Now, it's true tricking has an unforgivably steep learning curve for beginners, so advice like this isn't always helpful, because people get discouraged and then give up. It can take months to learn any one trick whether you're experienced or not. In the past, this was the only reason any aspiring trickster would give up. But today, the modern novice trickster will give up not only because of this discouragement, but also because of distraction. For those outside looking in, trying to make sense of modern tricking is like trying to make sense of a cluttered desktop.
When I started tricking there were only about one dozen tricks. I'm actually serious! Getting into tricking was really easy back then because you could learn the names of every one of these tricks and know who was who in the tricking world in like half an hour. It's hard to believe, but this was what the tricking world was like back then. It was small. I mean, there was actually no such thing as a swing through! And corks were a rarity! Back then, new tricks were invented at the glacial rate of, oh, I don't know, a few per year? I want you to think about all of this for one moment, think about this pretty hard:
If you lived in the kind of tricking world I just described, how would you train?
Clear your desktop
I have a lot of respect for new tricksters these days, there are just too many tricks to learn. Too many styles and niches. It's a lot harder getting into tricking nowadays because of the sheer number of choices. Discouragement walks hand in hand with distraction now. My advice to anybody outside the tricking world looking in: pick just one, basic, popular trick and learn it. Don't pick some weird trick like a donut boy or a spyder. Pick a back flip or a 540 kick. Don't pick more than one trick. Because failing two tricks turns into failing three tricks turns into failing five tricks turns into failing twelve tricks. This doesn't mean just keep crashing it the same way: break it down into prerequisite movements and work on progression drills, but make sure they are all leading up to that one trick. Be very disciplined about all this. Because if you can't even do that one trick, you can't do any tricks. Diversify? No, don't do that, it won't work yet. Diversification doesn't work until you can do lots of tricks very well, at which point it's essential. But when you are just starting you need to get past that steep learning curve before you diversify. You'll get past that steep learning curve when you can actually do one trick well. Then another trick. Then another trick. You'll have fun and succeed with tricking not when you continue failing one hundred at a time, but when you begin owning one at a time. So clear your desktop. Get to work.
E-book = February-March I wrote most of the text. May I get the pictures. June I put the pictures into my text. July I rework it from there. August I format and determine best way to release it. September I release it. That’s my plan at the moment and it’s going so far. I’d be okay with releasing it before November, but there’s no reason for me to keep delaying really…
For your question about my lifting. The past few years I’ve focused primarily on my weaknesses (arms and chest). Bad genetics for these parts, I put in lots of work here. Lots of curl, tricep extension variations. Lots of “arm” workouts. My back and legs my genetics are average. I enjoy working them but know I don’t need to do much there. And since I also like deadlifting for deadlifting’s sake, and ring training for ring’s sake, those are great for back work… So day to day, week to week it’s almost always upper body day, I don’t do legs hardly at all. I use them to trick not to leg press, squat etc… Although I’m strong here regardless… Anyway I need to work hard to bring up these weaknesses, my strengths typically take care of themselves.
Spring is def good too! (here come my excuses haha)
Oh sweet. Okay cool. Thanks for letting me know how that process with the e-book was going. Sounds like you have a solid plan for whats going on with it.
That makes sense. My weak areas are chest, back, shoulder, and calves ahaha. Luckily arms have been good to me most of my life. Sleeveless shirts bab-ay! Legs are thick too. Just everything else is a pain to grow. Chest mostly. You gave me some great tips for chest before though! Back gets defined but never wide. Yeah i’m super critical, but I know what I want damnit!!!!!!$%^&%^&
Oh yeah and when you get a chance.. please put up a new vid on youtube. Missin your vids mang!
Very good article! The principles can essentially be taken for everything else in training or life. Focus and get good at one thing, then progress to the next. The fun thing is, that the more things you are going to be good at, the easier it will normally get, to learn and become good at new things, because what you learned before will have a carryover to what you’re going to learn.
Thank you and keep this as awesome as it already is!
Nico
Exactly what you said here “the more things you are going to be good at, the easier it will normally get, to learn and become good at new things, because what you learned before will have a carryover to what you’re going to learn.”
In regards to carryover you hit the nail on the head: carryover actually “works” when you’re getting carryover from something you’ve “gotten the hang of” or “mastered” … it doesn’t work for something you have only tried a few times and failed at or have never really gotten that good at.
God i’d love to get back into tricking. I make up too many excuses. This summer I will damnit!!!