Question 1

What is Ninja at Balance Brisbane?

Accepted Answer

Our Ninja program takes place in the lower gym, a space specifically designed for ninja activities. It has walls to run up, chimney up, kick off and cat hang from, a Mr Ninja frame to climb the inclined ladder, roll the dice, jump the salmon ladder, cross the cliff hanger and many more obstacles as well as bars, and balance/precision areas. Not forgetting the huge cargo net!  The program combines parkour, ‘ninja warrior’ obstacles and tricking. For children we have bronze, silver and gold levels, each with three progressive stages.  We also run adult ninja and obstacle ninja sessions. Our well trained coaches provide the expertise and environment to improve you or your child’s Ninja skills.   Ninja classes are mixed gender. Generally more boys than girls choose Ninja.

Question 2

How old do you have to be to start Ninja?

Accepted Answer

Our ninja program starts with kindy ninja. This is a day time program for children aged 4 up to school age. Our after school program starts at age 5 and goes up in age and skill levels to adults.

Question 3

Which Ninja class should my child start in?

Accepted Answer

4 year olds can start in our Kindy Ninja program. 5-6 year olds should start in a 5-6 Bronze 1 class. 7-10 year olds should start in a 7-10 Bronze 1 class. 11 and overs should start in a 11 plus Bronze 1-3 combined class or our Obstacle Ninja class.

Question 4

How does my child move up into the next level of class?

Accepted Answer

Our Ninja program is skills based. Each level of class has specific skills which have to be achieved in order to progress. These are displayed on a giant certificate wall in the parents area, and the coaches continually assess and mark off skills. (You can see which skills your Ninja has passed, and what is still to go in your parent portal log in) When all the skills are achieved your child’s coach will give them a slip of paper to take to the desk and then we will present them with their certificate. (You can then choose to move to a higher level class)

Question 5

Which Gymnastics class should my child start in?

Accepted Answer

If your child is a beginner then they should start at the beginning level for their age group.  If they are aged 4-6 then a mixed gender stage 1 beginners class is the correct one.  If they are aged 7 or 8 then one of our 7-8 stage 2 classes is the starting point.  If your child is 9, 10 or 11 then a 9-11 stage 3 class is the one to start in. If your child is 12+ then we have classes specifically for pre-teen & teenagers. If your child has done gymnastics before, the best thing is to talk to our friendly admin team and we will work out the correct stage to trial in, and ask the coach to assess to see if that skill level is correct.

Question 6

How does my child progress to the next stage of Gymnastics class?

Accepted Answer

Our stages program is skills based. Each stage has specific skills which have to be achieved in order to progress. These are displayed on a giant certificate wall in the parents area, and the coaches continually assess and mark off skills. (You can see which skills your gymnast has passed, and what is still to go in your parent portal log in) When all the skills are achieved your child’s coach will give them a slip of paper to take to the desk and then we will present them with their certificate. (You can then choose to move to a higher level class)

Question 7

What is gymnastics at Balance Brisbane?

Accepted Answer

At Balance we run a non competitive gymnastics program. You choose how many hours per week you wish to attend. Our program is designed to safely develop artistic gymnastics skills for all the apparatus. Our beginner stage 1 classes for 4-6 year olds are mixed gender and cover the fundamental movements for the beginning of Gymnastics. As the children move up from there the classes become more specific for boys and girls. We generally find more girls enroll in Gymnastics, and more boys enrol in Ninja.

Question 8

Can I watch my child take part in their class?

Accepted Answer

Yes. At Balance we have both inside and outside parents viewing spaces.

Question 9

What is tumbling at Balance Brisbane?

Accepted Answer

Tumbling at Balance Brisbane utilises our tumble run, air track and sprung floor which allows our coaching team to teach a progressive program from beginner through intermediate to advanced.  Beginners start with forwards and backward rolls, handstands and cartwheels. Intermediate skills include the limber, side aerial on the floor and front sault on the trampoline. Advanced skills include the layout twist on the trampoline, onodi and the front layout on the sprung floor.

Question 10

Why might my child prefer tumbling to gymnastics?

Accepted Answer

Some children love handstands, cartwheels and rolls but don’t enjoy working on bars and beam as much. Tumbling will allow them to focus on the skills they like and make quicker progress than doing all the apparatus.

Question 11

Which Balance Brisbane class is right for my preschool child?

Accepted Answer

Mini Monkeys is for children from 18 months to 3 years, a parent comes into the session with the participants for these sessions.  Juniors is from age 3-4, this is the transition from parents in the session, to parents usually outside watching. Each child is different and parent participation is guided by the needs of the child. The coach may also request parent participation for a particular part of the session. Kindy and Kindy Ninja are for age 4-5. These programs are designed for the kindy year before school. Children are mainly able to participate without parent involvement. (Although you can of course watch)

Question 12

What’s the difference between Kindy and Kindy Ninja?

Accepted Answer

Both of these programs help your kindy age child develop their fundamental movement skills. They help improve balance, coordination, strength and visual spatial skills. Our Kindy program is based on gymnastics, and uses the space set up for this. Sessions are one hour long and teach the beginnings of gymnastics and fundamental movement. Our kindy ninja program is based on parkour, tricking and ninja style movements. They take place in our ninja gym. They are quite high intensity and reasonably physically demanding for that reason we keep the session to 45 minutes in length. There is lots of balancing, climbing over obstacles, rolling, hanging and swinging involved.

Question 13

What should my child wear and bring for their Gymnastics, Tumbling or Ninja session at Balance?"

Accepted Answer

Any light clothing that will allow freedom of movement and not fall over their head in a handstand position is fine. Many girls wear crop tops and shorts. Boys usually wear shorts and shirts. ‘Activewear’ is also perfect.   We ask that everyone brings a water bottle, which they take into the activity with them. Just make sure there are no sharp or hard bits that could hurt them.  It is also best not to have dangling earrings, or necklaces for safety reasons.

Question 14

Do I need to notify Balance Brisbane of an absence?

Accepted Answer

No, the coach takes an electronic roll for each session. If your child is absent this will automatically show in your parent portal account as an available make up.

Question 15

If we are going to miss a week do we need to let you know in advance?

Accepted Answer

No you don’t have to, however you can log into the parent portal and mark an absence ahead of time. This has two advantages, firstly you can book your make-up straight away and even do it before the session was missed, and secondly it makes the place available for someone else to fit in a make-up session while you are away.

Question 16

How much are classes at Balance Brisbane

Accepted Answer

Current prices are shown on our website please follow this link. https://www.balancebrisbane.com.au/prices

Question 17

How do payments work at Balance Brisbane?

Accepted Answer

At Balance Brisbane you commit financially on a termly basis. We send you an invoice by email for the term, including any membership fees if this is your first term of that calendar year. The invoice is usually due at the end of the first week of the term. Or if you join after the start of term, one week after we issue the invoice. You can pay by direct deposit using the bank details on the invoice, by card using the pay now button on the invoice, or at our front desk using a card or cash.

Question 18

What happens if I can’t pay an invoice on time?

Accepted Answer

If you realise that you can’t pay an invoice by the due date, or get a reminder to pay and can’t pay straight away. Please email us at accounts@balancebrisbane.com.au and organise a payment plan with us. You can just reply to the email containing your invoice and that will come to this email address.

Question 19

What is the membership fee for?

Accepted Answer

At Balance we keep the membership fee as low as possible. The fee covers insurance for all participants, admin costs and any affiliation fees we pay on your behalf. All of these costs are per calendar year, so we reduce the cost if you join Balance later in the year.

Question 20

Do I need to re-book for the next term?

Accepted Answer

No, when you book in at Balance Brisbane we continually roll your enrolment over to the next term until you let us know, by email to info@balancebrisbane.com.au, that you are not continuing. This is so that children don’t lose their place in their preferred time slot, with their preferred coach and the same group of children. You only commit financially for one term at a time.

Question 21

What do I need to do if we are not continuing at Balance for the next term?

Accepted Answer

If you are not continuing at Balance Brisbane for the next term, please let us know by email to info@balancebrisbane.com.au. This allows us to plan our coaches, and offer places to new or returning gymnasts and ninjas.

Question 22

How do Make-Ups work at Balance Brisbane? (Summary)

Accepted Answer

Our make-up policy is as flexible as we can make it. At the start of each class our coaches take a roll. If your child is marked absent then the system automatically assigns your parent portal account with an available make-up. You can use your parent portal login to book the make-up session.  Make-ups can be taken any time in the calendar year in which they are missed. We, at our discretion, add extra sessions in the school holidays to help you fit in make-up sessions. We do not guarantee that you can use your make-up sessions, it is your responsibility to book them. The system is first in best dressed.

Question 23

Can I use my make-ups in a different term?

Accepted Answer

You can use any make-ups in any term for the calendar year they were missed, as long as you are still enrolled at Balance Brisbane.

Question 24

Do I have to let you know if we are missing a week to be eligible for a make-up?

Accepted Answer

No you don’t need to let us know in advance. At the start of each class our coaches take a roll. If your child is marked absent then the system automatically assigns your parent portal account with an available make-up.

Question 25

How do you measure progress at Balance?

Accepted Answer

Progression and Certificates For our school age classes in gymnastics, ninja and tumbling we have a progressive program that clearly identifies the skills at each level. When all those skills are attained your coach will give your child a slip to take to the office where we will award your child their certificate. You can then organise the move to a suitable higher level class if that is required. Our gymnasts have stages 1 through to 12. The ninjas Bronze 1-3, Silver 1-3 and Gold 1-3. Our tumblers have beginner, intermediate and advanced.

Question 26

How many hours of gymnastics or ninja does my child need to do each week?

Accepted Answer

At Balance we leave how many hours you wish to do completely up to you. Many of our participants book in for one hour per week. If your child is very keen and wants to make quicker progress you can book more than one session per week, or, depending on the level they are at, a longer session. Currently we have children coming between 1 hour per week, and 7 hours per week.

Question 27

What do I do if my child wants to start competitive gymnastics?

Accepted Answer

That’s great! As you know Balance Brisbane does not offer competitive gymnastics, however we have many contacts in that area and can help you choose the right club for you and your child.

Question 28

How do Trials work at Balance Brisbane?

Accepted Answer

At Balance Brisbane we don’t do ‘Free’ trials. There are various reasons for this. The main one is that we are committed to finding the correct class for you. So if you or your child are unsure which program you want to book into, you can trial a few. You could trial ninja, tumbling and gymnastics and then make a decision on the one you like best. The cost of a trial is just the cost of one session. Venues that offer ‘Free’ trials often build the cost of the trial into the ongoing costs.

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