raider

Member
May 31, 2001
20
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My oldest son is 7 years old and started racing motocross this summer. Our whole family is having a blast spending the weekends together and meeting a lot of great people. I have been riding off and on for over 15 years, but never competitively and never on a motocross track so I'm not a whole lot of help to him as far as skills go. I'm looking for some suggestions on skills that he should be focusing on at this point (i.e. cornering, starts, jumping, etc.) and was wondering if anyone could share some of their experiences with their kids and let me know what works best.

Thanks.
 

Wraith

Do the impossible its fun
LIFETIME SPONSOR
Jul 16, 2000
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Don't put any pressure on him (like I've seen alot of parents, like the dad at out track with the stopwatch on his 7 year old:scream: ) and just let him ride. I try to keep my son constantly reminded of staying true to his line (not weaving from side to side on the track) and to look ahead. Just keep reminding him of the basics and he'll do fine, and have a great time
 

Jaybird

Apprentice Goon
LIFETIME SPONSOR
Mar 16, 2001
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Charlestown, IN
"Pro motocross & off-road motorcycle riding techniques"
Great book, for you and your son!
 

OLD-N-SLOW

Member
Nov 21, 2000
168
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I am sorry to say that I have been one of the hi pressure dads.:(
Telling my kid to go faster ,try harder do better. well after a time my son tells
me I am not having any fun. Boy that struck me hard. I took something fun
and turned it into a chore. I was very ashamed of myself.
Now we race and I tell him to do his best and have fun. No matter where he
finishes I try to be always up beat( good try, you will gettum next time, way to go). Much better! Happy time at the races.:)
Now I try to pass this message on to other fathers whose kids are just starting out.
Steve
 

Wraith

Do the impossible its fun
LIFETIME SPONSOR
Jul 16, 2000
782
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Don't be so hard on yourself OLD-N-SLOW. I would bet just about everyone of us dads, and even moms, have pushed our kids to where they are not having fun riding. I know I've done it:( I just have to keep reminding myself that it is their time now, not mine. But I can honestly say, that I can just sit there and watch my son ride, with a grin from ear to ear. The best part about the young when watching them ride, is when they learn to do something new (like their first wheelie, jump etc) for the first time, and then having them come over to ask you if you saw it, and how awsome it felt, with a big ear to ear grin themselves. I know I can sit there for hours watching my boy ride. So everyone just remember. It's there time. Not ours.:D
 

Kyron

Member
Feb 3, 2001
65
0
Brake control

Being able to have FULL braking power is very imporant and helps improve corner entrance speed..... almost to the point of doing a stoppie. It really helps with balance.

Other than that I'd say other sports to improve ballance, like freestyle BMX and even gymnastic's......


and keep it fun :cool:
 
Last edited:

smilinicon

Member
Feb 20, 2001
95
0
Figure-eights (riding alone, between two turn points) are probably the simplest and best way to teach accelerating, braking and turning. It teaches how to turn both right and left and blend all aspects. Have them do them while standing up to get that ingrained into their style. You can time them to keep it interesting. Good training from a small area. Teach them to ride first, not jump :)
 

raider

Member
May 31, 2001
20
0
Thanks for the advice everyone. I just want him to have fun and stay safe. Whether he finishes first or last, he always comes off the track with an ear to ear grin. I know he's going to start getting more competitive and aggressive and I just want to make sure he's doing it right and not riding over his head. Not having raced motocross myself, I appreciate any help I can get and DRN sure seems to have a great depth of people who know what they're doing.

Thanks again.
 
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