HELSINKI TRICKING COURSES

 

Tricking Helsinki

Do you live in the capital region? Are you interested in tricking? Is your child interested in trick-or-treating? If you answered yes to any of these questions, read this article.

 The activity, which started in autumn 2020, has attracted more enthusiasts all the time.

The communal nature of the activity and expert instructors provide a high-quality and safe experience for both experienced and beginner enthusiasts.

In the fall of 2020, the Helsinki tricking course was organized on Sundays from 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. in Kivikko. The instructors are experienced professionals Johannes Anttila and Topi Rantanen. 

We interviewed enthusiasts, their parents and instructors, all of whom are very satisfied with the operation of Legend Trick Gym in Helsinki.

Legend Trick Gym is from Vellu Saarela, the multiple European trick champion founded and managed by a top specialist in the sport, whose operations in Tampere will be fully booked in no time.

Now is a unique opportunity to get under the guidance of specialists in the field in Helsinki for spring 2021.

Parents' experiences of children's hobbies

 

Numu & Amis

 

What is best for your child in Legend Trick Gym/ Tricking Helsinki?

Children get exercise and energy. They use energy in a positive way.

 

As a parent, would you recommend this activity?

I would say bring your other older children here too, because there is a good and social feeling here. Children are allowed to move and this is a good counterbalance to being on a cell phone and tablet or watching TV. This gives good energy and joy.

 

How do you see the community here?

There are a lot of people here and everyone is moving and smiling. This is a good thing to do together.

 

Oskar & Lauri

 

Lauri, what is best for Oskar in this activity?

A few months ago, I didn't even know what a trick was. My son told me about the sport and it was already tricks to practice independently.

After investigating the matter more, I found Vellu Saarela's Legend Trick Gym in Tampere and at the same time realized the beauty of the sport. Oskar has tried many sports before, but this was the first one that he really wanted to start. Oskar is now completely engrossed in the sport and that's a good thing. This kind of thing can be carried through the whole life as a healthy and active lifestyle.

 

Would you recommend this to other parents thinking about their children's hobbies?

Absolutely. There is a great fun and positive feeling here, which stems from the joy of exercise and the professionalism of the instructors. I couldn't wish for anything better for my child.

Introducing Helsinki's tricking instructors

 

Johannes Anttila, tricker / Tricking instructor

 

What made you start tricking?

My mother enrolled me in diving when I was 10 years old. I got interested in somersaults and ended up in the elementary group of balance beam gymnastics. There, too, the vaults were interesting and everything else in the balance beam seemed boring. I bumped into boys during training who had been doing freerunning for some time. They made YouTube videos of their tricks. I started doing the same thing myself: freestyle vaults on the trampoline, on the ground and from platforms. As I recall, we used to call this a trick. I started filming my stunts regularly and my development exploded.

 

Link embedded in the blog: (My development as a tricker 2011–2020:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DUDIqVopWd4).

 

I kept doing more and more demanding flip sets on gound. You could call it a trick, but I didn't do kicks at all back then. I was probably 16 or 17 when I realized that a trickster must also know how to kick. I slowly started to add them to my list of tricks and that's how I officially became a trickster in my own eyes.

 

What is a trick?

What a trick is for someone depends on how you define it. It is most commonly defined as a combination of flips, kicks and twists. These elements can be combined either in series or even in individual movements. Some people think that a trickster needs to know how to use all the elements, and some think it's enough to know how to do some tricks. I myself am in favor of the latter. However, I believe that you get the most out of the sport when you know how to utilize all of its elements, and not just one or two.

 

You are 24 years old and you are here at Kiviko's gym on Sunday morning warming up at 9:15. What does tricking mean to you?

Tricking is a passion for me, a way to express myself and overall the best hobby I could ever wish for. I feel that the longer I do this, the more enjoyment and content I get from it in my life. Hunger seems to grow when eating. The more I learn, the more I want to learn more.

 

Is this a way of life for you?

Absolutely! Yes, you could say that tricking is strongly visible in my everyday life and often comes before many things. I'm a university student, but I still always reserve a lot of time for trick-or-treating and related training. However, I feel that there is usually a good balance between studying, training, coaching and rest/relaxation.

 

How do you support children and young people in training?

In training, it is important to me that new enthusiasts get mental support and tips for training. In the training, they try to get the enthusiasts to work hard in order to experience success. Pushing yourself appropriately can be difficult, especially at first, but it is necessary to succeed in this sport and to maintain interest. In addition, I always try to emphasize that it would be good to do basic strength and flexibility training at home, in order to gain more strength for tricks faster.

What are your values as a stunt instructor?

As a director, I always try to give my all. Hobbyists should learn everything they need to know about tricks before practicing them. I always try to take into account the special needs of new enthusiasts when it comes to learning tricks. Everyone should have fun in training and everyone should have the same opportunities to learn something new.

 

How does community spirit show up in trick-or-treating?

For me, tricking involves supporting others and training together. Whenever we find a common schedule and training place, we try to train together. Then you usually also have to push yourself a little harder. In social media, liking and commenting on friends' video posts is part of it. In general, trickers use Instagram a lot to share their videos. At tricking events, i.e. gatherings, community is best seen. There we trick and talk about tricking in a big group. Everyone supports each other and the vibe is great.

 

How many hobbyists are there in Finland?

This is a difficult question. I can't give an answer to this. It depends on who defines themselves as a trick enthusiast and who doesn't. Before, all tricking enthusiasts were self-taught and then it was easier to tell who considered themselves a tricker and who didn't. All the tricksters at least knew each other. Now the number of trick-or-treaters is increasing, because LegendTrick Gym in Tampere organizes plenty of guided classes.

 

How do you see the future of trick-or-treating in Finland?

I think that when the hobby opportunities and knowledge about tricking increase, the practice of the sport will increase significantly. This already happened in Tampere thanks to LegendTrick Gym.

 

Who would you recommend tricking to?

Tricking is suitable for everyone. It's especially worth trying if you're interested in vaulting and body control tricks. If you feel that you haven't found your own sport yet, you should try trickery! When the initial difficulties have been put aside and the training is carried out safely, the training enthusiast only gets better as new tricks and insights rain down!

 

Topi Rantanen, tricker / tricking instructor

 

What does tricking mean to you?

Tricking is still a fairly new sport for me, which I have started actively practicing in the last year. The best thing about the sport is its versatility, showiness and endless different movement combinations. In addition, the sport gives room for creativity and the development of one's own style. I've always been very interested in moving the body in different ways, which later in adulthood led to practicing tricks in general and now to trickery. This sport has already become a part of my identity.

How did you find the trick?

Only in adulthood, when good conditions made it possible, did I start practicing tricks that are better known from the side of gymnastics. Arabian cartwheels, flips, flips and twists were the first things I was introduced to in the world of tricks. Later, I practiced a few trick tricks that I saw others doing in the same training facilities and I soon realized that this is a sport of its own. That's where it started.

How do you support children and young people in training? 

It is difficult for many children to throw themselves into practicing things that they do not immediately know. I also remember this from my own childhood. I want to inspire and support children in training by reminding them that even incredible things can be learned if you just try again long enough, and that in this case the best tricksters have failed hundreds of thousands of times while practicing. You can only learn by practicing and trying. Things that have already been learned should also be repeated and carried with you in your own training.

What values do you have in your guidance work?

The role of a good adult is important. I treat every intern equally, but in guidance you must also be able to take into account the meeting of different individuals. Each person is a different person, so I try to find a way to inspire and motivate them and make the learning stick as well as possible. Although I feel that I am a relaxed and approachable instructor, I also consider it important that the instructor is listened to during classes and that the training time is used for training and not for messing around. Discipline in acrobatic sports is very important to avoid unnecessary injuries.

 

What do you see the future of trickery in Finland?

Tricking has been on the rise for a long time, but the growth has been especially visible since Vellu Saarela founded Finland's first tricking gym, Legend Trick Gym, in Tampere! The number of hobbyists and demand is increasing all the time, and now that we also have a tricking course in Helsinki, it has been great to be there and see how tricking as a sport attracts people to do it. I believe that with long-term work and good energy, more and more people will hear about the sport and get excited about it, which will increase the demand for trick-or-treating in other parts of Finland.

Who would you recommend tricking to?

For everyone who is interested in body control, dynamics and challenging themselves. Tricking is so versatile as a sport that there are many movements that you can practice without any background in sports. Of course, the sport requires motor skills, balance, mobility and explosiveness, but all these develop during training. Tricking really brings a lot of joy, challenge and interest to my own life, so that I believe it brings the same to others as well. What could be more fun than learning new tricks that can be done almost anywhere?

What does the community of trickers mean to you?

Yes, community is a big deal. Even though I'm used to training alone a lot, because I have different working hours than many of my friends who do the sport, it's always more fun to train with friends. It is also great that tricking circles organize joint training events, or jams. I always try to come there, if possible, because the atmosphere there is absolutely amazing! From there you get a lot more boost for your own training and at the same time you see friends, even those who live in completely different places. While working out, you can have fun with friends!