Coaching Youth Cheerleading-2nd Edition: The AYC Way

Online Course

Whether you are new to coaching cheerleading or just want to improve on last year, the second edition Coaching Youth Cheerleading: The AYC Way online course will provide you with the know-how for coaching success.

Due to safety concerns for our participants, all AYF/AYC coaches are strongly advised to complete the online course for the sport they coach. The course includes $2 million extra liability coverage—this is twice the amount offered by our competition. All tournament team coaches should be aware that a course completion certificate will be one of the items on the registration checklist for the AYF/AYC National Championships.

Developed by Human Kinetics Coach Education in conjunction with American Youth Cheer, the course kicks off by examining coaching principles designed to improve your skills in the areas of practice and competition-day planning, communication with squad members and parents, safety and first aid, and training that will promote lifelong fitness among the squad members.

In the second half of the course, you’ll learn the basic cheer techniques and how to teach them effectively. In an interactive format, you’ll see proper ways to perform various maneuvers and how they’re employed in routines.

Upon 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 day (unit 10).

The course includes the text Coaching Youth Cheerleading, written by Human Kinetics in conjunction with Varsity Brands. The book is provided from within the course as a series of PDFs that coaches are instructed to read while progressing through the course. The course also features interactive activities and unit quizzes that put you in team and competition situations.

As we continue to learn more about the cumulative effects of head injuries, it’s of utmost importance that we properly prepare, protect, and instruct our youth participants to minimize their risk of injury. We’ve turned to the leading authority on concussions—the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention—for course content dedicated to the prevention, management, and treatment of concussions. As part of the final unit of the course, you’ll take the CDC’s Head’s Up: Concussion in Youth Sports course, used as a training resource for thousands of sport organizations across the country.

Another area in which our kids need absolute protection is against sexual abuse. The final course unit includes information from the AYF risk management policy encompassing criminal background checks, warning signs of molestation, policies for addressing abuse, required procedures to follow in the event of an allegation, and advice regarding communication about these topics.

After completing the course activities, you’ll take the 30-question online test, which covers material from the book excerpts and the online course.

Audience

An online resource for American Youth Cheer coaches of participants ages 8 to 14. This course is required of cheer coaches new to AYC this year.

Table of Contents

Introduction and Welcome
Unit 1. Stepping Into Coaching
Unit 2. Communicating as a Coach
Unit 3. Understanding Rules and Equipment
Unit 4. Squad Members' Safety
Unit 5. Teaching and Shaping Skills
Unit 6. Cheers, Sidelines, and Dances
Unit 7. Partner Stunts and Pyramids
Unit 8. Jumps and Tumbling
Unit 9. Preparing for the Season
Unit 10. Coaching on Game Day
Unit 11. Safe Environment Training

About the Author

American Youth Cheerleading (AYC) is the sister league of American Youth Football (AYF)—an international nonprofit youth football organization founded in 1996 to promote the wholesome development of youth through their association with adult leaders in the sport of American football. All youth cheerleading squads, regardless of affiliation with a football program, are invited to join AYC.

Human Kinetics Coach Education has been developing and delivering coaching education courses since 1981. As the nation’s leader in providing coaching education programs, Human Kinetics Coach Education works with national, state, and local sport organizations to develop educational programs for coaches, officials, administrators, and parents. These programs incorporate the philosophy of “Athletes first, winning second.”