A 90-minute cheer practice splits into five timed blocks: 15 minutes warmup, 25 stunts, 20 tumbling, 20 full-outs, 10 cooldown and notes. Build the template once, keep the block order, and only change what happens inside each block week to week.
The block method works because it removes the two ways practices die: drift (stunts run long, tumbling gets skipped) and decision fatigue (planning every Sunday from scratch). A coach with a fixed skeleton plans a week of practices in 15 minutes.
The 90-minute template
| Block | Minutes | Coaching notes |
|---|---|---|
| Warmup | 15 | Same sequence every practice: jog, dynamic lunges, wrist and ankle prep, jump drills at half effort, stretch. By week 3 a captain runs it and you get 15 minutes to set up. |
| Stunts | 25 | 10 minutes of group drills, 15 on full skills. New skills go up in the first half of the block while athletes are fresh; a coach or dedicated spotter at every group working anything new. |
| Tumbling | 20 | Stations by skill group, not one line for everyone. Each athlete logs a target number of quality reps (5 to 8) of the one skill they are working, then maintains a mastered skill. |
| Full-outs / sections | 20 | Performance effort or nothing. Two to three full-outs maximum; more than that trains sloppy habits. One specific correction between runs, not a list of ten. |
| Cooldown + notes | 10 | Static stretch while you read out three things: what got better today, the focus for next practice, calendar reminders. End on time, every time. Parents notice. |
Why the order is fixed
Stunts come before tumbling because stunting is the highest-consequence work and belongs in the freshest 25 minutes after warmup. Tumbling next, while legs still have power. Full-outs at the end on purpose: routines are performed tired at competition, so conditioning-quality reps at minute 60 are the most honest rehearsal you can run. If you cover the skills side of what goes inside the stunt block, our cheerleading stunts list maps every progression by level.
Variations by season phase
The blocks stay; the minutes move. Four phase presets cover a full year:
| Block | Pre-tryout | Skill-building | Comp prep | Championship week |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Warmup | 15 | 15 | 15 | 20 |
| Stunts | 20 | 30 | 25 | 15 |
| Tumbling | 30 | 25 | 15 | 10 |
| Full-outs / sections | 10 | 10 | 25 | 30 |
| Cooldown + notes | 15 | 10 | 10 | 15 |
- Pre-tryout (2 to 3 weeks): heavy tumbling and fundamentals, light stunting with temporary groups. The long cooldown block doubles as rubric walkthroughs so nobody is surprised on tryout day.
- Skill-building (early season, 8 to 10 weeks): the stunt block grows to 30 minutes because new skills need volume. Full-outs are short sections only; there is no routine yet to run.
- Comp prep (mid-season): full-outs jump to 25 minutes and tumbling drops to maintenance. Skills are no longer being added, they are being cleaned.
- Championship week: protect the athletes. Longer warmup, short and confident stunt reps of skills they own, two polished full-outs, and a long cooldown for logistics: hair, schedule, packing.
Have a two-hour slot? Do not stretch every block. Keep the skeleton, add a dedicated 10-minute conditioning block after full-outs, and give the rest to whichever block matches your season phase. A 90-minute plan that ends early always beats a two-hour plan that drags.
Planning a two-practice week
Most teams practice twice a week, and the two sessions should not be copies. Make the first practice of the week the volume day: full stunt and tumbling blocks, new skills, higher rep counts. Make the second the quality day: fewer reps, cleaner standards, and the full-out block moved slightly earlier so you can re-run one section after corrections. Attendance drives all of it, so take it in the first five minutes of warmup and adjust groups before the stunt block starts, not during it. If a key base is out, that group drills entries at prep height instead of standing around; a written alternate plan per group takes two minutes on Monday and saves twenty on Wednesday.
The pre-practice checklist
Ten minutes before athletes arrive, the plan is done when you can check every box:
- Each block has a written goal ("hit extension full-up group B", not "work stunts")
- Stunt groups and station assignments are listed by name, including alternates
- Any absent athlete's groups have a rearranged lineup already decided
- Music, mats and first-aid kit are staged before warmup starts
- The one correction theme for full-outs is chosen (timing, motions or transitions, pick one)
- Announcements are written down so cooldown does not become a memory test
Print the template and the checklist, or keep them where the whole staff sees the same version. This template is the same structure behind our cheer practice plans, where blocks are reusable, timed and shared with assistant coaches automatically, so Tuesday's plan takes two minutes instead of a Sunday night.
One last rule: when a practice goes sideways (a fall, a shortened gym slot, six absences), cut blocks, never the warmup or the cooldown. A 60-minute practice with the full structure beats a 90-minute scramble.