5 Ways to Balance Game-Time and Competition Prep

As a cheer coach, you wear a lot of hats and so does your practice schedule.

One minute, your team is learning sharp sideline chants for Friday night, and the next, you’re drilling elite stunts and pyramids for competition season. Balancing both game-day spirit and competition-level precision can feel like running two teams at once.

But here’s the good news: with the right systems in place, your practices can serve both purposes without sacrificing performance or burning out your athletes.

Here are 5 ways to balance game-time and competition prep in one smart, unified practice plan.

1. Set a Practice Purpose for Each Day

Avoid blending both goals into every single practice. Instead, assign a clear focus to each day of the week.

Example:

• Monday: Game-day material + sidelines

•  Wednesday: Competition routine (divide out in sections of the routine)

• Friday: Combo day (game warm-up + comp skills review)

Having a theme helps your team mentally switch gears and makes planning easier for you. Make sure you share the focus in advance in a team chat or on a visible whiteboard.

2. Use the “Block Schedule” Method

When you need to prepare for both in a single practice, divide the time into clear sections.

Example for a 2-hour practice:

• 30 min: Game-time material (cheers, signs, band dances)

• 90 min: Competition routine (tumbling, stunts, full-outs)

Keep transitions quick and intentional. Don’t let water breaks turn into 10-minute scroll sessions.

Flip the order every few practices so one area doesn’t always get “end of day” energy.

3. Designate a Sideline Lead

Give one captain or senior the role of “Sideline Captain.” This person is responsible for:

• Teaching game-day material

• Reviewing cheers with new members

• Keeping signs, poms, and other props organized

This frees you up to focus more on competition elements while still giving sideline its due respect.

Sideline matters. It’s your team’s public face!

4. Train Skills That Serve Both Aspects

Conditioning, jumps, flexibility, and timing benefit every aspect of cheer.

You don’t need to duplicate work. If you’re:

• Drilling motions in your competition dance, you're improving sideline sharpness

• Practicing group timing in a pyramid, you’re boosting crowd stunt visuals too

Every minute should move your athletes toward both sets of goals.

5. Build In Rest + Reset Weeks

Yes, even elite teams need mental breaks.

Schedule “low-lift” weeks after big games or competitions where practices focus on:

• Review games

•   Skill stations

•   Team bonding

•   Pep rally planning
  

These weeks are still productive but also give athletes a chance to recharge.

You can’t win a season by burning out in October.

Final Thoughts

Game-time and competition are two halves of the same cheer coin. One builds community. The other builds grit. Together, they shape complete athletes and cohesive teams.

Your job isn’t to pick one over the other, it's to teach your athletes how to give 100% to each when it’s their time to shine.

With smart scheduling, captain support, and purposeful planning, you can balance it all and help your team love the process along the way.