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.
Hi juji my name is o and I have a question. I have been tricking for a few months and I have been noticing that I have been losing tricks such as 540 and gainers. Do you have any advice on regain lost skills and getting out of a slump.
Stretch
Hah jk that’s like 90% of advice on forums.
I had never landed a 540 kick after several years of free running and tricking. I took this last December and January off because I was plateauing, started up lifting gratuitously since February and landed it for the first time two weeks ago. Front squats, back squats, power cleans all helped rebuild strength in my legs and improve my old skills. I like Juji’s idea of periodization.
Tl;dr lift weights and use strength to make your jumps explosive
I agree.. Unfortunately I’m pretty good with the modern terminology but I’ld rather not to be because knowing all these tricks, setups, variations and transitions are driving me crazy! I’m waiting for dry grass and warm weathers aswell! I’m so going to spend my time doing shitloads of reps for all the basic tricks and right after that keep drilling them even more.
Vova, this is the summer where we will annihilate all the basic tricks!
I agree. When I was first learning how to play the guitar, it was frustrating as hell. I wanted to quit. But after some time went by as I practiced, I got to a level where I could actually enjoy it. When I would learn a new piece, the difficulty was there, the challenge of playing the notes right, but being better equipped to do so made it less frustrating act and more of an enjoyable grind.
I believe that the idea that something has to be fun can become really distorted easily in learning skills. The initial learning curve is where stuff really sucks. I think that it isn’t until you start seeing some results that you get inspired to do more and then get even more inspired to the point that it feels more fun, even if still challenging. It’s a fun challenge.