Bonding Stunt Groups

[skibumcheercoach]

Stunt groups should be cohesive but my Mini 2 team has a hard time with that. Obviously, taking blame is a hard concept at that age (and most ages), but the girls don’t try very hard and then get angry at one another if something goes wrong rather than figuring out what even went wrong.

As much as I would love to be able to see in detail what is going on during every fall, I don’t always have that option.

To keep the girls from fighting and to get them to understand that they’re a TEAM and have to work together, what are some good stunt group bonding techniques? Any advice?

 

[omgitssydthekid]

What age specifically are you working with? You have to keep in mind what you are asking of kids and if what you’re asking is developmentally appropriate. What we expect out of a 6 year old is far different than what we can expect out of a 9 year old. And what we expect out of a 9 yea old is far different than we can expect out of a twelve year old. We have to keep in mind what is developmentally appropriate for each age group so we aren’t expecting things out of them that aren’t possible. When we do that, we frustrate ourselves and put kids in a situation where they feel defeated because they aren’t able to do what we’re asking.

Have you considered incorporating games into your practice to keep the athletes noticed and interested? At the mini age (and even us as adults), their attention span is pretty short and they need a lot of engagement. If you are doing the same thing for too long, sometimes they need a “commercial” break because they’re bored or overwhelmed and they need a change of scenery.

The year I coached minis was the most difficult year I ever had. I had a pretty young team (mostly 6 and 7 year olds) with a couple (like 2 or 3) of 8/9 year olds. I treated them like seniors and it caused me to leave every practice like I failed and that my team was awful and never listened to me. I expected them to be able to follow my directions the first time I said them and be able to take my corrections the first time I gave them. I expected them to be able to stand quietly and not talk during practice. I expected SO much out of them and I set them up to fail because they literally could not meet my expectations. I wish I had known more about child development at the time because it would have saved myself and the team a lot of tears [emoji28]

 

[skibumcheercoach]

What age specifically are you working with? You have to keep in mind what you are asking of kids and if what you’re asking is developmentally appropriate. What we expect out of a 6 year old is far different than what we can expect out of a 9 year old. And what we expect out of a 9 yea old is far different than we can expect out of a twelve year old. We have to keep in mind what is developmentally appropriate for each age group so we aren’t expecting things out of them that aren’t possible. When we do that, we frustrate ourselves and put kids in a situation where they feel defeated because they aren’t able to do what we’re asking.

Have you considered incorporating games into your practice to keep the athletes noticed and interested? At the mini age (and even us as adults), their attention span is pretty short and they need a lot of engagement. If you are doing the same thing for too long, sometimes they need a “commercial” break because they’re bored or overwhelmed and they need a change of scenery.

The year I coached minis was the most difficult year I ever had. I had a pretty young team (mostly 6 and 7 year olds) with a couple (like 2 or 3) of 8/9 year olds. I treated them like seniors and it caused me to leave every practice like I failed and that my team was awful and never listened to me. I expected them to be able to follow my directions the first time I said them and be able to take my corrections the first time I gave them. I expected them to be able to stand quietly and not talk during practice. I expected SO much out of them and I set them up to fail because they literally could not meet my expectations. I wish I had known more about child development at the time because it would have saved myself and the team a lot of tears [emoji28]

Yeah, that’s about the exact age range I am working with. 13 are 6-7 year olds and two are 8-9 year olds who are good at keeping their surrounding girls together typically.

We play games by incorporating stickers/sticker books as a reward for hitting stunts and have a point system for good behavior, but no other games besides that. Do you have any good suggestions?

I have been substituting/working at elementary schools and preschools for 6 years and I always love this age group. But, for some reason, the same mentality I have in a school setting just goes out the window in a competitive sport setting. I’m not sure exactly where the line is for growth and expectations regarding sport. Academics? Definitely! Sports? Help!

 

[retiredl5cheer]

Yeah, that’s about the exact age range I am working with. 13 are 6-7 year olds and two are 8-9 year olds who are good at keeping their surrounding girls together typically.

We play games by incorporating stickers/sticker books as a reward for hitting stunts and have a point system for good behavior, but no other games besides that. Do you have any good suggestions?

I have been substituting/working at elementary schools and preschools for 6 years and I always love this age group. But, for some reason, the same mentality I have in a school setting just goes out the window in a competitive sport setting. I’m not sure exactly where the line is for growth and expectations regarding sport. Academics? Definitely! Sports? Help!

Coaching minis was the most draining experience I've ever had, so I stand with you in solidarity. This is what I found worked for me:

1. Have as much structure to your practice as possible. I used to make a minute-by-minute practice plan and run practice in 15 minute blocks. Every 15 minutes, we'd refocus and do something different or take a water break. The littles can't focus for much longer than 15 minutes, so it's best to get ahead of them and change activities before they lose their minds. If a something needed more than 15 minutes of dedicated time, I'd do that activity in two sections.

2. Make everything a game and change it up constantly. One of our favorites was the princess puzzle game - we'd put together a huge foam puzzle with one piece for each section that we completed successfully. The prize was a 30 second dance party. Simple.

3. Perform for others. Take any opportunity to get in front of an audience and perform. It could be a section, a walk-thru, a stunt section, or a full out. If they have an audience, I promise they'll behave 100x better and you'll get so much more out of them.

4. A run-thru is a run-thru, no matter how it looks. At the beginning stages, when a mini routine is just coming together, all you'll care about is whether they know where they're supposed to go. We'd walk through the routine with music 4 or 5 times a practice, but we'd do it in different silly ways to keep them from getting bored. We may do one walk-thru as robots, one as monsters, etc.

5. Hugs and high-fives all the time. Let them see that you love them and you're proud of them. It may have absolutely no visible result, but the kids will feel loved and supported, which is the most important thing. This is something I didn't do enough in my year of coaching minis, and I regret it all the time. The kids say they miss me and want me back, but that's only because they won, not because I was actually very nice. :(

 

[RazorHorn]

Coaching minis was the most draining experience I've ever had, so I stand with you in solidarity. This is what I found worked for me:

1. Have as much structure to your practice as possible. I used to make a minute-by-minute practice plan and run practice in 15 minute blocks. Every 15 minutes, we'd refocus and do something different or take a water break. The littles can't focus for much longer than 15 minutes, so it's best to get ahead of them and change activities before they lose their minds. If a something needed more than 15 minutes of dedicated time, I'd do that activity in two sections.

2. Make everything a game and change it up constantly. One of our favorites was the princess puzzle game - we'd put together a huge foam puzzle with one piece for each section that we completed successfully. The prize was a 30 second dance party. Simple.

3. Perform for others. Take any opportunity to get in front of an audience and perform. It could be a section, a walk-thru, a stunt section, or a full out. If they have an audience, I promise they'll behave 100x better and you'll get so much more out of them.

4. A run-thru is a run-thru, no matter how it looks. At the beginning stages, when a mini routine is just coming together, all you'll care about is whether they know where they're supposed to go. We'd walk through the routine with music 4 or 5 times a practice, but we'd do it in different silly ways to keep them from getting bored. We may do one walk-thru as robots, one as monsters, etc.

5. Hugs and high-fives all the time. Let them see that you love them and you're proud of them. It may have absolutely no visible result, but the kids will feel loved and supported, which is the most important thing. This is something I didn't do enough in my year of coaching minis, and I regret it all the time. The kids say they miss me and want me back, but that's only because they won, not because I was actually very nice. :(

First post. Unsure if My question is close enough to the original post here but here it goes. .. on the bonding of stunt teams..
7th gr daughter is in 3rd yr of All-Star, level 4.2 Most girls are 8/9/10 graders and even a girl who already graduated.
she began flying during 2nd yr and does extra semiprivate stunt lessons also. She is prone to anxiety and can be sensitive. She is tiny 73lbs 56”, with strong core/6pack, and doing very well at flying She had complained to me a little about her bases cursing a lot and it bothering her .. but I didn’t realize it had grown to where SHE was being cursed...And eventually threatened... “get your f***ng a** tight and hit that lib or we’re going to drop you on your f**ing a*ss “ 10 days ago On the way to cheer ,she suddenly refused to go in, telling me she was done- sharing her fear/anger about this situation and that her coaches hear this kind of talk and ignore it. She was feeling like an object rather than a teammate and was getting more anxious about actually being dropped on purpose. She had a couple of panic attacks in weeks before this final day. I was stunned. She went into gym and told her coach she was quitting as she didn’t like it anymore. (This was the time in between classes but she was still with a team so she really didn’t have time to address it. She said ok.) And my girl returned to car. And has never regretted her decision.
I texted coach all the above the next morning and expected she would call me that day so we could talk about this , as I felt it was a lot of hard work to walk away from, felt the coach could tell me how she views the situation, if my girl is doing anything to deserve that kind of treatment, what can be done about this, etc etc. to try to find a solution together so daughter and parents would feel good about her returning
So my question for coaches, experienced parents/flyers/bases. Is this normal ? To be expected in this sport?? Are bases typically allowed or bred to be mean spirited?? To discourage rather than encourage their teammates? The cursing and threats just made my girl anxious and less steady , not better. Maybe those tactics work for other girls?
Thanks!

 

[skibumcheercoach]

First post. Unsure if My question is close enough to the original post here but here it goes. .. on the bonding of stunt teams..
7th gr daughter is in 3rd yr of All-Star, level 4.2 Most girls are 8/9/10 graders and even a girl who already graduated.
she began flying during 2nd yr and does extra semiprivate stunt lessons also. She is prone to anxiety and can be sensitive. She is tiny 73lbs 56”, with strong core/6pack, and doing very well at flying She had complained to me a little about her bases cursing a lot and it bothering her .. but I didn’t realize it had grown to where SHE was being cursed...And eventually threatened... “get your f***ng a** tight and hit that lib or we’re going to drop you on your f**ing a*ss “ 10 days ago On the way to cheer ,she suddenly refused to go in, telling me she was done- sharing her fear/anger about this situation and that her coaches hear this kind of talk and ignore it. She was feeling like an object rather than a teammate and was getting more anxious about actually being dropped on purpose. She had a couple of panic attacks in weeks before this final day. I was stunned. She went into gym and told her coach she was quitting as she didn’t like it anymore. (This was the time in between classes but she was still with a team so she really didn’t have time to address it. She said ok.) And my girl returned to car. And has never regretted her decision.
I texted coach all the above the next morning and expected she would call me that day so we could talk about this , as I felt it was a lot of hard work to walk away from, felt the coach could tell me how she views the situation, if my girl is doing anything to deserve that kind of treatment, what can be done about this, etc etc. to try to find a solution together so daughter and parents would feel good about her returning
So my question for coaches, experienced parents/flyers/bases. Is this normal ? To be expected in this sport?? Are bases typically allowed or bred to be mean spirited?? To discourage rather than encourage their teammates? The cursing and threats just made my girl anxious and less steady , not better. Maybe those tactics work for other girls?
Thanks!

That is absolutely unacceptable. Having cheered for 5 years and now being a coach, it is easy to see what works and what doesn’t work. It is very evident that cursing and belittling does NOT work, otherwise your daughter would have improved and stayed. It seems to me that your gym has a negative and me-me-me attitude. Gyms should ALWAYS support teamwork, positivity, and be family-oriented. Anything other than that is absolutely unacceptable. It is perfectly okay and understandable to see why your daughter would quit and want to stray away from that atmosphere.

Teams and stunt groups are supposed to be uplifting, supportive, and function as a group. The number one rule to stunting is to fix yourself before you fix anyone else. It’s never ONE persons fault. I wouldn’t waste the time or money on a gym that is okay with the behavior that was displayed and a gym that hires coaches that don’t respond to or fight against mean girls. Cheer is a loving, competitive, team-oriented sport and should never be anything short of that. Find a gym that wins because they care, not because they threaten and hate.

 

[RazorHorn]

That is absolutely unacceptable. Having cheered for 5 years and now being a coach, it is easy to see what works and what doesn’t work. It is very evident that cursing and belittling does NOT work, otherwise your daughter would have improved and stayed. It seems to me that your gym has a negative and me-me-me attitude. Gyms should ALWAYS support teamwork, positivity, and be family-oriented. Anything other than that is absolutely unacceptable. It is perfectly okay and understandable to see why your daughter would quit and want to stray away from that atmosphere.

Teams and stunt groups are supposed to be uplifting, supportive, and function as a group. The number one rule to stunting is to fix yourself before you fix anyone else. It’s never ONE persons fault. I wouldn’t waste the time or money on a gym that is okay with the behavior that was displayed and a gym that hires coaches that don’t respond to or fight against mean girls. Cheer is a loving, competitive, team-oriented sport and should never be anything short of that. Find a gym that wins because they care, not because they threaten and hate.

Thank you so much for your feedback