The the best and most healthy driver of performance is passion, enthusiasm and love for the sport.
Choosing language carefully around your child is important. For instance "I love watching you trick" puts emphasis on fun, community, participation. "How well did you trick" puts emphasis on performance. Simple changes in language will limit the external pressure placed on the athlete to perform. Ultimately for an athlete to be successful and well-rounded, the desire to achieve must come from within.
Studies have proven kids generally want to have fun, enjoy time with their friends, improve their skills and win. Parents who put too much emphasis on different goals like “getting a scholarship” or “becoming a professional” probably need to adjust their goals.
As the athlete progresses, goals and targets can always be adjusted but please try to always be postive and encourage your child, in regards to their classes and performance.
Unfortunately, around 50% of girls and up to 20% of boys drop out of sport altogether by the age of 13. We are working very hard to try and change that and need your support. Sport has a plethora of well documented benefits, short and long term.
Avoid basing your child’s sense of self-worth on how they do at tricking or any sport. Your child regularly attempts and performs acrobatic maneuvers that less than 0.005% of the world’s population ever attempts. Just training in the sport of tricking separates them from almost everyone else.
However, there is nothing wrong with speeding up their progression. Please message us if your child really enjoys class and would like to attend more, we will assess whether this is suitable on an individual basis.
A general thumb rule to go by is; once a week for beginners, twice a week for intermediate, and 3 or more weekly sessions for advanced trickers or those that would like to progress at a faster rate.
