RULES, REPETITION AND DISCIPLINE

Personally, I think it's better to speak less as I aim to not come across as condescending but the marketing guy thinks we need more content 🤨.

So here goes... 

Sometimes we do subtle things in class that you may have missed. So I thought I would post this to let in on the secret.

So one of the ways we develop internal discipline in the children involves.

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WEARING UNIFORMS

Students have to remember to bring their uniform, which helps with preparation, and memory.

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PUTTING THEIR SHOES AND SOCKS NEATLY NEAR THE WALL

[NB: Only for acrobatics classes]

The students have to everywhere remember to place their shoes in the same spot neatly. Why does this help? Well, the repetitions and the fact that they have to remember to do this without being prompted to do so is the value.

If you have to remind someone to do something over and over then they are only doing it because you are prompting them to. That is to say, they require external influences to do something.

However, if they can do something that you have told them without constant reminders then it shows that they have internalised the lesson, and have developed the ability to choose to do it by themselves.

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THE CHILDREN HAVE TO TOUCH THE WALL IF THEY ARE NEAR IT

As part of one of the games we play, we get the children to touch the wall. It is helpful when the children start to become too excited and start running about the hall randomly.

We quickly get them back into a focused state by asking them to touch the wall. An easy thing to understand for a child.

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THE CHILDREN NEED TO TAKE CHARGE OF THEIR TRAINING BEFORE THE GRADING

For children over 8, we introduce them to the grading system. As part of this process, we train the children and remind them of how to do moves over the first 1.5 months but in the second 1.5 months before the grading we DELIBERATELY WITHDRAW REMINDERS.

Why do we do this? Why let them struggle?

Well, we do this because life has struggles and stress. We want to teach beyond the jump. We teach them how to overcome this. How to deal with feeling like you can’t make it alone and realise that you are more than capable.

For us, a good coach is one that trains you to be able to do the movements even if they are no longer there. Because if you don’t, if you constantly remind them and they cannot do the moves or training without you, then what you have trained them to be is dependent on you.

We aim to TRAIN THEM TO BE INDEPENDENT, AND DISCIPLINED in their training, EVEN WHEN WE ARE NOT AROUND.

I might be wrong or old-fashioned, but this is the culture that we foster at London Parkour Project and this is the way we do things. So if you resonate with our culture or you think that your children may gain something from their time with us then bring them on down.