TRICKING | NO LIMITS

NO LIMITS

ONE TRICKER’S MISSION TO MAKE TRICKING ACCESSIBLE FOR ALL

Bursting onto the scene in the early 2000s, tricking has gone on to become a bit of a phenomenon. An edgy mix of moves inspired by martial arts, gymnastics and breaking, tricking is a freestyle discipline that has grown rapidly over the past two decades and is attracting newbies from far and wide.

Kojo’s Trick Lab is the world’s leading online teaching resource for tricking. It’s full of resources for those interested in tricking to learn everything they need to know, including the basics, how to tackle tougher tricks, nutrition and insights from professionals. But did Sam Kojo, founder of Kojo’s Trick Lab ever think it would be so successful? Well, we asked him and he told us! He said: “I learnt from my time tricking that you can only get good at something if you believe you can. If you don't imagine yourself succeeding in the future then you won't be able to stay motivated through the hard times. I wholeheartedly believe Kojo’s Trick Lab will be a lot bigger in the future and that gives me the motivation I need to get it to that point.”

Sam knows what he is talking about as he’s been tricking for about ten years and

his love for it is still as strong as ever. He said: “I love the act of tricking as the moves feel great to do. I think the lessons I learn from it in terms of how to overcome challenges and achieve goals are what keep me going after so long.”

Sam’s answer was simple; he explained: “My main motivation for creating a teaching resource was seeing how a lack of information and support stopped me from reaching my true potential. This made me want to change things so that new trickers had the chance to access all the information they would need to improve as fast as possible, from anywhere in the world, instead of being limited if they don’t happen to have a great coach nearby.”

And there’s certainly no lack of resources for visitors to the site to use. There are countless video tutorials ranging from the beginner to expert level, an analysis section packed full of helpful videos, a nutrition area full of tips and guides on how to fuel up before a session and how to manage your diet in general as a tricker. There’s also information on how to manage your mindset, stretching and mobility skills and training techniques.

We asked Sam to explain the biggest obstacles he’s faced and how he’s managed to overcome them. “There have been many challenges since starting the site,” he said. “The biggest ones included breaking my ankle six months after starting, the website being hacked and having to learn how to deal with taxes!

“Although my doctor told me that I would never be able to trick again after breaking my ankle, I fully believed that I would. This belief gave me the motivation I needed to con-

SO WHAT WAS THE CATALYST FOR MAKING THE MOVE FROM STUDENT TO MASTER, AS IT WERE?

PHOTO CREDIT: Knots and Shots Photography https://instagram.com/knotsandshots?igshid= 14wvw8y291roc

dition and stretch my ankle daily. After over two years of that my ankle is doing pretty well!”

Looking towards the future, Sam said “I want to make Kojo’s Trick Lab an entertainment platform for tricking as well as an educational platform,” Sam explained. “I plan to organise real world events and tours then host the aftermovies on my website.”

We asked Sam what advice he would give to other young people who are looking to take up tricking as a hobby, or even a career. He answered: “My advice for anyone getting into tricking is to view all tricks as something you can do but need to take some action. For example, you don't doubt your ability to go to Wales. You'd just need to drive or take a bus or a train. You need that same perspective for tricking! You can do a double backflip you just need to do a few thousand backflips, a couple hundred double backflips on a trampoline, a couple hundred into a foam pit, a couple hundred onto a crash mat and then you've got it. View all tricks like that and there's no need for stress or doubt, you just take the necessary steps to achieve what you want. Kojo’s Trick Lab plays the role of a car in your journey to Wales, it makes getting to your destination comfortable and fast, but you still need to be the driver!”

“YOU CAN ONLY GET GOOD AT SOMETHING IF YOU BELIEVE YOU CAN.”

INFO BOX

If you want to check out Kojo’s Trick Lab, take a look at www.kojostricklab.com