Mom Struggles with Teaching Her Child to Ride

I saw this BLOG post this morning.  It sounds like many parents I have talked to over the last year.  You can click on her post and see my comments.  I have also added my comments belows. 

Bike Coach

Guest Mom: No More Training Wheels

I am a working mom of two children who keep me busy all the time.

 

Excerpt:

If we can hire people to baby proof our homes, teach us how to breastfeed, and cook meals for us, how come I could not hire someone to help my daughter to learn to ride her bike without training wheels? I tried. I offered our next door neighbor who is fifteen the chance to earn some money and she turned me down. So it was up to my husband, my daughter, and I to figure this out. Although she is now the resident “expert” on our block, this accomplishment did not come easy. It has been a labor of love, tears, scrapes, sore backs, discouragement, and dare I say, yelling.

 

 

Comments by Bike Coach:

Hello Guest Mom, I have heard your story dozens if not
hundreds a hundred times.  We want our children to ride, feel the freedom and
confidence it all brings only to have them frustrated and then scared to try any
more.  I am very proud for your daughter that she had the persistence to keep
trying.    

If I may give some advise for the next Mom or Dad:
struggling with the “learning to ride a bike process”.  This mom started off right,
taking the training wheels off.  Only, you needed to add one more step, take the Pedals off also.  Balance is the key to riding, not pedaling.  With the pedals
off make sure they can be on the seat with their feet flat on the ground and a
slight bend in their legs.  They must be completely comfortable that they can
put their feet on the ground easily to keep themselves up right.  Too small is
much better than too large.  Now they can push the bike like a scooter or I call
it a pushbike.  The progression is a simple as walk, run, coast, coast and turn
(s turns).  No need to push they will get it very quickly.  A big open parking
lot with a slight slope is very helpful.  Once you see they can balance and
control their bike put the pedals back on. (I have more helpful hints if anyone is interested).

I started telling my friends and neighbors about this more
than 10 years ago.  Some would do it with great success while other went another
direction, so I decided to prove it works and make it easier for parents to
engage their children.  I wrote a children’s picture book called “Learning to Ride with the Bits”.  It is my families’ true story of how my
children learned to ride using the method I briefly described above.  The book
allows children to see themselves in the process.  It is also great parent time
reading together.  I say I wrote it to help teach children and their parents an
effective way to learn to ride, fun for kids and easy for parents.  My family
and I started teaching classes mostly to show that it really works and found
there is a big need and we loved it.  Over the last year we have had more than
200 kids (ages 3 – 16) learn to ride in 4 1-hours sessions (95% successful). 
Now I cannot seem to keep up with training request now and my regular job as the
word has gotten out.  I never dreamed I could touch the lives of so many
children and their parents. The testimonials have been great. 

I anyone out there is interested in starting training
programs in their community I would be happy to discuss further. 

Best Regards,

Harvey A. Nix

Aka “Bike Coach” or “Daddy Bit”

www.notrainingwheels.net

www.bikecoachonline.com

 

Two-Wheel Success Creates Confidence

This article was written about how No Training Wheels LLC started in the Life section of Over the Mountain Journal (Birmingham, AL) just before fathers day 2008. 

Please email me if you have any questions.

Bike Coach……

hnix@notrainingwheels.net

Two-Wheel Success Creates Confident Kids

Cary Estes

Over The Mountain Journal Staff Writer

Tuesday June 10, 2008

Harvey Nix In raising his three children, Harvey Nix wanted to ensure that they would one day be able to stand on their own two feet. And one of the best steps in that direction, he discovered, was to make sure that they could stand on two wheels. Like a legion of fathers before him, Nix felt both a powerful bond and a twinge of separation when he taught his children how to ride a bicycle. The bond came with the generational passing of a skill that is a cherished part of many childhoods. The separation came from watching his children pedal away from him, enjoying true independence for the first time in their young lives. “Riding a bike is a rite of passage,” Nix says. “There are certain life events that change you. Learning to walk is one of those, but most of us don’t remember that. But we remember learning to ride a bike. There’s a feeling of independence. People look at you differently after that. “You want kids to have confidence in you as a parent that you’re able to communicate effectively with them to learn something that (creates) a pretty powerful internal feeling. Because when you see them ride, that is a huge freedom thing.” Nix recently decided to help other children and their parents experience the joy of learning how to ride a bike. He wrote a book titled “Learning to Ride with The Bits,” the bits being nicknames he gave his own children: Tyler, Kyle and Rachel. In the book they are referred to as Little Bit, Big Bit and Tiny Bit. The book was released in February 2007. Three months later, Nix began a side business teaching bike-riding classes with the help of his children—who now range in age from 14 to 11—and his wife, Becky. “I wanted to do something I could do with the family, a business that we could do together,” Nix says. “When we filed (for a business license), the kids were involved in that and understanding what it was. They were involved in the whole editing and processing of the book. They had input in advertising, they help with the classes. “So for me, this is a great enjoyment, to spend time with the family. They’re also learning some pretty valuable skills, so it’s another way for me to teach the kids to do things.” Nix, who lives in Birmingham, Alabama, became a bike-riding instructor by accident. The origins date to a moment 11 years ago when his son Tyler, who was 3 at the time, began playing with an old bicycle that did not have any pedals or training wheels on it. “He pushed it around the garage for three months and got to where he could balance really well,” Nix recalls. “I thought, ‘He’s ready to ride.’ When I put the pedals on, he rode it the very first time. “I told that story hundreds of times to friends and family over the years. About five years ago a friend said, ‘That’s such a great story. You should write a book.’ It seemed to be the right time to do it.” Traditionally, most children have ridden bikes equipped with training wheels before attempting to master the two-wheeled variety. Nix, however, says the key to bike riding is learning how to balance, which cannot be accomplished as long as the training wheels are providing extra support. That is why he named his company No Training Wheels LLC. “Most kids are physically able to ride at (age) 3,” Nix says. “The training wheels don’t teach you how to ride. The key is the balance. And if they can walk, then they can balance. It’s not as hard as we’d like to make it.” Nix’s class is divided into four one-hour weekly sessions, and Nix says by the end of the third session more than 95 percent of the children are riding with no difficulty. “I played football through college, and coaches have always been real important to me,” Nix says. “They play a really special part in development. It seems like there are skills that you learn that a good coach can communicate that make it that much better. It’s a life-long thing. “That’s what’s led into this, my innate desire and love to coach. But what I love more is fostering relationships between parents and their kids. If we can teach them how to ride and they feel comfortable that they learned that step, then hopefully they’ll carry that on to other things you can teach them, too.” For details, visit www.notrainingwheels.net. 

If I had tried these things at home, it just wouldn’t work.

A recent note from a mother of a young man (7 year old) that was attending the “No Training Wheels^tm” bike class in Birmingham, Alabama. 

 

“Thanks for the classes so far.  Sam has really enjoyed them and thrives in your process.  If I had tried these things at home, it just wouldn’t work.  He’s excited to practice and coasted all over our neighborhood yesterday.”

 

“Thanks for your work.”

————–

Mary Ann

 

 

I appreciate the feedback from parents.  My desire is that parents and their children are able to strengthen their relationship through bike riding.  This Mom was able to participate with her child because he wanted to practice what he had learned prior to attending the next class.  He was riding by the 3^rd class and so excited.  Talking to Mom after the class “You provide and incredibly valuable service.  My son loved every minute of it and you got much more out of him than I could have.  We are going on a summer vacation for the next three week and I know Sam will be riding a lot.” 

 

Happy riding and enjoying the family time….

 

Bike Coach………

 

 

4 1-Hour Training Sessions to Being Able to Ride for Down Syndrome Young Man

Hello Everyone, there was a major success today that I wanted to share with you.  Jane, Daniels mom, spoke with me about her 16-year-old son with
Downs Syndrome at a recent bike training registration day at a local YMCA.  She had heard about a bike training program for special needs children and adults at a conference she attended.  She asked, “do you do something like that”?  

She so wanted to give her son the opportunity to experience riding by himself.  Daniel and his dad had ridden a tandem, which Daniel enjoyed very much. I had not worked with a handicap like Daniels, but I agreed to work with him.  Jane gave me assurance she would be patent with the progress.  There are two video clip links below. 

The first is during the second class.  Daniel progressed significantly to get this far.  He was enjoying the games we played to build bike riding skills.

The secondvideo is the end of the 4th one-hour session.  You will be amazed at the difference.  

Daniel has become a friend I enjoy spending time with.  He has lofty goals.  One of which is to ride in the Tour de France.  I am ecstatic I had the opportunity to get
him started on this goal.  We will spend the next few training session working on some more of the finer bicycling skills.  I can not wait to see him in the Tour de France.  

The bike training method I used with Daniel is the same method I use with chidlren as young as two.  You can learn more by visiting www.bikecoachonline.com or www.notrainingwheels.net.
 

Have a great day….

HarveyA. Nix

NoTraining Wheels, LLC

hnix@notrainingwheels.net

Is Your Child Ready to Ride a Bike with No Training Wheels

What is the right age for your child to ride a bike?  Is it 5, 6 or 7?  Traditional wisdom would say a child is not ready to ride until they are 5 or 6.  I will be at a location promoting bike training classes and I will hear parents pass by with their child and quietly whisper “your not ready for that, you still have training wheels on”.  It makes me think, who is not
ready for it because it is certainly not the child.  Training wheels are what everyone does but I believe it is a huge disservice to your child to use them.  

 

Who decided when your child should be walking?  It definitely was not a date the parent set out.   A child will walk when they are ready if given the opportunity to learn the right skills. 

 

Parents help encourage the skills by:

q      Using a jumpie seat to gain leg strength

q      holding them up again strength in their legs and sense balance

q      letting the child hold their fingers and walking them around or
using a walker

By taking small progressive steps a child develops the skills to walk.  It is not from lying on the floor to up and walking.  One day the child put all the steps together and starts walking.  Walking is one of the milestones in life.  What excitement the parents, grandparents, friends and neighbors feel.  The child also has a significant sense of accomplishment. 

But what if parents just arbitrarily put walking as a skill that should not happen until a child reaches say 5.  Even though the child may have the capability the parents still make the child use a stabilizing walker to walk around.  Sounds absurd, yes, but that is what happens with children learning to ride a bicycle with training wheels. 

Riding a bike with “NoTraining Wheels” is another life milestone that produces many benefits

•  Positive Self-Esteem
   
•  Healthy Parent/Child
   Interaction
•  Physical Activity
   
•  Many years of fun
   riding experiences as a family

 

So why is it parents allow a physically ready child to ride a bike with training wheels (stabilizers or crutches)?  I believe it is because the parents don’t know the incremental steps to teaching a child to ride.  I will share all of the steps through a series of articles.  I hope it will help make you comfortable and capable of teaching your child to ride.    

Step 1 – How do you know your child is ready to start learning to ride a bike with “No Training Wheels”?

Step 2 – How do you know you have the right bike?

Step 3 – Bike Safety

Step 3 – What are the incremental steps to Learning to Ride?

Please let me know if you have any questions?

God Bless,

 

Daddy Bit

 

Hello world! The Start of “BikeCoachOnline”

What do you want to be when you grow up?

Hello everyone, you have probably heard, “what do you want to be when you grow up”? Being over 40, struggling with past and present careers, I have contemplated this quite a bit recently. It is not that I have not been successful within my career; in fact, I have had an extremely successful sales career. Companies are willing to pay me quite a bit of money to sell their products. What is the definition of successful? Happiness, Financial success, Esteem, Position.

But, back to the question, “what do you want to be when you grow UP”? Obviously not an English teacher as you will soon become aware of in reading my BLOGS, but I will try. I want to be a COACH? I want to impact peoples lives. I have inadvertently coached other staff in perfecting their sales skills, youth football, my children in life and children how to ride. COACHES have impacted my life both positively and negatively. Some day, I will share some stories of my good and bad coaches experiences. I guess the point being, a good COACH impacts a life positively in far reaching ways regardless of what was being taught. By inverse, a BAD COACH can ……… well you know!

What makes a good coach? Is it Skill, Knowledge, Love, Understanding, Motivation? More to write
about.

I guess that is a long introduction to what this site is about.

I consider learning to ride a bicycle with no training wheels a life event right up there with WALKING, GETTING MARRIED and HAVING CHILDREN. It may sound crazy but think about those events in my life that made me feel and others that look at me feel different.

I learned a secret 10 years ago watching my children learn to ride. They taught me the secret and I have shared it with hundreds of other parents in teaching their children. It was amazing fun and simple.
You can learn more at
www.notrainingwheels.net.  It was with the encouragement of my friends and family saying, “you should share that with more people, it is such a great program”.

I want to help Parents teach their Children to ride by providing information, resources and training.

Welcome to the “BikeCoachOnline“.

I am interested in hearing from you.

Have a great
day…DADDYBIT