High School Projection Drills

[757cheercoach]

Hi everyone! This year the rubric has changed for us for competition to a more UCA based cheer format in the routine and there's a strong emphasis on projection and crowd appeal. I lost many veterans from last year, and the team is made up of many all-star girls who are not use to having an actual cheer portion so our projection needs work.

I am looking for some creative drills to help increase projection over the season! I know repetition and conditioning are key, but I'm trying to find a way to help it click with them to yell from their diaphragm and increase volume overall. Any ideas would be helpful!


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[Official OWECheer]

Bumping.

 

[LeahofthePack]

When we would run for our warm up, our coach would have us yell the words to our competition cheer so we could get used to yelling it when we were tired. You could do that but with sidelines if you don't have a comp cheer yet.

 

[shorttpai]

When coaching a cheer camp, a coach made her team lay on their backs and yell the words. She said if it hurts, you're not using your diaphragm. I thought it was a good idea! She liked to do it as a "break" so the girls could lay down for a second.

 

[FamousxMindset]

Hampton Roads area?

 

[ashscott41]

My school's choir/theater teacher would work with us every year at the beginning of the season. Sorry that I don't remember more of what he said, but it might be worth asking around in the music department at your school!

 

[757cheercoach]

Thanks everyone for the ideas! We run using the words every year already and that usually helps tremendously, I just have to teach the young ones the importance of everyone yelling the words!

I love the idea of the floor drill, I can see how that could help use the diaphragm more. Once we get our choreography Monday and Tuesday we will be trying this! I'll also reach out to the music department, I have never thought of asking for their help but that's a very good idea!

Also, yes we're from the Hampton roads area @FamousxMindset, are you as well?


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[oncecoolcoachnowmom]

Idea I actually got from someone else:

Enlist a teacher friend or other adult with no cheer experience for this. Preferably someone who doesn't attend a ton of games or know the cheers super well.

Have the team go out onto the football field and stand where they'd stand during a game. Have your teacher friend go up to the very top row of the stadium's student section and sit (we don't have HUGE stadiums in these parts so it works.) Call a cheer. Have your team do it. Tell your teacher friend to write down what s/he thinks they're saying and hand you the paper to read to the girls out loud.

The idea is that if they're not projecting, that person is generally going to think they're saying something other than what is actually being said. Or they're going to be like "I have no idea."

For example, the cheer might have a line that says: Blue. gold. white. These Cats are out of sight.

Team does that cheer. They're singing the words, they're yelling from the wrong place, not really enunciating. Or they're not loud enough at all and that person can't even hear them well enough to make out anything.

Person writes "Blue. gold. white. ????" I tell them that the person at the top of the bleachers didn't even know the last line.

Hilarity ensues sometimes because that person at times fills in what they THINK is being said (because they can't understand) and it is way off.

 

[omgitssydthekid]

Idea I actually got from someone else:

Enlist a teacher friend or other adult with no cheer experience for this. Preferably someone who doesn't attend a ton of games or know the cheers super well.

Have the team go out onto the football field and stand where they'd stand during a game. Have your teacher friend go up to the very top row of the stadium's student section and sit (we don't have HUGE stadiums in these parts so it works.) Call a cheer. Have your team do it. Tell your teacher friend to write down what he thinks they're saying and hand you the paper to read to the girls out loud.

The idea is that if they're not projecting, that person is generally going to think they're saying something other than what is actually being said. Or they're going to be like "I have no idea."

For example, the cheer might have a line that says: Blue. gold. white. These Cats are out of sight.

Team does that cheer. They're singing the words, they're yelling from the wrong place, not really enunciating. Or they're not loud enough at all and that person can't even hear them well enough to make out anything.

Person writes "Blue. gold. white. ????" I tell them that the person at the top of the bleachers didn't even know the last line.

Hilarity ensues sometimes because that person at times fills in what they THINK is being said (because they can't understand) and it is way off.

That's an awesome idea! I don't coach school teams but I'll have to tell my friends that do!


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[AScheer]

Hi everyone! This year the rubric has changed for us for competition to a more UCA based cheer format in the routine and there's a strong emphasis on projection and crowd appeal. I lost many veterans from last year, and the team is made up of many all-star girls who are not use to having an actual cheer portion so our projection needs work.

I am looking for some creative drills to help increase projection over the season! I know repetition and conditioning are key, but I'm trying to find a way to help it click with them to yell from their diaphragm and increase volume overall. Any ideas would be helpful!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

When coaching a cheer camp, a coach made her team lay on their backs and yell the words. She said if it hurts, you're not using your diaphragm. I thought it was a good idea! She liked to do it as a "break" so the girls could lay down for a second.

I haven't tried it but saw a team laying on their stomachs once. The idea is that you had to yell correctly to breathe? Again, never tried but thought it was interesting.

In high school our choir teacher also came to a practice. I don't remember what all was said. I do remember that she told us to breathe in and yell on the way out. No clue what else was said!

 

[Twinklestars]

I will pass some of these ideas to our coaches! We have seven freshmen and one sophomore is louder than all of them combined.

 

[Tosh]

Get them used to saying the cheer when they are out of breath....I/we usually make the girls say the cheer out loud while they are running laps. this helps them to really know the cheer, get used to everyone saying it in unison and projecting their voices even when out of breath.....

 

[Belinda]

We still do cheer in all-star here, lol. But we've also struggled alot this year. One idea is have them place their hands on their hips/waist and yell. Then they can feel if they're working with the right muscles, if they don't nothing will move. Another thing we did was devide into 4 groups and face the corners in our hall, then yell and see if we heard the other groups, if we didn't, we weren't loud enough. We also did some singing exercises, so I think getting someone from the music department is a great idea!