Also, set goals and rewards for the athletes, both individually and as a team. My coach said, "once I have every athlete throwing it on blue (the floor) by themselves, the next practice after that I will bring pizza, or popsicles, or whatever you guys want, to practice to reward you all."
if you want to do it individually, one of my other coaches told me that if i threw my bhs by myself she would bring me a big bag of starburst (my favorite candy) to the next practice to reward me.
the more you bond and get to know your athletes, the easier this will become.
you could say, "if we go full out and everything hits, at the end of practice we can play a game! or we will tumble for the rest of the hour' etc.
set goals for competitions or games, "I want everyone to be throwing a tuck by themselves into the pit or on trampoline by themselves by this competition on this day, it's exactly one month away, so don't worry you still have time." etc.
graduate them from places, so if they throw it into a pit by themselves, put a portable firm matt in the pit, and have them throw on that, then graduate to either trampoline or rod, then to the actual floor. does that make sense??? this helps build up an athletes confidence and courage in doing it by themselves on different surfaces, that way they feel if they dont land correctly, they won't get hurt as badly. a big thing with throwing on the actual floor is usually an athlete is worried about hurting themselves since the mats on that floor are so firm and hard. you know what I mean?
play add on!! this is a personal favorite of mine. the first time you guys run a routine go full tech (or full mark) (only have them do their dance, but everything else is full tech) and EVERYONE has to be tight, if someones sloppy, or doesnt full tech, then stop the music and start again. then if it goes well, the second time, do all jumps and first 2 stunt sequences, everything else full tech. then if that goes well, do jumps, all stunts (except pyramid), standing tumbling, a cheer (if you have one) full tech everything else. then if that goes well, it's stunts, cheer, jumps, pyramid, standing tumbling and running tumbling. then if that goes well, go full out. this helps pace the athletes and helps them warm up a lot.
for every stunt or tumbling pass that isn't thrown when it should have been, or for every stunt that falls, at the end of that routine (or the end of the practice, so be sure to keep track), have them run a lap for each thing. so if a stunt falls, and someone in dance wasn't tight, and someone didn't throw their running tumbling pass, then it would be 3 laps. etc. and plus, it will make them want to try harder, because running after going full out is never fun.
or do a "3 strikes and you're out" technique. you go full out 3 times, and you have 3 tries ((one try per time you do it, feel free to raise or lower the number) to hit everything and be tight. if by the third time not everything has hit or full out just wasn't as good as you know they can do, have them run 10 laps, and one hundred crunches (50 with bent legs, 50 with straight legs)
be sure to explain that whenever you condition them, or give them drills, or make them run. etc. it's not a punishment, it's a conditioning, it is meant to help them, and make them stronger.
shoulder taps are also a great conditioning exercise.
:)
