5 Tips for Choreography Preparation
Choreography preparation is one of the most important responsibilities both high school and all-star competitive cheerleading coaches have. Months of work can easily be negated if a coach misses a step or does not prepare properly. In an effort to avoid that from happening, here are five points that every coach should be aware of while preparing their squad for choreography.
DO your research! Once you have decided on a choreographer, begin researching their credentials and past routines. Ask the choreographer to provide references and samples of past work. Is the choreographer accredited by the proper safety organizations: AACCA or USASF? Make sure to go over exactly what is included in their choreography package: is there an extra charge for music, clean-up sessions and travel expenses? These are important subjects to cover with the choreographer before contracts are signed. And yes, you should have a contract outlining every detail of the choreography arrangement between you and the choreographer.
SET achievable goals for individuals and the entire team. This will give your squad direction and motivation. Keep the goals small and attainable. Your first goal should not be to win a national championship; such a goal is unrealistic for the majority of teams at the beginning of their season. Instead, start with skill goals. For example, realistic goals are having your squad hit liberties by the start of camp or having full team back handsprings by choreography. By building on smaller goals, you are able to achieve the larger ones.
PRACTICE your skills thoroughly before choreography. A good rule of thumb is to have all your basics covered as early as possible. This includes all one foot and two feet stunts and transitions such as preps, extensions, double takes, cradles, reloads and liberties. These skills can take one to two months of practice before they will be hitting solidly, so start early.
SHOW your strengths and hide your weaknesses. Good choreography showcases those strong areas and hides the weaker ones. Make sure you open your routine with your squad’s strongest skill, whether it is tumbling, jumping or stunting. Your squad only has one chance to offer a first impression and you want that impression to be a strong one.
MAXIMIZE your score sheet. Winning competitions does not necessarily come down to the hardest routine or most creative. Routines that win competitions are the ones that were built by choreographers and coaches who understood the score sheet and how best to maximize the points in each category. With every cheerleading company having a different score sheet, standardization has gone out the window. Get a copy of the score sheet as early in your season as possible and look at what categories your competition organizers are weighing more heavily. Provide a copy of that score sheet to your choreographer ahead of time so that they can be better prepared as well. By reviewing the score sheet before the competition and seeing where more points are allotted, you can “fine tune” the routine to best fit that score sheet.
Now that you have a better idea of what to do when it comes to preparing for choreography, check back in a couple of weeks and I’ll go through five common mistakes that pertain to choreography that every coach should watch out for.
Article Written by David Kirschner – President, The Spirit Consultants, LLC