Coaches

COACH BRYCE KIRKLEY

TUMBLING COACH • TUMBLE WHISPER

Coach Bryce Kirkley is the tumbling coach behind Tumble Whisper (also known as the "Tumble Whisperer") and a U.S. Marine Corps veteran, with more than 20 years of combined gymnastics and coaching experience. In Episode 40 he joins the dads for a parent-first conversation built around progression over perfection: why skill paths differ by athlete, the difference between having a skill and being ready to use it safely in a routine, how he approaches mental blocks by listening and adapting, what makes a private lesson genuinely useful, and how parents can support a qualified coach's plan without becoming a second coach.

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Areas of expertise

What they helped us understand

All Star Cheer
Cheer Parenting
Burnout & Wellbeing
Gym & Program Culture
College Cheer
Tumbling & Skills

Expertise tags are inferred from the topics this guest is linked to in our content graph — not from an external biography.

On the show

Episode appearance

EP 40Episode 40: Tumble Whisperer Explains Tumbling, Privates & Mental Blocks | S2E7 | CDUwith Coach Bryce Kirkley

Keep listening

Related episodes

Related

Learning connected to this guest

Topic hubs

All Star CheerWhat All Star cheer is, how gyms, teams, levels, seasons and competitions fit together, and what a first-year family should expect.Cheer ParentingWhere the parent role ends and the coaching role begins — how to support hard days, how much to push, and how to stay the safe place.Burnout & WellbeingWhat burnout looks like in a year-round sport, the pressures that cause it, and how families protect the athlete behind the uniform.Gym & Program CultureHow to read a gym's culture, what separates a good program from a good record, and how to tell whether a gym fits your family.College CheerWhat college cheer recruiting actually involves, what coaches look for, how scholarships really work, and where cheer can lead after high school.Tumbling & SkillsHow tumbling progression really works for cheer athletes: readiness versus having a skill, mental blocks, productive private lessons and where parents fit.

Parent questions

What should parents do after a tough practice or competition?How involved should parents be in coaching their athlete?Are private lessons necessary in competitive cheer?How do cheer levels and athlete readiness relate?How do I know if a tumbling private lesson is productive?

Start here

The Parent Starter Guide

The orientation guide for first-year competitive cheer families.

Meet everyone

All CDU guests

Judges, coaches, gym owners, pro athletes and cheer parents from Season 1.