This can be a rewarding career
Rewards come in different shapes, styles, and forms. One of them is being a coach and seeing the look of happiness on the face of a player when they were able to perform the right move.
Cheerleading is no exception to this reward. becoming a coach and helping cheerleaders achieve the impossible then see their happy faces is often more than enough reward.
A person can become a cheerleading coach by reviewing an athletic institution’s selection policies and meeting its criteria. Cheer coaches normally need to be knowledgeable of common cheerleader techniques, must possess first-aid knowledge, and obtain either a coaching certification or degree.
To get to experience this kind of thrill, all you have to do is learn how to become a cheerleading coach. Just continue to read our article to learn how to become a good cheerleading coach.
How do you qualify to be a cheer coach?
In order to qualify as a coach, it takes more than knowing and being able to perform many different cheers. There are many professional athletes, who after having a successful career, decide to become a coach. However, they soon find out that coaching is not the same as playing.
There is more to coaching than meets the eye and many players turn coaches fail. Sometimes, they do not make it past the first year if they finish that year at all. Even Larry Bird and Magic Johnson had trouble transitioning from being a great player to being a coach.
There is a process that you need to follow in order to qualify to be a cheer coach:
#1. Decide which cheerleading coach you want to be.
There are 6 main options you can choose from:
- Sideline- these cheerleaders are the ones you see standing on the sideline and getting the audience to do different cheers in support of their team
- Varsity- coaching at the high school or college levels
- All-star- this is done with select candidates at private facilities
- Recreational- just for fun and exercise
- Pom dance- focuses on dance skills
- Professional- work with those cheerleaders hired by professional athletic teams
#2. Find a local organization to join
This may not always be easy to do as some countries do not have an official organization to join. These organizations can help you get the education and training to be a good coach
#3. Become certified
Like any professional position, cheerleading coaches need lots of training, licenses, and certifications before they are eligible to be a coach. it doesn’t matter which of the 6 options you choose, you still need training to be a coach, and certification courses get you tips, valuable lessons, and so on.
The good news is that there are lots of these certification courses given in America and around the world. It will take some research to find the best one and the best tuition.
#4. Gather the right documents
Even with certification, there is a lot more you need to know. These documents will prove that you have taken and passed the right courses making you a very well-trained and knowledgeable coach. The documents include:
- rulebook for your coaching level
- first-aid certificate
- method statement, also known as a risk assessment
- knowing the child protection and vulnerable adult policies and procedures
- mission or vision statement
- team policies including tryout rules, etc.
- criminal records check for yourself and any staff you may hire
- insurance policies
#5. Learn your legal responsibilities
After you have received your certification and approval to be a coach, you will need to learn that your first responsibility is to your cheerleading students. You can find all your legal responsibilities and duties in publications put out by the NIAAA or National Interscholastic Athletic Administration Association or the NFHS or the National Federation of High Schools
Once you get through this process you should qualify to be a cheerleading coach. Don’t forget that you still need to know cheers and how your students should perform them safely.
Keeping an eye on the competition is also important as your cheerleaders need to stay competitive.
How do you become a high school cheer coach?
The process is pretty much the same as above. It is like trying to be a coach for a high school hockey or football team. You have to connect with your students, be fair, and just as well as know what you are doing.
There are certain steps you need to follow in order to qualify as a high school cheer coach:
- Certification- this gives you basic knowledge about cheerleading and how to coach. You can always build on this knowledge but even if you push the envelope, you need to do it safely. Also, certification shows your potential employers that you are taking the job seriously and know what you are doing.
- Take and pass the USA Cheer/NFHS Cheer Safety Certification- this is the national governing body and it is important you take this course. The course covers everything from legal to medical responsibilities to spotting techniques and identifying athlete readiness. This program costs about $75 but it comes with a $1 million liability coverage.
- Learn the USA Cheer rules- this is another course you have to take as it covers all the rules for middle and high school cheerleading. For $15 you can either cover all the rules or take a course giving just the highlights.
- Learn First-Aid and CPR- because there is a great potential for injury, you need to be prepared to handle them. You are the students first line of defense when it comes to injuries and emergencies.
- Meet State and Competition specific certifications- this may require you and your cheerleaders to attend a summer camp to qualify for specific competitions..
- Do additional training- your school’s administration may require you to be trained in other areas as well. You will need to check with them to see what they want you to do. One option is concussion in sports course, another would be a heat illness prevention class and one more would be sudden cardiac arrest class. These are very important and there may be other ones your school would like to see you attend and complete
Finally, you should attend and obtain the International Cheer Union Coaches credentialing program. It is a step you should take at some point in your cheer coach career
Why should you take it? The program covers everything there is to know about managing a cheer program. Plus, it gives you some hands-on training as well.
The legal responsibilities
It would not be right to leave out this section as you need to know what is involved with becoming a cheer coach before you start signing up for different certifications and associations.
Cheerleading is a dangerous or risky activity that has paralyzed many cheerleaders or inflicted many gruesome injuries on them. You need to know where you stand in order to determine if this career is for you or not and so you can make an intelligent decision:
- Being able to plan- not just plans of instruction, conditioning, and supervision but also show the ability to identify maturity, readiness and physical development in the cheerleaders on your team
- Must supervise- you have to be present and provide competent instructions and make sure your practices are appropriate for the ability and age level of your cheerleading members
- Be able to assess student readiness for both practice and competition- this includes watching their health and physical fitness
- Create a safe practice atmosphere- then be able to foresee what activities may cause injury and take the right steps to avoid those injuries
- Must provide safe to use equipment- you are responsible for defective equipment and any unsafe conditions in your sessions
- Need to be able to instruct correctly- in other words, you may know what to do but you have to be able to communicate that in a logical easy to understand way
- Avoid mis-matches- you need the knowledge to judge between participants to make sure they are evenly matched and up to the task
- Must train properly- you need to be able to construct a proper training program that gets your cheerleaders in the right shape including cardiovascular training
- Must be able to warn- this responsibility has you warning the parents and athletes of unsafe practices and the risks involved
- Provide protection to your cheerleaders- by that, it is meant you have the duty to make sure they are covered properly by insurance and by the right insurance
- Be responsible and provide the right emergency care- this includes CPR
- Have an emergency response plan- you have to design it and make sure EMS can respond quickly enough
- Must provide proper transportation to events
- Need to select, train and supervise your staff properly
Some final words
This seems like you have to go through a lot in order to be a cheer coach. But you are dealing with students and professional people who are putting their bodies and lives at risk every time they cheer.
You need to know what you are doing and be able to handle every situation as they come up in the correct manner. if you don’t, you can get into a lot of legal trouble.
