dance 16 min

1. Pick four eight-counts of music.
2. Write a move for each count, using motions your team knows.
3. Teach it to your team in two pieces.
4. Run it 3 times and fix one hard spot.

Coaching point: Easy to learn, fun to watch.

Read the Game Moment 16 min

1. With your coach, sort your cheers into offense, defense and spirit.
2. Your coach calls out a game moment.
3. Pick and start the right cheer within 3 seconds.
4. Do 12 calls.

Coaching point: Watch the game, then lead.

Safety: Sip water and rest your voice between rounds. Stop if your throat hurts or your voice goes scratchy.

Cheer Cool-Down Stretches, Ages 14 and Up 5 min

1. Walk easy for 1 minute and let your breathing slow down.
2. Front of the thigh: hold a fence, wall or partner and bring one heel toward your bottom, knees side by side. Hold 20 to 30 seconds, each side.
3. Back of the leg: sit with one leg straight and the other bent, and reach toward the straight leg’s ankle until you feel a gentle pull. Hold 20 to 30 seconds, each side.
4. Calf: hands on a wall, one foot back with the heel down and the back knee straight; then bend the back knee a little to move the stretch toward the heel. Hold 20 to 30 seconds, each side.
5. Front of the hip: kneel on one knee, tuck your hips under and shift forward gently until the front of the hip feels a stretch. Hold 20 to 30 seconds, each side.
6. Seat: lie on your back, cross one ankle over the other knee and pull the bottom leg gently toward you. Hold 20 to 30 seconds, each side.
7. Wrists and forearms: one arm straight in front, palm up, and gently draw the fingers back with the other hand; then palm down. Hold 20 to 30 seconds, each side.
8. Back of the arm: reach one hand down between your shoulder blades and rest the other hand gently on that elbow. Hold 20 to 30 seconds, each side.
9. Lie on your back with one hand on your belly: 5 slow breaths, breathing out longer than in.

Coaching point: A gentle pull, never pain, and no bouncing.

Safety: Stretch only to a gentle pull and stop if anything hurts. An injured muscle or joint is not stretched until a doctor or athletic trainer says it is OK. Growth spurts: many girls have theirs between about 10 and 14 and boys about two years later. While you grow fast, muscles can feel tight and landings clumsy for a while; that is normal and it passes. Keep the work light (your own body weight), stretch gently and never push into pain. Sore just below the kneecap or at the back of the heel after sport? Tell a parent or coach and rest it. If the pain keeps coming back, makes you limp, or is there even when resting, see a doctor.