Kids

Many parents believe that mountain biking is a teenager sport, which requires strength, high fitness and stamina, hence is only suitable for kids 12-year-old and over, often with competition in mind. We instead believe that your kid should start mountain biking as soon as s/he can pedal on a bike, from as early as 3 years old. Stamina and physical strength are not required to master mountain biking fundamental skills. All these can be taught and practised in a safe, friendly, social environment, using teaching aids we designed especially for this purpose. Our program for very young kids focuses on eye-body coordination, balance, MTB skills but also social skills (dialogue with coaches and peers, mutual help, praise, games, friendly contests, etc…). The great challenge with young kids is that, occasionally, complex mountain biking skills cannot be described in words, as they require levels of comprehension, concentration and attention that reasonably cannot be expected from very young kids. Another approach is required.

Lesson Program

Instead, our teaching method uses the innate motivation of children to imitate what they see others doing. As part of a team given a challenge, kids “confronted” by a new obstacle will instinctively try different ways to tackle said obstacle, discuss, compare, talk of their anxieties, never compete. Invariably, at some stage, with gentle suggestions from coaches, a breakthrough occurs, something novel happens, either the obstacle is properly tackled by one kid or, somehow, the whole group progresses towards the right technique. This is a very exciting and exhilarating "Eureka" moment for kids and coaches alike. Immediately it creates in children an irrepressible need, motivation, urgency to imitate and reproduce the breakthrough, the success, as it just happened before them, performed by another girl or boy. Soon enough, all the kids can successfully reproduce the newly discovered skill. It is a moment of pride for everyone, kids, coaches and watching parents, and is always accompanied by a strong enthusiastic reaction from the coach. This approach works at its best with small groups of 6 to 8 children. Mind you, it works very well with adults too! At Coot-tha MTB, that’s how we do it! ​

Koalas

This program only occurs in the safety of Gap Creek grassy meadows, not on trails. Little Koala girls and boys often start the program with little or no riding skills at all. Their legs have very little stamina at this stage. In our novice program, the main goal is to develop balance and self-awareness of position on the bike (riding shortly off saddle, leaning the bike, awareness of pedals position, etc…). Playful exercises are used to develop eye-body coordination and gross-motor skills. Socializing, and mindsets are also very important components. Koalas often seem to follow a slow learning curve, because the development they are going through is mostly psychological, growing courage and commitment and a love for the discipline. Perceptible gross motor skills improvement often occurs only towards the end of the Koala program, and that’s OK.

Wallabies

Yet again, this program based on a lot of repetition takes place on Gap Creek grassy meadows for most of the term with a gentle introduction to the simplest trails occurring towards the end of term if they are deemed to be ready. Young Wallabies are confronted by technical challenges which replicate those which they will find on the trails later: logs, bridges, drop offs, teepees, jumps, small kickers. As they instinctively develop riding techniques under coach guidance, they also develop stamina, courage, focus. Beside obstacles, the Wallaby curriculum also focusses on precision riding, weight transfer, cornering and braking techniques. Coaches only act as guides in this absorbing process of self discovery, as kids are confronted by various situations and obstacles. These sessions can be physically strenuous, but Wallabies are too busy trying new stuff to realize how tired they are. Expect a very satisfied but also quite weary kid at the end of each session.

Dingos

Dingo girls and boys still practice in the safety of Gap Creek grassy meadows. Meadows exercises are similar to Wallabies’ but require higher stamina and stronger concentration. Obstacles get bigger, kids are put in situations which emulate a situation where they lose control of their bike so that they learn how to safely avoid an accident, all whilst remaining in the safety of the grassy meadow. Dingo girls and boys are also very excited and emotional as they head off onto the trail to try out the skills they acquired on Gap Creek meadows. Mental strength and stamina development are on a track of their own by now. The trail is an opportunity to develop skills that cannot be fully nurtured on a flat grassy area: mostly cornering and braking techniques. Dingos learn to read the track and adapt their riding style. Speed and distance covered progressively increase, without kids even realizing! Coaches sometimes find it hard to keep up.

Death Adders

For Death Adders, girls and boys, it now all comes together in one big burst of fun, social interaction, mutual respect and support. Death Adders, under the watchful eyes of highly skilled riders, develop into seasoned riders. They still practice very focussed exercises on the grassy meadow, which has seen them grow. This is just a new beginning. Where will their riding take them? Cross-country, free ride, casual skilled, fast skilled, relaxed confident, recreational social… Death Adders come in all riding style colours, flavour and shape! Maybe some competition later, maybe not! Maybe some coaching! It doesn’t matter. For them, mountain-biking has now become a passion that will accompany them for a lifetime, make them strong, resilient adults with big heart and a big grin on their faces. What can make parents, coaches, helper parents any prouder than that?

LADA

Life After Death Adders!
Yep, the kids just keep getting better and better.  And as they don't want to leave the club, we had to expand upwards for them.  
The LADA program takes what we do and cranks it up another level.  These kids are typically starting to outride their parents.  They are safe, fast, confident, knowledgeable and super talented.  They ride because they love it.  They are having an absolute blast on their bikes and you can see that when you ride with them.  Some enter races.  CX, XC, Gravity Enduro, Down Hill, you name it they'll try it. 
High level professional coaches are required to deliver sessions to the LADA kids.  Term fees are slightly higher, but still great value at approx. $190 for 9 sessions.