Posts

4 Ways to Take Practice Planning to the Next Level

As a dance coach who is in-season 12 months a year, there is always a sense of urgency. There is always a game to plan for, a fundraiser that’s necessary, competition routines to perfect, and the never-ending list of administrative behind-the-scenes…
journaling

How To Start Journaling With Your Dance Team

I often talk about the lessons I’ve learned after years of coaching. The things I would do differently, ideas I had late in the game, coaching practices I wish I had used more often. Today I want to talk about one of those lessons, in the…
score sheets

How to Discuss Competition Score Sheets

Your first competition of the season just ended, and you head over to the judges’ table to pick up a packet of your score sheets. Do you like to immediately read them? Do you collect them but then stuff them away in your bag for later? If…
positive reinforcement

The Special Power of Positive Reinforcement

Whenever I discuss the negative side to punishment, and why you should always avoid physical punishment I get questions about what to do instead. The focus is usually on the side of consequences. Coaches want to know, how do I get them to stop…

4 Reasons Not To Punish With Pushups

Did you ever have to run laps when you were late to practice? For many of us, we grew up with coaches and dance directors who used physical punishment for bad behavior and mistakes. It’s relatively common to have a team do wall-sits when…

How to Implement the 1% Rule for Habit Change

It’s easy to look at other dance teams and wish your team was more like the one you admire. "I wish we had their stamina." "They have such presence on stage." "I love the way they dance with fire and passion. I want to make that happen for…
communication

5 Fast Ways To Inspire Strong Team Cohesion Early In The Season

I feel like the term "team building" gets thrown around a lot, and we don’t always know exactly what to do, why, or how to help our team connect quickly. There are some old tried and true strategies, like playing “Heads Up” or other games…

9 Simple Guidelines for Punishment That Will Make You Stop and Think

Coaches often struggle with what kind of punishment to use, or question if they are too strict, or too lax in their discipline.  We all want our team to be motivated and dedicated. You expect your dancers to follow the rules. Sometimes…

Have A Confident Team Just By Cleaning a Routine

Confidence is difficult to instill in your dancers, but it's possible. However, there's no straight forward way to get there because there is no single cause of confidence. Confidence is cyclical – When you feel more confident, you perform…

How to Encourage GRIT in your Dancers

Grit is a game changer. Even if you’re not familiar with the term, you’ve probably seen it. The gritty dancer is the one who works so much harder than the "naturally talented" dancer who slides by. Grit is in the dancer who doesn’t…