Austin, TX -- (ReleaseWire) -- 11/12/2015 --Participation in cheerleading over the past two decades has made it one of the fastest growing sports in the USA, Canada, United Kingdom, Mexico, Colombia, Chile and Australia, among many other countries. Yet, because the majority of the community lacks recognition as an official sport, there has been limited support to educate coaches on sports science in comparison with more mainstream athletic activities.
The 'is cheerleading a sport' debate has been getting a lot of support and traction in the past two years, with many key events and viral videos influencing the global perspective on cheerleading: the CheerSounds 2013 'Dream Big' video went viral; the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Medical Association said that cheerleading should be considered a sport because of its rigors and risks; professional fighters who are also competitive cheerleaders have compared their experience in both sports; California recognised cheerleading as a sport, when Gov. Jerry Brown signed state assembly bill 949 into law, in October 2015.
In addition to cheerleading being a hazardous activity, most of the injuries in cheerleading are a consequence of grassroots teams being self-run, with coaches lacking sports science and essential fitness knowledge, despite having valid cheerleading qualifications. Currently, coaches can receive qualifications through the The US All Star Federation and National Council for Spirit Safety and Education, which have been doing an excellent job in the past decades to educate coaches on safety, skill development and progression. Up to now, however, there has not been any source of knowledge in respect to sports science and fitness education that directly applies to cheerleading.
The INTENSITY™ program, created by Cheerobics®, launches a complementary education program for coaches and athletes who wish to deepen their understanding of applied sports performance and fitness for cheerleading. After the release of the INTENSITY™ DVD & Digital Player in December 2014, the home conditioning program has already received positive praise amongst coaches and athletes worldwide. In 2015 Jessica Zoo, director and creator of Cheerobics®, welcomes three of the industry's key players, to help with the development of the education syllabus:
- Debbie Love - Member of the Board of Directors of the USASF and NACCC
- Jeff Benson - Sports Performance Psychologist, owner of Mind Body Cheer
- Sahil M - Nutritionist, owner of Hardcore Training Solutions, author of The Cheer Diet
"INTENSITY™ is like the bible for cheerleading instruction. It summarises nearly 4 years of my undergraduate education and then applies it directly to the sport that I love. It's the most comprehensive cheerleading manual that I have ever seen on the market." Jeff Benson, Sports Performance Psychologist
"Many coaches, athletes and parents feel that if you repeat a skill over and over you will eventually achieve it. This is simply not true; if an athlete cannot repeat the technique with consistency, they must drill and condition to build the muscles necessary for the skill and develop muscle memory. Before attempting the next progression it is essential to assess your body and work targeted muscles groups instead of adding the skill to a body that is not yet ready. Conditioning needs to be an imperative part of any cheer practice, and I urge responsible gym owners and coaches to learn about the human body and how it works in the context of cheerleading." Debbie Love, USASF Hall of Fame
"INTENSITYT™ gathers decades of expert knowledge and experience in Sport Science together in one place by the most respected contributors in the industry. It is the turn-key solution for optimising your athletes' performance for cheerleading and you can't find it anywhere else. It's been missing from our industry for years and now it's here. My experience with INTENSITY™ moved my own knowledge years ahead. I can't imagine having had access to a program like this when I was a young coach starting out. It can literally cut years off the learning curve. It's THE institute for higher learning for cheerleading coaches. It's cheerleading 'college'. " Shane Montgomery, Tumbling Director at ICE Allstars
IS INTENSITY™ ONLY FOR CHEERLEADERS?
Even though INTENSITY™ was designed specifically for cheerleaders, the program is great for dancers, gymnasts, ice skaters and other performance-based sports. Cheerobics® also offers beginner classes and workouts DVDs: http://bit.ly/CheerobicsFitness
HOW CAN COACHES AND ATHLETES TAKE PART IN THE INTENSITY™ PROGRAM?
Cheerobics® is launching a number of international events and programs to support sports development and athlete development. The INTENSITY™ clinics and seminars are open to coaches of all ages and levels, whereas the INTENSITY™ Coaching Qualification is available to all qualified cheerleading coaches and Cheerobics® Instructors who have cheerleading or fitness insurance.
The program is available in the following ways:
1) INTENSITY™ clinics and coach seminars
- Just Cheer, Fairfield NJ, 6th Dec 2015
- Ice Allstars, Aurora IL, 12th Dec 2015
- Coventry, UK, 13th Dec 2015
- Twisters Allstars, Lake Villa IL, 13th Dec 2015
- Starlets Allstars, Sydney NSW, 19th Dec 2015
- Flyers All Starz, Pierrefonds Quebec, 19th Dec Dec 2015 - Cape Town, South Africa, 17h Jan 2016
- Latinoamerica dates coming soon
2) INTENSITY™ Coach Conferences
- Hereford UK, 9th Jan 2016 - presented by Jessica Zoo
- Johannesburg SA, 23 Jan 2016 - presented by Jessica Zoo
- Orlando USA, 26th April 2016 - Debbie Love, keynote speaker
3) Booking a Private INTENSITY™ clinic with our Master Trainers
4) INTENSITY™ coach course available on pre-order
5) Team & Gym access to all of the INTENSITY™ workouts on Digital Player
THE INTENSITY™ SYLLABUS
The INTENSITY™ Coaching Qualification is available to all qualified Cheerleading Coaches and Cheerobics® Instructors who have cheerleading or fitness insurance.
The course is available for worldwide and covers:
- Sports performance for cheerleading
- Developing power, strength, flexibility and stamina - Coaching & fitness instruction techniques
- Fitness and body anatomy
- Biomechanics for cheerleading
- Maximising team cheerleading skills
- INTENSITY™ training method & exercises
- Injury prevention for cheerleading
- Structuring session and season training
- How to drill skills to perfection
- Health & Safety for cheerleading & training
