Course Components
The course fee includes the Coaching Youth Cheerleading book (as a PDF), access to the online course and test, one-year access to the course and Coaching Aids (PDF downloads), automatic test scoring, certificate of course completion printable from the website, and entry in the National Coaches Registry. Nothing will be shipped to you, and you will have immediate access to the course upon purchase.

Course Description
Learn fundamental coaching concepts and responsibilities and come away with the most important coaching points of the major skills and tactics of youth cheerleading.

In this interactive online course, you’ll learn to prepare for your season and provide the best possible experience for your athletes. The course is supplemented by the book Coaching Youth Cheerleading—written by Human Kinetics Coach Education in cooperation with Varsity Brands—which is provided as a PDF from within the online course. As you progress through the online course, you’ll be prompted to read chapters to complete course activities.

The course includes many interactive exercises that apply and enrich concepts from the book. The course introduces volunteer coaches to the games approach to coaching, which uses small-sided games to teach skills and tactics. It also includes streaming video and a handy Coaches’ Clipboard utility with forms, documents, and detailed plans for successful practice sessions and game-day coaching. The course concludes with an online 30-question test.

Learning Objectives
After completing this course, you should be able to

• better understand your role as a coach (unit 1),
• communicate effectively with squad members and others in the cheerleading community (unit 2),
• understand the importance of rules and equipment (unit 3),
• provide a safe environment for your cheerleaders (unit 4),
• teach and shape cheerleading skills (unit 5),
• teach and shape cheer, sideline, and dance skills (unit 6),
• teach and shape partner stunt and pyramid skills (unit 7),
• teach and shape jump and stunt skills (unit 8),
• prepare season and practice plans (unit 9), and
• make the most of game and competition day (unit 10).

Audience

This course is for coaches of athletes ages 6 to 13 participating in a recreational, noncompetitive setting.

Guided by a mentor coach, coaches face learning challenges in the following units:

• Your Responsibilities as Coach
• Communication
• Safety and Fitness
• Rules
• Cheerleading Skills
• Sideline and Dance Skills
• Partner Stunt and Pyramid Skills
• Jump and Stunt Skills
• Season and Practice Plans
• Game and Competition Day

 

Established in 1981 and rooted in an athlete-centered philosophy that places the developmental needs of athletes ahead of winning at all costs, Human Kinetics Coach Education courses and resources are customized and widely used by youth sport organizations, state high school associations, school districts, state departments of education, colleges and universities, and national governing bodies of Olympic sports to teach, train, and certify coaches.