Inside the Coach Julie Co Lounge Resource Room: Free Tools You Can Use This Week
Coach, some weeks you have a clear practice plan ready to go. Other weeks, you’re juggling attendance, game-day prep, stunt groups, parent messages, and a practice that starts very soon.
That’s exactly when practical cheer coach resources can help. Not more busywork. Not a pretty page you never use. Just a few solid tools to help you decide what matters today and walk into the gym with a plan.
Here’s a peek inside the Coach Julie Co Lounge’s free resource room, and a way to put one of its practice-planning tools to work this week.
Start with a simple two-hour practice framework
A good cheerleading practice plan gives you structure without locking you into a script. You can adjust the focus when a skill needs more time, attendance changes, or the team needs extra reps.
The free plans in the resource room are each designed for two hours. Every plan includes a dynamic warm-up, intentional skill progression, static stretching, and a positive team-building moment to close. Here’s one way to think about your two-hour practice:
A flexible 120-minute outline
10 minutes: Dynamic warm-up and team check-in
Get everyone moving and ready to focus. Share the practice’s main goal so athletes know what you’re working toward.
15 minutes: Fundamentals
Choose a foundation that supports the day’s focus, such as motions, jump technique, or another appropriate skill area.
20 minutes: First skill block
Work on one priority in a manageable progression. Keep the goal specific: what do you want athletes to understand or clean up by the end of this block?
5 minutes: Transition and reset
Take a moment to regroup, organize the next activity, and bring the team’s attention back.
25 minutes: Main practice focus
Use the largest block for the day’s priority. Depending on your plan, that might be fundamentals, game-day material, or team execution.
15 minutes: Second focus area
Shift to a supporting skill or section, keeping the work connected to the practice goal.
15 minutes: Put pieces together
Practice transitions, formations, game-day situations, or a routine section: whatever fits your team’s needs and readiness.
10 minutes: Static stretching
Give athletes time to stretch as part of your planned cool-down.
5 minutes: Team connection and wrap-up
End with a positive moment together. Name a win, share a reminder, or recognize someone’s effort.
That’s a framework, not a rulebook. Adjust the blocks to fit your athletes, available space, and priorities. For stunting, tumbling, and other skills, use appropriate progressions and qualified supervision. The point of planning is to make your decisions intentional, not to rush through a checklist.
Three free practice plans, three different needs
If you’re short on planning time, the free download includes three ready-to-use, two-hour cheerleading practice plans for school cheer coaches. Use one as written or adapt it to your team.
Practice One: Fundamentals + Clean Technique
Focus on motion technique, jumps, stunt fundamentals, game-day situations, conditioning, and team connection.
Practice Two: Game Day Energy + Crowd Leading
Work on sideline readiness, crowd-leading, chants, school traditions, game-day stunts, and performance energy.
Practice Three: Skills + Team Execution
Build a practice around strength, jumps, stunting, transitions, formations, and full-out execution.
Not sure which one fits this week? Ask yourself: What would make the biggest difference for our team at the next practice or event? Let that answer guide your choice.
A complete guide for the bigger coaching picture
Practice planning is only one piece of the job. You’re also setting expectations, communicating with school administration, managing the team, and thinking ahead to competitions and budgets.
The Complete Guide to School Cheer Coaching is a ten-chapter guide for new and experienced coaches. It covers:
Getting started with cheer coaching and shaping your coaching philosophy
Safety guidelines and protocols
Team building and leadership
Cheerleading fundamentals, including motions, jumps, stunting basics, and tumbling progression
Choreography and routine development
Competition preparation
Working with school administration
Budgeting and fundraising
Resources and continuing education
You don’t have to read it cover to cover in one sitting. Start with the chapter that matches the question on your mind right now. Need to clarify your expectations for the season? Begin with coaching philosophy. Planning an event? Take a look at budgeting and fundraising.
Need a fundraising idea? Try a mini cheer camp
A youth cheer clinic or mini camp can bring younger athletes into your program’s orbit, and it can also be a fundraising idea. The Lounge resource room includes the blog guide Your Complete Guide: How to Host a Mini Cheer Camp That Wows.
The guide walks through the planning basics: choosing a date and location, setting pricing, organizing registration, and building a fun curriculum with warm-ups, motions, age-appropriate jumps and chants, and a short routine. It also covers involving your athletes, adding memorable touches, and ending with a performance for families.
Want to use a camp to support your program financially? The guide suggests setting a participant fee if the event is a fundraiser. Your budget, school policies, and local requirements will shape the details, so plan those parts before you open registration.
Make your cheer practice planning easier this week
You don’t need to rebuild your whole season plan tonight. Try this small system before your next practice:
Choose one main focus. Fundamentals, crowd-leading, or team execution are all good starting points.
Pick the matching plan. Use one of the free two-hour practice plans as your outline.
Set your priorities. Write down the two or three things you most want to accomplish.
Check the flow. Make sure your plan includes a warm-up, an intentional progression, stretching, and a positive team moment.
Leave room to adjust. If your athletes need more time on one section, adapt the plan. A useful plan supports your coaching; it doesn’t replace your judgment.
Make a quick note afterward. What went well? What should you revisit next time?
That last step can make your next round of cheer practice planning feel a lot less like starting from scratch. It’s a simple way to strengthen your cheer coach organization and keep useful observations from disappearing into the post-practice shuffle.
Find the tools inside the Lounge
The resource room is a peek at the practical support inside the Coach Julie Co Lounge: resources designed for the real mix of coaching, teaching, planning, and team leadership. And more resources are being added.
The resource room is open 24/7 inside the Coach Julie Co Lounge. Sunday evenings are for planning gatherings, and Wednesdays are for connection calls. Bring a practice you’re mapping out, a question you’ve been carrying, or simply the next task on your list.
You’re doing a lot, Coach. Let’s make the next practice feel a little more manageable, and a little more intentional. You’ve got this! Coach Julie 🎀
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