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TAGteach and a Happy Cheerleading Squad

by Kathy Jackson

Kimberly Squire and I are the co-directors of a brand new fourth- and fifth-grade cheerleading squad. We have two varsity cheerleaders that assist us with drills and provide the enthusiasm that only other cheerleaders can. This is the first year we’ve coached a squad so young and inexperienced, but enjoy the eagerness to learn and the energy that that this group brings to practice.

During a recent Saturday-morning practice, my varsity cheerleading coaches were a bit on edge with the girls. They were telling the girls what they wanted to see, but were not getting the results they wanted. They tried calmly asking, repeating themselves, pleading, threats of extra conditioning, and finally resorted to the all too familiar, “OK, if you’re not going to listen, go run two laps around the building.”

The coaches were disappointed in the girls and it seemed the girls were just as disappointed with their coaches. Frustration was mounting on both sides.

As fate may have it, this was the day that Theresa McKeon and Joan Orr were scheduled to come and demonstrate a new teaching technique that was supposed to accentuate the positive and downplay the negative. I thought, “If they can find the positive in this workout, I’ll be sold.”

" They were truly grasping the skills, and we were spending less time going over and over the same incorrect movements. By the end of practice, the girls were smiling, laughing, and having fun. "

When they arrived, I pulled Theresa aside and suggested they come back another time as this practice had pretty well slid into a mood. She assured me that this would be a perfect time to demonstrate the power of TAGteach.

We gathered the girls together, plopped them on a nearby picnic table, and introduced the “TAG team.” Theresa and Joan spent 20 minutes explaining the concept to the girls and to the coaches. They explained how we could rephrase and simplify our coaching “language,” pinpoint focus, and teach movements—with aid of a little noisemaker.

We were most intrigued by their idea to use the athletes themselves as teachers. The simplified “TAG points” enabled even the youngest student to identify a movement or position as correct, which received a “click” (TAG). If it was incorrect, they waited for their teammate to find the right position or try it again. They also introduced a “beads and string” reward system that was linked to the amount of TAGs an athlete collected during practice.
Within minutes, the coaches began using positive verbal responses as well as TAGing and had positive, focused interactions with each student.

Initially, I thought breaking movements down into small bits seemed time consuming, but as each TAG was given, you could see a reaction on the girl’s faces. They were truly grasping the skills, and we were spending less time going over and over the same incorrect movements. By the end of practice, the girls were smiling, laughing, and having fun. When asked why TAGing was making such a difference in their workout, they simply said, “It makes us feel good about ourselves instead of feeling like we aren’t getting anything right.” I could not believe the difference in their abilities and attitudes.

Since that time, Kimberly and I have incorporated TAGing into our practices. It is amazing when the girls see those clickers come out. They know a TAG marks an accomplishment. The girls have become what we call “focused with a smile.” We also came up with a simple system to reinforce those accomplishments. The girls save their tags and exchange them for beads and charms that they pin on their uniform jackets. When others ask what the trinkets are for, the girls proudly explain it’s because, “They did something right!”

I find it truly amazing that this method provides such a positive atmosphere and helps proper technique become permanent in their memory.

I’m sold. Next…TAGteach for my workplace.