Hi folks,

Does anyone have any experience of skills coaching for kids?

My daughter is 7 and confident on smooth Sustrans type routes, canal towpaths and the like. She’s also started playing on the smaller ramps at the local BMX park (nothing radical, just riding up and over them).

I reckon it’s time to try some rougher stuff. I’m quite keen to get her some skills training though to give her a sound footing. I’m not very analytical about my own riding and no doubt have several bad habits she’d do well not to pick up!

Anyone tried any of the UK-based kids skills courses? Any recommended ones? South Wales based but happy to travel…

Cheers all,

Paul

Local cycling club? Our local one does CX training for kids riding any kind of bike, if you are in south Wales I’d have thought clubs would do mtb as well anyway.

Cyclewise up in Whinlatter do kids/family skills

The thing with young kids is, they just learn stuff, somehow without needing ‘skills coaches’, whose job is to mainly take us back to that age again to re-learn what we picked up naturally.

Our elder son benefited from a half day course six months or so ago. Grit track and trail’s pump track course in York so it’s a bit far for the OP, but the gist is it was worth it. He was fairly confident in Les Gets a fortnight ago as a result. He’s 8.

A coaching day being run by our local club (with coaching from a couple of people you’d probably have heard of!) – don’t know if this is local enough for you? My kids have been to quite a few of their regular weekly coaching sessions (and been coached by said people you’d have heard of) and it’s good stuff.

https://www.britishcycling.org.uk/events/details/117405/Birchwood-Bash-2014—Youth-&-Junior-MTB-Coaching-Day

Fantastic, thanks for all the suggestions folks. Plenty for me to look in to… 😀

yeah i’ve seen the British Cycling Go Ride thing at few places now – there is a free one taking place on the 14th September at High Wycombe at this event… http://www.roughrideguide.co.uk/mtbike/2014/01/summit-65-chilterns-challenge/

I’d highly recommend Ridelines who are based at Glentress trail centre. They will be doing kids skills sessions during October holidays and there’s a fantastic campsite at the centre, not to mention brilliant trails for parents to ride while the kids are learning! 😉

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