The Parent Dilemma…
by Steven Meek
Given that our boys grew up in the BMX racing scene, the issue of whether to ride flat pedals or clip pedals was a constant dilemma. Everyone seemed to have their own different perspectives on the matter and it was difficult to make sense of the differing viewpoints.
The year we went to Europe to race for New Zealand in the World BMX Championships in Zolder, Belgium, we met Frank Smets. Frank is the former coach of East Asian Games BMX gold medalist, Steven Wong. We were fortunate to spend a week training at his local BMX track in Dessel.
At that time, our boys were racing in clips to gain more speed, but we discovered that this was discouraged in the European BMX scene and race events did not allow it. And for good technical reason. Frank introduced to us the concept of training in flats so that the boys would not lose the downward drive out of the gate. The other huge advantage was it helped to strengthen their core muscles to prevent them from twisting.
For our boys who loved jumping, the flat pedal training was an essential method to perfect their jump techniques. In terms of jump style and technique the advantage of flats is you have to drive the bike up the face of jumps. While using clip pedals, all kids have to do is lift their legs and the clips will pull the bike up with them. This does not teach jump technique correctly.
Teaching Technique – Clip Pedals vs Flats
You can always tell kids who have learned to jump using clips, because you can see them bending their legs with little aerial control of the bike motion. Due to the versatility that being skilled in both riding flats and clips creates, we adjusted Toby and Rory’s training programme to incorporate much more flat-pedal training. Leading up to any major BMX events, the boys would train 75% on flats and then when it got closer to the event, usually in the last two weeks, the boys would shift to 100% on clips.
However, when it comes to downhill mountain biking we incorporated clip pedals when the boys were very young for completely different reasons. At the ages of five or six the boys would end up crashing because their feet would always slip off the pedals. It made perfect sense to switch the boys to clips pedals for better control. This allowed Toby and Rory to ride down very steep, rocky root sections to prevent their feet bouncing of the pedals as they slid forward.
You might think that putting kids in clips at such a young age sounds reckless for a parent and dangerous but it’s actually safer. Clip pedals give young riders greater control of their bike and it instantly becomes one less thing for them to think about while they are concentrating on tackling difficult terrain. The difference for our boys’ technical riding progression was huge. They started on clips riding downhill at age five and all of a sudden, they could ride down much steeper and rockier sections.
You may now be asking yourself then what is the best way for my son or daughter to begin to learn to ride on clip pedals. We firmly believe this is through BMX riding on purpose-built BMX tracks. However, keep in mind, anytime that we took our boys to dirt parks and jump parks we always switched the boys back onto flat pedals to teach them how to jump properly.
So, as you ponder the decision whether to put your child on clip pedals or flat pedals have a think about what skill they are trying to achieve. Clips and flats have different advantages but the ability to ride a combination of both always allows for greater skill development and technical riding progression. Flat pedals teach kids to jump much better. Clip pedals allow young riders to tackle more difficult downhill terrain at a much younger age. Get your son or daughter a set of both and head out to the local BMX track.
The time has never been better to become multi-talented riders which incredible skill levels at such a young age. The new technology in the bike industry is launching a whole new generation of downhill riders who are reaching stellar heights in skill levels above previous generations. There’s never been a more exciting time to have kids on bikes!
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