Young Carlo Coetzee from Plettenberg Bay

[Capricorn]

nice find there Covie. Just underscores that one needs more than just an olympic quality coach. The support group for a superkid extends beyond just great physical conditioning, and the love of a parent. Question then is, how far is the parent willing to go, and i mean how much are they willing to spend to provide this support base for their wunderkund. I'll bet most parents will either project onto their kids and say "he or she loves what she's doing so I'll be led by my nose by a kid with a developing maturity", or they'll just gun straight for the glory without the 'additional expense'.

 

Cant wait to have a wunderkund of my own to see what i do

[covie]

Cap that comming from a guy that thinks its normal for his bike to touch terra firma every 20m hurtling himself down a mountain.

 

as long as you dont buy your wunderkind a mini mbuzi it should all be good lol.

Edited January 9, 2011 by covie

[Capricorn]

actually, it's gonna be a demo 8..

 

[Guest Big H]

I don't understand. The difference that the thread you referred to would have made is "relax"? Come now Big H, I expect more from you than a cop out like this.

 

 

 

All that goes without saying. I just think that they would be off consulting someone who specialises in children's growth and development. Anyway, it appears that you care and are doing what you think is right - great - and that the parents, or at least the father, are also - great. But where does this boasting thread fit in?

 

I say again...... Reeeeelaaaax ......... You have nothing( ness) to prove here ........ It is not your kid and whatever expert advice you may think you have..... It is Carlo's parents that makes the decisions.

 

They have a child with apparent talent. They have not only their parental responsibility but the added responsibility to nurture his talent. It seems they are doing it the best they can,

 

I can directly relate to it. I met a young girl in 2002. She became SA champ, has won many races here, went to the olympics and still is a star. Her parents are dedicated and supported her.

 

I have also seen many other young cyclists who were extremely competitive cop out of cycling to rather play rugby and ride around on a motorcycle

 

I support Carlo's Dad and in the end it is his decision what to do.

[The_Break]

Look how China produces its sporting champions, kids with any talent are shipped off to specialist schools where they live the sport 24/7, successful in producing medal winners but leaves them a bit deprived in other areas. Extreme but successful.

 

If the kids shows interest and capability, why not facilitate as much as one can? But its a narrow line between that and spoiling the kid imho.

 

And how many of the chinese athletes do we see repeating performances. I.e. you see the new talent pool of the chinese at an olympic or world champs and then you never hear of them again. Their LTAD does not seem to exist.

[Chrispy]

 

Guidelines for coaching juniors

 

These guidelines have been compiled by Central Gauteng Mountain Bike Commission and are intended to guide anyone coaching young riders including professional coaches and enthusiastic parents carrying out coaching at home.

 

 

· Have fun. Keep the cycle training fun.

 

· Take a long term view, considering and clarifying the pathways to senior elite competition. Remember, we want our riders to train so that the are retained in the sport and have a life long mountain biking career. Also, part of our coaching strategy is to produce elite level riders in the long term.

 

· Training volumes : the following training hours should be adhered to when coaching young riders.

 

 

AGE GROUP

 

TRAINING VOLUMES

9 to 10 years

· 1 to 3 hours per week.

 

· No single session longer than 30 minutes.

 

· Emphasis on fun, skills, traffic awareness and safety.

 

· Stick mainly to paths, car parks and cycling tracks.

 

· Supervised by parent or coach.

 

11 to 12 years

· 2 to 5 hours per week (40 – 100 km).

 

· No single session longer than 30 km or 1.25 hours.

 

· Emphasis on fun, bike handling skills, traffic skills and basic race skills.

 

· Supervised by parent or coach.

 

13 to 14 years

· 3 to 8 hours per week (100 to 200 km).

 

· No ride longer than 2 hours/60 km.

 

· Training emphasis on both skills and physical development.

 

· Develop riding position and style. Bike set-up and smooth pedalling technique are critical.

 

· Assess skills and traffic awareness prior to allowing a rider to train alone on public roads.

 

15 to 16 years

· 6 to 14 hours per week (150 – 350 km).

 

· No ride longer than 90 km or 3 hours.

 

· Training emphasis on skills, race skills, physical conditioning. Some specificity on events can occur in 2^nd year of division.

 

17 to 18 years

· 10 to 18 hours per week (300 to 550 km).

 

· No ride longer than 150 km or 5 hours – infrequently.

 

· Training emphasis on physical conditioning, specificity on events and skills maintenance or development in certain events.

 

 

· Research in the UK has shown that young people lose interest in sport mainly due to mental stagnation. For instance select ride times and type of workouts which hold the interest of the rider and do not cause boredom.

 

· Specialise from 2^nd year Under 16 onwards. Until then encourage kids to ride various disciplines and very importantly to participate in other sports before specialising in cycling.

 

· Junior endurance riders need to do both track and road for long term development.

 

· Focus on the process, not the outcomes. These take care of themselves.

 

· Plan with flexibility.

 

· Recovery time to fit with objectives.

 

· Train to race but sometimes race to train (priorities).

 

· Set realistic goals for training and racing, depending on the rider’s age and experience in the sport.

 

· Focus on developing a good foundation considering the following aspects when coaching young riders :

 

o Develop good pedalling technique and bike handling skills before increasing volume.

 

o Develop a healthy work ethic.

 

o Enjoy the sport.

 

o Pedalling technique / cadence.

 

o Style / body movement.

 

o Climbing technique.

 

o Bike maintenance.

 

o Junior bike set-up and position is constantly changing.

 

· Consider that abnormal parental and coaching pressures may be the critical factors which determine whether a child enjoys sport and continues to compete after adolescence.

 

· Have fun. <BR style="PAGE-BREAK-BEFORE: always" clear=all>Drugs in sport

 

Educate about drugs in sport, refer to the South African Institute for Drug Free Sport (www.drugfreesport.org.za). Sometimes common medicines and supplements may contain traces of banned substances and will appear on the Drug Free list of banned substances. Examples are Thinz and most other slimming capsules and mixtures, Syntaris nasal spray, Sinucon tablets, Seretide and Serevent accuhalers, Grippon cold and flu syrup, Flixonase nasal spray, Flemeze syrup, Flixotide inhaler, Bronchoped syrup, Beclate Aquanase nasal spray. This list is not complete, please refer to the Institute’s Athlete’s Handbook for drug free sport.

 

 

 

Compiled using the following resources :

 

· UCI Coach Accreditation Level 1 Course.

 

· Lore of Running, Tim Noakes, Chapter 5 : Principles of training “The risks and benefits of starting athletic training at a young age”, page 444.

 

· The Mountain Biker’s Training Bible, Joe Friel.

 

· Athelete’s Handbook 2005 4^th Edition, South African Institute for Drug Free Sport.

 

 

Recommended reading :

 

· Lore of Running, Tim Noakes.

 

· The Mountain Biker’s Training Bible, Joe Friel. www.ultrafit.com

 

· Sports Science Institute of South Africa, www.ssisa.com

 

· The Ultimate Ride, Chris Carmichael, www.activeworx.co.za

 

· South African Institute for Drug Free Sport, www.drugfreesport.org.za

 

· Australian Institute of Sport, www.ais.org.za

 

 

 

[The_Break]

Guidelines for coaching juniors

 

cut

Nice find. That is what was covered in our course too. Most of the Provinces following the coaching curriculum of CSA which was been taken from Cycling Australia and adapted for SA.

 

It is interesting to see just how low those figure are and how low they start. 9-10 years.

Edited January 9, 2011 by The_Break

[Guest Big H]

Chrispy, I see you mention the Lore of Running up in your post, did you know that Noakes wrote a Lore of Cycling as well. It was co- authored by the Beneke's. I have a copy that I found in a second hand bookstore. Very interesting reading.

[Persian]

Thank you to all for the nice and valuable information! Specially The Break and Big H!. Please keep in mind that although Carlo is only turning 7 years shortly and he is not on a training program at all (to become a competitive cyclists). At this stage he is only riding for the fun and love of the sport. Between myself and his grandad we make sure that he's got the right equipment and that all is functioning the way it should. Yes, he is somewhat spoilded by his grandad (for buying him a KTM Shortie), but is it not lovely to have such an "oupie"? However, cycling is not the only sport he participates in. He also play soccer once a week, does a lot of swimming and shortly (as soon as school starts) he will be doing athletics as well. His mom would also like him to start Nippers, and we will see how it goes.

 

I think his first love will remain mtb'ing. If he however loses interest in it, it would be sad because he realy has a talent for such. That is why he is not pressured to do it! It is always his choice to go riding. Nor me or his grandad are competitive riders. His grandad started mtb'ing after he discovered that he has diabetes and the exercise is doing him wonders. Carlo decided to join him and I followed. Bottom line is that Carlo is not pressured by me, his mom or grandad and that we will always ensure the safety and wellbeing of him as our first priority as loving and caring parents.

[Chrispy]

I like your attitude. Good luck with Carlo!

Also remember:

A PARENT HANDBOOK FOR

GUIDING &SUPPORTING

YOUNG ATHLETES

 

Encourage your athlete to set their own goals. Self selected goals are always the most powerful.

Be careful not to let your goals or unfulfilled dreams get mixed in with your child’s goals. You can support your child’s

ambitions but you can not dream his dreams for him.

Praise and reward effort unconditionally.

Make sure your athlete knows that you value them regardless of accomplishments.

If you hire a coach, let him do his job. Adding your two cents on strategies and training theories can confuse your athlete and

reduces the coaches ability to be effective.

Show your love and pride verbally and nonverbally.

Provide a Positive Parent Push when necessary. This is an occasional nudge, reminder, or skill development effort to help

an athlete get through a lapse in motivation or to handle a tough spot.

Your young athlete will experience many distractions and stressors before and during competing—don’t be one of them!

Be a role model by having a positive attitude, focusing on skill mastery, enjoying life, and good sportsmanship.

If you coach your own child—proceed with caution. It can be difficult for a young person to separate out the unconditional

parental love from a coaching parent.

Above all, remember that this experience belongs to the athlete. As a parent, your job is to facilitate this

endeavor. If you are seeking cycling glory then you should set your sites on and work for your own master’s title.

[Topwine]

I say again...... Reeeeelaaaax ......... You have nothing( ness) to prove here ........ It is not your kid and whatever expert advice you may think you have..... It is Carlo's parents that makes the decisions.

 

They have a child with apparent talent. They have not only their parental responsibility but the added responsibility to nurture his talent. It seems they are doing it the best they can,

 

I can directly relate to it. I met a young girl in 2002. She became SA champ, has won many races here, went to the olympics and still is a star. Her parents are dedicated and supported her.

 

I have also seen many other young cyclists who were extremely competitive cop out of cycling to rather play rugby and ride around on a motorcycle

 

I support Carlo's Dad and in the end it is his decision what to do.

 

Wow, BigH , is this the same person? You must have made some serious new years resolutions, because this is the best comment I have ever read from you, by FAR!

[Topwine]

Thank you to all for the nice and valuable information! Specially The Break and Big H!. Please keep in mind that although Carlo is only turning 7 years shortly and he is not on a training program at all (to become a competitive cyclists). At this stage he is only riding for the fun and love of the sport. Between myself and his grandad we make sure that he's got the right equipment and that all is functioning the way it should. Yes, he is somewhat spoilded by his grandad (for buying him a KTM Shortie), but is it not lovely to have such an "oupie"? However, cycling is not the only sport he participates in. He also play soccer once a week, does a lot of swimming and shortly (as soon as school starts) he will be doing athletics as well. His mom would also like him to start Nippers, and we will see how it goes.

 

I think his first love will remain mtb'ing. If he however loses interest in it, it would be sad because he realy has a talent for such. That is why he is not pressured to do it! It is always his choice to go riding. Nor me or his grandad are competitive riders. His grandad started mtb'ing after he discovered that he has diabetes and the exercise is doing him wonders. Carlo decided to join him and I followed. Bottom line is that Carlo is not pressured by me, his mom or grandad and that we will always ensure the safety and wellbeing of him as our first priority as loving and caring parents.

 

Hi Chris

 

I think only you and your wife and maybe "oupie and oumie" knows whats best for your son. After all, you are the closest to him and see him everyday and will notice quickly enough when he is physically or mentally struggling. You will also be able to notice the subtle objections from him, should they start to surface.

 

Kids start to do sport at earlier ages these days, earlier even that previous generations thought was possible. Fact is, no one can truly say when is too young or what distance is too much. Circumstances, ability and genes differ too much. You must be the judge of that, with the right input maybe from professionals I agree.

 

I just look at my 3 boys, aged between 4 and 10, who all cycle, but with different abilities and motivation. My oldest(10) can cycle 30 km's easily and have also done the Hermanus Whale Festival all on his own (together with your son I see), but he tend to tell me quickly when his legs get sore and he is tired, and then I let him lay off from cycling a bit or even a few weeks if needed, till the motivation comes back quick enough. My middle one is 8 but needs much more motivation from us to cycle and he is also not as strong and fit as the other 2. My youngest (4) on the other hand, is a different animal altogether. We cant keep him off the bike ! Whenever we see he tends to be cycling around the house or on the farm somewhere. He just stands on those pedals and seem to never tire ! I rode with him and his brothers a good 5km's the other day and when he got back, he went for another spin with his mother that went for a jog.

 

I trust you will make the best decision and encourage you and young Carlo ! I shall be looking out for both of you at this year's Hermanus Whale Festival ! (I just hope he won't be beating me by then !)

[Guest Big H]

..

Edited January 10, 2011 by Big H

[Topwine]

You are not qualified to judge me and you know absolutely nothing about me. I prefer NOT to debate with you as you cannot be trusted. Please delete your posting and I will delete mine.

 

I will not delete my post, since I have tried to give you a compliment.

 

If you feel bad about your reaction to that , then feel free to delete yours. This is the last I will say about this subject, since I have no intention to hijack this thread.

[Myra]

Look how China produces its sporting champions, kids with any talent are shipped off to specialist schools where they live the sport 24/7, successful in producing medal winners but leaves them a bit deprived in other areas. Extreme but successful.

 

If the kids shows interest and capability, why not facilitate as much as one can? But its a narrow line between that and spoiling the kid imho.

 

China is a really bad example to use - they often don't seem to have the athletes' interests at heart but rather their medal tally. Remember the "age doping" at the Beijing Olympics? [For those who don't remember, the Chinese forged the passports of some of their gymnasts to make them 'older' so that they could get around the age restrictions. At the time there was a lot of disaproval given that there are specific reasons for the age restrictions; which are in the best interests of the athlete. Unfortunately nothing was done about it.]

 

I say again...... Reeeeelaaaax ......... You have nothing( ness) to prove here ........ It is not your kid and whatever expert advice you may think you have..... It is Carlo's parents that makes the decisions.

 

They have a child with apparent talent. They have not only their parental responsibility but the added responsibility to nurture his talent. It seems they are doing it the best they can,

 

I can directly relate to it. I met a young girl in 2002. She became SA champ, has won many races here, went to the olympics and still is a star. Her parents are dedicated and supported her.

 

I have also seen many other young cyclists who were extremely competitive cop out of cycling to rather play rugby and ride around on a motorcycle

 

I support Carlo's Dad and in the end it is his decision what to do.

 

Much better, Big H.

 

You're right, I don't have anything to prove. What I do have, however, is a genuine concern about kids who are pushed too hard when they are too young. Kids unfortunately don't always know what is right or healthy for them. Just because they enjoy something doesn't mean that they should be doing it (how many kids smoke because they enjoy it?). And if their parents make a big fuss about them by going to the papers/posting bragging threads on the internet they will naturally not want to let their parents down. That also results in pressure.

 

TRAINING VOLUMES

9 to 10 years

· 1 to 3 hours per week.

 

· No single session longer than 30 minutes.

 

 

This says a lot - a kid younger than 9 should certainly not be doing more than 1 to 3 hours a week or any single session longer than 30 minutes. Quite clearly this has already been exceeded on numerous occasions.

 

Thank you to all for the nice and valuable information! Specially The Break and Big H!. Please keep in mind that although Carlo is only turning 7 years shortly and he is not on a training program at all (to become a competitive cyclists). At this stage he is only riding for the fun and love of the sport. Between myself and his grandad we make sure that he's got the right equipment and that all is functioning the way it should. Yes, he is somewhat spoilded by his grandad (for buying him a KTM Shortie), but is it not lovely to have such an "oupie"? However, cycling is not the only sport he participates in. He also play soccer once a week, does a lot of swimming and shortly (as soon as school starts) he will be doing athletics as well. His mom would also like him to start Nippers, and we will see how it goes.

 

I think his first love will remain mtb'ing. If he however loses interest in it, it would be sad because he realy has a talent for such. That is why he is not pressured to do it! It is always his choice to go riding. Nor me or his grandad are competitive riders. His grandad started mtb'ing after he discovered that he has diabetes and the exercise is doing him wonders. Carlo decided to join him and I followed. Bottom line is that Carlo is not pressured by me, his mom or grandad and that we will always ensure the safety and wellbeing of him as our first priority as loving and caring parents.

 

Even though we all have our different views on your thread (as far as I'm concerned it amounts to boasting and indirect pressure), everyone here has Carlo's best interests at heart. Ultimately, of course, how you raise your son is your call and loving someone doesn't always equate to knowing what is best for him/her. I therefore think that its great that you appear to have an open mind in respect of everything that has been said and that you appreciate the info. The info posted by Christie and Covie is especially valuable and will hopefully be useful.

 

Good luck with your huge responsibility.

 

By the way, to cut down on the long rides but still have fun on the bike, how about the three of you practice some skills on the lawn instead? Knowing how to do a track stand is important for any mountainbiker and practising it shouldn't put too much pressure on a developing body.

[Guest Big H]

..

Edited January 10, 2011 by Big H