Secrets to Successfully Introducing Kids to Mountain Biking

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Introducing Kids to Mountain Biking:

Mountain biking is a fantastic sport that can provide a wealth of benefits for children, including improved physical fitness, mental well-being, and a sense of accomplishment. However, introducing kids to mountain biking can be a daunting task for parents, especially if they are not familiar with the sport themselves. In this article, we will provide some tips for parents looking to introduce their kids to mountain biking, including the benefits of receiving good quality coaching.

Benefits of Mountain Biking for Kids:

Mountain biking can provide a number of benefits for children, including:

1. Improved Physical Fitness: Mountain biking is a great way for kids to get exercise and improve their physical fitness. It can help to strengthen their muscles, improve their cardiovascular health, and increase their endurance.
2. Mental Well-Being: Mountain biking can also have a positive impact on children’s mental well-being. The outdoor setting and the sense of accomplishment that comes with tackling difficult trails can help to reduce stress and increase confidence.
3. Sense of Accomplishment: Mountain biking can be challenging, but the sense of accomplishment that comes with tackling difficult trails and mastering new skills can be incredibly rewarding for children.
4. Time off Devices: As hard as it can be sometimes to get kids away from the stimulus of electronic devices, mountain biking seems to be very effective, especially if you can keep the riding fun and progressive, time flies while kids are riding and improving their skills and before too long they have been off their devices for hours.

Tips for Introducing Kids to Mountain Biking:

1. Start with the Right Equipment: It is important to make sure that your child has the right equipment when they are starting out in mountain biking. This includes a properly fitting bike, helmet, gloves, and protective gear like knee pads.  Often overlooked is the importance of really good pedals which provide a reliable connection to shoes.  Many kids bikes unfortunately come with slippery plastic pedals that quickly undermine confidence as the kids can’t get a stable footing and constantly feel out of balance.  Investing in some good pedals with metals spikes from the get-go will significantly improve their enjoyment and safety as they won’t slip around on their pedals.  Click here for an example of a highly recommended pedal.  Although not cheap, investing in these early will not only improve their confidence, but you can take them to other bikes as they outgrow their old bike.
   

   Stock pedals on kids bikes are often very slippery.

2. Begin with Flat, Smooth Trails and progress slowly with lots of repetition: When introducing kids to mountain biking, it is important to start with flat, smooth trails (so kids can have a successful low stress ride) and always underestimate the distance to ride (as kids bikes often weigh a lot in relation to their body weight, and cycling fitness is different from other fitness). This will give them a chance to get used to the feel of the bike and build their confidence before tackling more challenging trails.  The golden rule of introducing newbies to mountain biking is that it is far better to repeat one SHORT and EASY trail multiple times (so the rider can feel familiarity and improvement) than riding multiple new trails (as people naturally feel nervous on unknown trails and activate their fight or flight mechanism, pumping too much adrenaline into their bodies and making them less coordinated).
3. Encourage Proper Technique: Good technique is important for both safety and efficiency when mountain biking. Mountain Biking is NOT cycling, it requires much more technique and “body English” than cycling, and there are a lot of myths, outdated advice, and misconceptions around good technique, so take the time to learn some basic proper technique and focus on introducing those ideas in early rides.  Concepts such as encouraging your child to keep their weight balanced and use their legs to absorb bumps in the trail (hovering above the seat when cruising downhill), using both brakes calmly and gently at the same time, and “looking” or “pointing your chin” in the direction you want to ride are all great starts.
4. Emphasize Safety: Safety should always be the top priority when mountain biking, especially for children. Make sure that your child wears all of the necessary protective gear and follows trail rules, plus tackles new features at a steady pace rather than trying to run before they can walk.
5. Consider Professional Coaching: While it is possible to teach kids to mountain bike on your own, professional regular coaching can be incredibly beneficial. A good coach will be able to provide guidance on proper technique, safety, and trail etiquette, as well as help your child to progress at a safe and appropriate rate.  Mountain Biking is not without physical risks, and like any sport, regular coaching will help build skills and improve safety. When you think about it, NO SPORT can be learnt in just one lesson, and even more so with a sport as progressive as mountain biking, regular progressive lessons will see your child develop their skills quickly.  In Nelson we are fortunate enough to have two great kids mountain bike coaching programs.  For kids newer to the sport there is the fabulous Krankin-Kids.  For kids with a bit more experience who are keen to further improve their skills, perhaps even with an eye to racing then Gravity Nelson’s Development Squad provides after school, weekend, school holiday and custom coaching programs.
6. Enjoy yourself! This is probably the most under-rated piece of advice for introducing children to mountain biking.  Kids pick up on their parents enjoyment, fear, and anxiety very quickly.  If you are not enjoying yourself (perhaps because you are a bit scared of the trails you are riding or you are not comfortable in the equipment you are using), then this will quickly erode the fun and confidence which your child might have.  Make sure you are starting out on trails that YOU are comfortable riding, and consider getting some coaching on your own, or with your kids to give your skills and confidence a boost and transmit that confidence to your kids.

Benefits of Good Quality Coaching:

1. Proper Technique: A good coach will be able to teach your child proper technique, which will not only make their rides more enjoyable, but also safer.  There are many myths and misconceptions about mountain biking techniques that “helpful” friends, family and YouTube videos might offer that are actually quite dangerous or unhelpful.
2. Safety: A coach will also be able to emphasize the importance of safety and provide guidance on how to stay safe while mountain biking.
3. Progressive Instruction: A coach will be able to provide instruction that is tailored to your child’s individual needs and abilities, ensuring that they are able to progress at a safe and appropriate rate.  Even in group coaching situations a professional mountain bike coach will be able to cater to the needs, abilities and rate of progression of each child in a group.
4. Increased Confidence: Professional coaching can help to increase your child’s confidence on the bike as they achieve regular progressions in their skills, which can lead to a greater enjoyment of the sport.
5. More Fun: A professional coaching program will focus on maximising fun for the kids so that they want to ride more and more.

Conclusion:

Mountain biking can be a fantastic sport for kids, providing a wealth of physical and mental benefits. By following these tips and considering professional coaching, parents can help their children to safely and confidently enjoy the sport of mountain biking for a life-time.

We hope you enjoyed this article, please feel free to forward it to parents with younger kids who might be interested in learning about how to successfully introduce their kids to mountain biking, and feel free to email us on info@gravitynelson.co.nz about any article topics you might be interested in reading.