Yes, in-person private lessons can be a great alternative. However, it is not always possible to get in-person lessons. It requires a lot of time, effort, commitment, and communication. In an hour lesson, you are not just committed to that hour, you need time to get ready and get to the gym and go home. Gyms also typically only operate lessons within a certain window, and it is difficult to make lessons work because of your own schedule. Getting at-home workouts allow you to practice and train whenever, wherever.

Yes, at-home workouts can be just as helpful as in-person. In some cases, at-home lessons are a better alternative to in-person classes depending on the athlete. The main goal is to isolate their environment and move the focus to solely on them. It removes all the peer pressure from friends and the feeling that they need to be performing or progressing a certain way. This also removes the time constraint. It creates direction and priority for the athletes and gives them clear objectives without the need to travel.

Yes, to a certain extent you can use YouTube and social media to learn skills. We see many athletes successfully learn skills this way. However, on a safety and awareness level, it can become dangerous when starting to learn more complex skills. Self-taught skills can sometimes lead to false sense of confidence and awareness. It can also lead to skills being done incorrectly and can cause issues later on. For example, if you learn a side aerial on your left leg, but front walk over on your right leg, learning a front aerial will not work because you are on opposite legs. When self-teaching you do not know all the mistakes you are making and how to correct them, and after a while you also start to run out of skills to learn.

The first and most important thing is that you are practicing dangerous skills, and in the event, you get hurt, you should have a responsible adult around that can help you. The second part is to have a large space to practice. If you are going to practice in your backyard, try to be on as flat of ground as possible. When practicing outside, try to do so in daylight and never at night. Shadows and darkness can change your air awareness and depth perception.

You should have some type of foldable panel mat that you can lay out to practice and land on. It is sometimes helpful to have more than one panel mat that you can hurdle off of or connect your mats together. Another good tool to have would be an air track. They come in all types of lengths, ranging from a small square to long rectangles. Other equipment such as wedge mats or boulders/barrels can be used but are not necessary.

Overall fitness contributes to being a well-rounded individual and athlete physically, mentally, and emotionally. You are an athlete before you are a dancer, gymnast, cheerleader, football player, soccer player, etc. In the media, it is always talked about how athletic someone is and how well they perform as an athlete, rather than how well they perform as a sport specialist. Overall fitness contributes to a better, stronger, and healthier lifestyle and well-being. It boasts your mood, energy levels, and helps with mental stability.