Who doesn't love burpees? They're a great calisthenic exercise for strength and power development, as well as for conditioning. There are many different ways to do burpees; I like to streamline this movement into a 'controlled fall' to make it as efficient as possible. Here are the movement cues I use when doing or teaching the burpee:

Keep your core tight, stay compact, drop towards the floor, catching yourself in the bottom of a push up position.

Press your chest up off the floor (similar to an updog)

Pike your hips up towards the ceiling, keeping your legs relatively straight (but not locked)
Pull your legs in, jump and clap (don't forget the clap, it the most important part! ;)

In order to keep your heart rate from skyrocketing, focus on the rhythm of your movement and breathing. When you're practicing, you may even want to use a metronome. (I use the MetroTimer app for iPhone).

Another quick tip: If you're required to touch a target a certain distance above your head, keep your legs and feet as close together as possible as you pull them in; this will minimize the distance between your hands and the target. If you are not required to touch a target, keep your feet a little further apart, as this will minimize the distance you have to drop to the floor.

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