MX Parents

croom mx wrote:

My dad could not ride a MX bike so he never told me how to ride. I see parents who at most were C riders telling...

My dad could not ride a MX bike so he never told me how to ride. I see parents who at most were C riders telling their National Pros how to ride. Most kids dont listen but , it conflicts with the rider.

flarider wrote:

I have seen both styles work. I know a few riders who don't need to be told anything, even when they have a bad race, they...

I have seen both styles work.

I know a few riders who don't need to be told anything, even when they have a bad race, they know they had a bad race. They may ask questions like "Is so-and-so jumping that?" or "How is so-and-so doing that section?" but that's it. No coaching, no "pumping them up" and no real pressure.

Then I have seen the other side. One extreme was when I worked at Pepsi Air Dania in Ft Lauderdale, and the father of a very fast 65cc rider (LL's winner, who later became a pro) kept pushing him to jump this big triple, on a 65! It was a huge gap. He was yelling and screaming, to the point that we were about to get involved and tell the Dad to STFU because the kid was crying. Kid went out and hucked it, and after that he did it every lap, lap after lap. Couple weeks later I spoke to the Dad about that night and he said "I knew he could do it, he didn't know he could do it, so I had to push him over that barrier, and you now see it's no problem, and so does he."

Parents know their kids and they know what makes their kid respond and what makes them shut down.
It's hard to sit on the outside and make inside calls on people (kids) we really know little about.

There's always going to be dick parents, just like in any sport, you see it in pee-wee and high school football, Dad's living vicariously through their son's accomplishments and believing their boy is "the next big thing"

flarider wrote:

I have seen both styles work. I know a few riders who don't need to be told anything, even when they have a bad race, they...

I have seen both styles work.

I know a few riders who don't need to be told anything, even when they have a bad race, they know they had a bad race. They may ask questions like "Is so-and-so jumping that?" or "How is so-and-so doing that section?" but that's it. No coaching, no "pumping them up" and no real pressure.

Then I have seen the other side. One extreme was when I worked at Pepsi Air Dania in Ft Lauderdale, and the father of a very fast 65cc rider (LL's winner, who later became a pro) kept pushing him to jump this big triple, on a 65! It was a huge gap. He was yelling and screaming, to the point that we were about to get involved and tell the Dad to STFU because the kid was crying. Kid went out and hucked it, and after that he did it every lap, lap after lap. Couple weeks later I spoke to the Dad about that night and he said "I knew he could do it, he didn't know he could do it, so I had to push him over that barrier, and you now see it's no problem, and so does he."

Parents know their kids and they know what makes their kid respond and what makes them shut down.
It's hard to sit on the outside and make inside calls on people (kids) we really know little about.

There's always going to be dick parents, just like in any sport, you see it in pee-wee and high school football, Dad's living vicariously through their son's accomplishments and believing their boy is "the next big thing"

jleews6 wrote:

I have helped my son from the begining and we work good together because we respect each other and I NEVER ask for more then for...

I have helped my son from the begining and we work good together because we respect each other and I NEVER ask for more then for him to do the best he can do. The funny thing is that now my son is way beyond where I ever was and I feel like I cant really be of any help to him anymore.So, I thought it would be a good idea to send him to South of the border MX to train down there. He went for a week and told me that although he liked the school and he really liked Jimmy Weinert he didnt like riding without me there and he felt like he didnt ride good at all without me.
So,,,, I went out and bought me a new 450 and now we ride together and I think it has helped both of us because although I have lost my speed I can still help him with picking lines. Plust there is nothing better then to be able to spend a day riding with your son.

Anonymous wrote:

I just watched Inside Moto and Dean Wilson's father was talking and saying that sometimes its better to leave your kid alone and not tell him...

I just watched Inside Moto and Dean Wilson's father was talking and saying that sometimes its better to leave your kid alone and not tell him what to do because they already know what to do in MX. They need support in the early years but once they reach the National level they need to be on their own.

mjskier wrote:

[b]Parents know their kids and they know what makes their kid respond and what makes them shut down. [/b] Make that "[b]some[/b]" parents. I've seen some...

Parents know their kids and they know what makes their kid respond and what makes them shut down.


Make that "some" parents.
I've seen some really screwed thing. Like this guy who wants a kid to be an Olympic skier.
The guy is not married. He picks an egg donor based on some genetic traits and has a carrier artificially inseminated.
He then had the kid on ski before he could walk.
Fast forward a few years and he wants his now 4 year old to join an adult bump skiing clinic. The kid is not ready but his dad about has a tantrum because the head coach tells him it isn't going to happen.
From what I've heard he's had numerous runs in with the ski patrol at his home ski area. His behavior is basically child abuse. One particular day the kid is freezing, sitting in a snow in tears and that asshole is yelling at him to get his ass in gear. The patrol intervenes and he is threatening with a lawsuit.
Now don't tell me that guy knows his kid. He is just a fucked up guy who is doing his little science experiment.

jndmx wrote:

Just like every kid is different.....every parent is different.

Some guys need that push and other do better without too much of it.

croom mx wrote:

I think it good to teach your kids how to ride, that's not what this post is about, Its about about riders, who have learned to...

I think it good to teach your kids how to ride, that's not what this post is about, Its about about riders, who have learned to ride fast and reach the Pro level. Their parent's , need to let them alone to find out what's waiting for them.