How to Become a Cheer Coach | Guides from Omni Cheer

Cheerleading coaches play a crucial role in any successful squad, supporting their team, ensuring their safety, and choreographing routines.
Becoming a cheerleading coach is a great way for teachers, or even former cheerleaders, to find a fulfilling career that makes a difference in people’s lives.
Learn about how to become a cheerleading coach, the different types of coaching jobs, key skills and certifications needed, and tips on getting hired.

How to Become a Certified Cheer Coach

Cheer coaches require specialized training to provide effective support for all types of cheer squads. If you’re considering becoming a cheer coach, a background in cheerleading or gymnastics may not be enough. There’s much more you need to know!

Omni Cheer is here to help you learn how to become a cheer coach! From choreographing routines and teaching cheers, chants, stunts, and moves, we’ll guide you in keeping your squad safe while mastering the essential skills. Discover what it takes to excel as a coach and stand out to potential employers.

Types of Coaching Jobs

There are several types of cheer coaches you can aspire to become. However, whether you want to coach for schools, youth programs, or competition squads, the process of how to become a cheer coach requires the same basic skills and certifications. Review the different types of cheerleading coaches to decide which is the right path for you!

School Coach

Whether you want to learn how to become a certified cheer coach for middle school, high school, or college, school-based coaches have very specific responsibilities. You will likely be in charge of organizing practice times, planning and teaching cheers, chants, and routines for school games, and ensuring the safety of all of your cheerleaders.

Depending on your school or organization, you may receive funding for cheerleading equipment and gear. Here are some of the essentials that you’ll need for a squad:

All schools and organizations are different, but oftentimes, cheerleaders are required to purchase their own body basics and personal gear, such as:

To ensure a good fit, cheer coaches are also responsible for ordering uniform fit kits and shoe sizers.

Competitive Coach

competitive cheer squad and their coach

If you want to learn how to become a cheer coach for competition teams, you might be working with private cheer squads that compete and perform year-round. These types of teams are pretty different from school squads, as they undergo far more intensive training to learn more complicated stunts and tumbling passes.

You’ll also need to recruit for your squad, choose the best use for the talent you have, and prep your team for competing under high-pressure circumstances. How you become a cheer coach at this level requires a strong technical background in tumbling and gymnastics.

Here are some of the essentials that competition cheerleaders will need:

Recreational Coach

The last type of cheer coaching position you may see is in a recreational or youth squad position. Most of these types of coaching jobs offer entry-level, part-time employment that focuses on teaching the basics to beginners.

If you want to learn how to become a cheer coach at this level, you don’t typically need a lot of technical experience, but you do need to show that you have safety certifications and experience engaging with children.

Key Skills

The best cheerleading coaches have strong organizational and leadership skills. They need to be in charge of communication with squad members (and sometimes parents), safety enforcement, choreography, and even emotional support.

As someone interested in figuring out how to become a cheer coach, focus on developing team-building skills, a positive attitude under all circumstances, and prioritizing squad safety. You’ll also need to stay current with rules, scoring regulations, and trends for competitive events.

Coach Certifications

Cheer coaches of all levels must meet certain safety standards to ensure they lead their team responsibly. Here are some organizations that can help you learn how to become a certified cheer coach:

NFHS: The National Federation of State High School Associations provides courses designed to meet the needs of middle and high school squads. The focus for these certifications is risk reduction, safety planning, and risk management.

USA Cheer: This is the most versatile credentialing organization, as it offers support for both competitive and school coaches. Safety training, concussion knowledge, and rules education are all on the curriculum.

USASF: U.S. All-Star Federation offers credentialing for coaches who want to work with competitive squads. They provide advanced exploration of athlete progression levels and safety training.

A few other certifications that may help you learn how to become a cheer coach include:

CPR/First-Aid Training
Background Checks/Livescan
Safe Sport Training

Getting Hired

Now that you know how to become a certified cheer coach, it’s time for some tips on getting hired into your dream position. We recommend starting in volunteer and assistant positions. Many gyms and schools need a bit of extra help, and you’ll gain a ton of experience filling in.

While you’re in these entry-level positions, you can continue working on certifications that enhance your resume and make you a better coach overall. Eventually, you’ll be able to list all the squads you’ve coached and competitions you’ve won on your resume. Build it up enough, and you’ll be able to apply for higher-level coaching positions.

Omni Cheer Is Your Backup

If you’ve ever wondered whether learning how to become a cheer coach is right for you, Omni Cheer is here to help. We offer tons of guidance and advice for coaches on our blog, as well as access to premium products that are essential for cheer squads.

Do you have any questions about our cheerleading gear, accessories, or fit kits? Our friendly customer service representatives are here to help! Reach out to us online for personalized support today!

How to Become a Cheer Coach: Your Ultimate Guide