The Secret Formula Behind Winning Routines

In this episode of the Cheer Biz Podcast, Dan Cotton breaks down what cheer coaches and gym owners often get wrong when studying the routines that win major end-of-season events. Too many coaches watch a winning routine and immediately focus on the hardest stunt, the biggest tumbling pass, or the most creative transition. Dan explains why copying isolated skills is rarely the answer—and why difficulty alone is not what separates the best routines from everyone else. This episode explores how execution, pacing, routine construction, score sheet strategy, and overall performance quality work together to create a winning package. Dan also explains why coaches need to study the full routine instead of one viral section, why different score sheets reward different choices, and why a video can never fully capture the energy a team creates in the arena. If you are a cheer gym owner, all star coach, choreographer, or program director, this episode will help you analyze winning cheer routines more effectively, make smarter choreography decisions, and build routines that score—not just routines that look difficult online.