Tricking is so awesome that it sells itself to people who want to actually do it. But when it comes to the parents of young people who want to try it, there may be some reservations:
- What even is tricking?
- Is tricking dangerous?
- Will this consume a ton of time and money?
I’ve been tricking for 20 years and teaching it for 10, so for all you tricking coaches and coaching hopefuls out there, I wanted to tackle these three concerns to help you get parents on board. And if you’re a young tricker, maybe this can help you get your own parents to support your tricking journey!
So, what is tricking, and why would anybody pursue this? Tricking is wild. It is less than three decades old. It is an amazing, explosive art form that combines elements of martial arts, gymnastics, dance, and parkour. When people first see it, they may think, “Wow, this looks like a janky version of gymnastics,” or “It looks like martial arts, but why are they doing flips? That wouldn’t work in a fight!” Many have seen tricking in blockbuster action movies, but didn’t know these superhero skills are things that any human can really do!
The main and hardest point that must be conveyed is that tricking is possible for anyone. Every skill can be broken down into infinite micro-steps. The variations to each skill are bound only by the minds of the athlete, which means that trickers can find fun at every stage of development—which ensures faster progress. If you can walk, you can trick.
Like other physical endeavors, tricking boosts strength, flexibility, power, resiliency, spatial and general awareness, and confidence. When you can successfully land a skill as dangerous as a gainer, you gain a type of confidence that flows into all other facets of life.
Confident AF.
Moving on to the next concern: Is tricking dangerous? The truth is, tricking isn’t more dangerous than various other extreme sports like breakdancing, snowboarding, parkour, or even gymnastics. What can make tricking more dangerous is poor guidance and a lack of fundamentals. Accidents happen when big skills are attempted before the practitioner is physically or mentally prepared for them. So here are the first three rules that my team, Trick Dynamix, has to keep our students safe:
- Be aware of your surroundings.
- Be aware of your limits.
- Warm up.
The majority of all injuries are from neglecting to follow those three rules.
Nowadays with tricking curriculums being created, and multiple tricking gyms creating new drills and progressions for tricks, learning tricking is much safer than ever, especially compared to when the OG’s were coming up. Tricking has a community of people from various life backgrounds, with a lot of wisdom when it comes to what to do, and not do, when training.
And there are more and more resources out there for staying safe while training! For example, TrickStrong is led by a Doctor of Physical Therapy, Neil Toussaint, and offers training programs for the tricking athlete that keep people safe on the floor and recover from injury faster. There’s also Kojo’s Trick Lab, which shares a variety of tips and drills to train tricks without dangerous landings.
The biggest point here is that nobody starts off doing dub dubs. Every movement that a tricker performs can be broken down into very basic and very safe components that anybody can start with.
I am but a smol boi. How will I ever dub dub?
The last objections that parents may have when deciding whether to enroll their kids into tricking classes are time and money. There are a lot of activities out there for kids to participate in, and parents take a few things into account: Are the kids interested? Does the activity help the growth of the child’s character? Is tricking something the parent would have done given the choice when they were younger? Will it benefit their child in the future? Do tricking classes fit in our schedule? Do we have the budget for this?
Money is a common objection when signing on to any activity, and when it comes to something as new as tricking, it’s hard to compare it to anything else. So, many compare it to dance, martial arts, and gymnastics when it comes to price. One major difference from an investment point is that tricking requires very little equipment. No need to buy expensive bats and gloves for baseball, or helmets and cleats for football, or fancy rackets for tennis, or recital costumes. It's just a gym membership—which is relatively cheap!
When parents say they don’t have time for tricking, then we have to convince them that tricking is more important than whatever else their kids are signed up for. Tricking is often a second, third, or even fourth activity for any given child. When the budget and schedule get tight, what gets cut first?
The key here is to explain that tricking is an activity that helps with all others. It involves the self-discipline of martial arts, the awareness and mobility of gymnastics, the stylistic freedom of dance, and the versatility of parkour! Something special about tricking is the universal understanding that everyone is learning, and everyone fails. Tricking teaches a growth mindset, which is by itself a multiplier for a better life. WHAT ELSE DO YOU WANT?!
Since not many know about tricking, there isn't too much demand for it, which dictates the price that can be charged for tuition. (Something you can do is research the martial arts, gymnastics, and dance studios around your area to find out what they are charging, then slightly undercut them to gain your initial following.) When kids are bouncing off the walls and throwing jump kicks off the couch, parents think to enroll their kids in either martial arts, gymnastics, or parkour. Tricking isn’t a thought yet, even though we know that a kid acting like a Marvel character needs tricking.
Tricking deserves to be known. By having more tricking programs and gyms starting up, we are collectively coming up with new programs and progressions to keep students safe. When kids grow up without fear built around past injuries, they progress faster and trick for longer. And the more tricking grows, kids will want tricking as their first-choice activity, which means soccer will not win against tricking—or at least, not every time! Lastly, the more we make tricking known, the more we can make this our living, stop relying on dead-end jobs to survive, and pour energy into something we love. Good luck!
Justin Carney is a member of Team Furious Force (2000’s), and currently runs the Trick Dynamix program and Battle of Fury in Connecticut. He tricks on both sides, is dedicated to longevity, and does stunt work. Follow him on Instagram at @jctrixter.