[dhrookie]

I feel I'm fast(in my own mind). i know i could be so much faster if i get over the nerves. getting hurt or breaking something sucks ass, i seen two guys in the past three weeks take hard diggers and i don't wanna do that. but i wanna be faster, and seeing that makes me hold the brakes a little longer. what is the best way to get over nerves? just suck it up and roll like a Kamikaze one run and see what happens? I feel like i pick good lines, its the "big" stuff freaks me out(ladder drops, road gap on the 1st one at horns, and the creek gap). i don't want to sit at home for 4-6 weeks healing up, i get paid for it so I'm not worried about losing money from an injury but how many times will they pay me for a bike accident. all this **** is in the back of my head going down the mountain. another thing, just like MHcrusier said a while back, sucks watching 5 mortgage payments bounce down the hill without you on it. reading this i may talk myself out of going fast every time. maybe I'll stock up on avid code brake pads and have fun. I love doing this, come back with a smile every time i go down the hill, but i wanna be faster.........

 

[younger22]

If you are having a blast going the speed you are going then why worry? I can understand wanting to be faster if one is making a living riding bikes.The average rider shouldn't be under pressure to scream down the trails if you are uncomfortable with it, unless it's to keep up with your buddies....

 

[gemini2k]

Just ride with people better/faster than you. Trying to keep up with them will make you forget about everything else.

 

[frznnomad]

gemini probly has the best advice right there. ohh and sometimes ignoring what you mind is telling you is a good thing. cause its a normal thing for you mind to tell your body that your going way to fast, but the only way to get faster is to tell it to shut up and just go for it sometimes. good luck to you man.

 

[Brian HCM#1]

Drink beer

 

[demo8razor]

Yea, ride with people that are faster than you. Also, with the ladders or drops, follow someone off of them that would especially help with speed. Not sure how much armour you wear, but more will give you fake balls and aid in something bad.

 

[gonefirefightin]

wear full crash gear, once you realize it doesnt hurt so much you will get faster,

if you arent crashing you arent progressing.

riding with faster people will get you faster as well but you will still be slow if you are afraid of crashing.

i tend to get my crash out early in the ride so i can open it up the rest of the day.

the other advice is ride one trail until you know it so well that you are pushing your limits. it is a good test to see how much you prgress

 

[Damo]

Disconnect brakes.

Or listen to gonefirefightin.

Either one of these choices will make you faster.

 

[Curious_George]

the important thing really is to watch how other people do it first...Most people that do get hurt often its because they push their limits to much and forget that their human...many times people just haven't crashed enough to get it in their head that they can have serious injuries if not cautioned...I'm all for doing anything new, but likewise, look,analyze think and then eventually reproduce but make it your own in your own way

 

[RD]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myelin

 

[AngryMetalsmith]

Find a good Irish bar and get a job as a bouncer, you'll get over your nerves quick.


Seriously though, try to push negative thoughts out of your head before your run. We all know the consequences of loosing control. It's like driving a car. There is always the possibility of having an accident, but we have driven so much that we don't think about it. If you're thinking about crashing while descending you're increasing the likelihood of stacking it up. Try to focus on what you are doing at the time. When you are really getting on it you'll find it difficult to think about anything else. If you want to go faster, stop thinking negatively, stay off the brakes and relax your upper body.

 

[DirtEveryDay]

wear full crash gear, once you realize it doesnt hurt so much you will get faster,

if you arent crashing you arent progressing.

Two very good points. I have also found that watching vids of Fabien Barrel and others crashing at extremely high rates of speed DO NOT make me want to go faster.
YES there's a very strong chance that you can get hurt. But you'll heal. I've seaprated shoulders and shattered elbows and I'm back on the bike(cruising) in a week, sling in place, and back to pushin it again in 4-5 weeks. I'm 35 and pretty much scared of everything. I'd consider myself a very cautious rider, but I seem to forget about that after a few runs. I'll give you the same advice I give myself: Stop thinking so much and ride.

 

[dan wask]

Suck it up and pin it to win it pvssy

 

[DirtEveryDay]

...yeah...or you could do that ^ ...

 

[sbstianfreeride]

Dont think about getting hurt period! Block that out of you head and I think of the best runs that you did on your practice runs and the best flowy runs you did through some very hard techincal sections. Visualize how you did it and try to feel as smooth and concetrated as possible. Block out all of the "what if" thoughts! Those thoughts make you uncomfortable and stiff, making you get out of line. Also, if you are breathing very hard it can make you tired quicklly, if you begin to breath hard, imediatelly try to breath normally. It will also relax you more. I began to do this and now I dont worry at all. I just focus a lot on visualizing the course and staying smooth. Bye bye nerves!

 

[TheInedibleHulk]

I recommend being rejected or abandoned by everyone you ever loved, developing a very serious sense of self loathing, getting to the point where you despise the sight of yourself and have no hope for the future or ever being happy, and then you will not be worried about you own well being anymore and will not have such an issue with fear. If you would prefer not to survive the run, you will ride fast. As far as nerves in the gate goes, that never goes away unless you really dont care.

 

[Alloy]

Dont think about getting hurt period! Block that out of you head and I think of the best runs that you did on your practice runs and the best flowy runs you did through some very hard techincal sections. Visualize how you did it and try to feel as smooth and concetrated as possible. Block out all of the "what if" thoughts! Those thoughts make you uncomfortable and stiff, making you get out of line. Also, if you are breathing very hard it can make you tired quicklly, if you begin to breath hard, imediatelly try to breath normally. It will also relax you more. I began to do this and now I dont worry at all. I just focus a lot on visualizing the course and staying smooth. Bye bye nerves!

Great advice. This should be read twice.

 

[Alloy]

wear full crash gear, once you realize it doesnt hurt so much you will get faster,

if you arent crashing you arent progressing.

riding with faster people will get you faster as well but you will still be slow if you are afraid of crashing.

i tend to get my crash out early in the ride so i can open it up the rest of the day.

the other advice is ride one trail until you know it so well that you are pushing your limits. it is a good test to see how much you prgress

This is one way to do it, but personally I don't like to believe you have to crash to progress. Actually I think it’s just the opposite. The longer you go without reminding yourself you're mortal the more confidence you develop and the faster you ride.

Also I think it's a horrible idea to think you need to crash once to get it out.

Here's why,

When you ride your bike thinking you're not warmed up until you crash it's almost a 100% certain that you will crash at least once. You'll get into a situation that is a little sketchy, and you'll make the unconscious decision that says " oh ****, this is it! I'm going down!" and you’ll just give up and crash.

Where on the other hand if you hold the belief that you can ride out of almost anything, You’ll get into that same sketchy situation, except this time because you strongly believe you can ride out of anything, you won't give up, you won't lay the bike down, you'll manual, hop, or do things you didn't think you were capable of doing to ride out of the situation on still top of your bike.

I see this all the time with beginners, it’s almost like they’re in the habit of crashing. They put the bike down in stupidest situations. If I ever teach a mountain bike skills class, I would have all my students doing drills and developing the correct muscles to pull their bike out of any situation.

 

[gonefirefightin]

This is one way to do it, but personally I don't like to believe you have to crash to progress. Actually I think it’s just the opposite. The longer you go without reminding yourself you're mortal the more confidence you develop and the faster you ride.

Also I think it's a horrible idea to think you need to crash once to get it out.

Here's why,

When you ride your bike thinking you're not warmed up until you crash it's almost a 100% certain that you will crash at least once. You'll get into a situation that is a little sketchy, and you'll make the unconscious decision that says " oh ****, this is it! I'm going down!" and you’ll just give up and crash.

Where on the other hand if you hold the belief that you can ride out of almost anything, You’ll get into that same sketchy situation, except this time because you strongly believe you can ride out of anything, you won't give up, you won't lay the bike down, you'll manual, hop, or do things you didn't think you were capable of doing to ride out of the situation on still top of your bike.

I see this all the time with beginners, it’s almost like they’re in the habit of crashing. They put the bike down in stupidest situations. If I ever teach a mountain bike skills class, I would have all my students doing drills and developing the correct muscles to pull their bike out of any situation.

well gee, thanks for the full page of bullsh1t there tony robbins, now that we can all "will" ourselves straight to world cup podiums without ever crashing as a begginer I might just have to move up to pro and start planning my rockstar status.

 

[Eren]

well gee, thanks for the full page of bullsh1t there tony robbins, now that we can all "will" ourselves straight to world cup podiums without ever crashing as a begginer I might just have to move up to pro and start planning my rockstar status.

got room for me to plan my rockstar status with you? :biggrin:

 

[LMC]

at the start of the run give yourself a small pep talk. reminding yourself to relax and flow.. and not to panic brake, or u will be going down!

i notice its the drops and that u feel sketchy with, you could try a bike with a longer wheelbase, or if thats not the problem just find small drops and build your confidence slowly.

 

[dirtjumper22]

Here it is plain and simple.... Don't think, just do!

 

[Huck Banzai]

Just ride with people better/faster than you. Trying to keep up with them will make you forget about everything else.

This is how I do! I am confident calling myself a very good rider, I can hit pretty much anything, and stay on the bike in control in all kinds of ocnditions.

I am not the burliest at turning - I could def be better.

I am averse to too much tricks and stunts - I dont try em, but I am certainly impressed and entertained by the nuts that do.

If your overall skills are good and you want to get better, focus on an aspect and practice it, get critiqued! (You can even have someone film you then you can review your positions.)

Drops and jumps are huge mental, but IMHO are far from the dangerous stuff in general -- going fast and navigating rough trails - especially in the wet - is more likely to 'get you' than a drop or jump. Caveat is a tricky drop - not nec big, but lining up for the entrey and exoit and controlling speed can be as difficult as anything Ive ever done.

I think Im right, could be wrong, but none of the drops or jumps at Diablo intimidate me. Some of the trail sections (like the one that separated my shoulder yesterday) scare the poop out of me!!

(So I keep riding those sections the most! Invigorating, and skill building.)

And real confidence is the ultimate key.

KNOW YOU CAN DO IT, OR DONT BOTHER.

 

[Huck Banzai]

all the above advice so far has truth!

But nothing is absolute.

 

[MobileChernobyl]

Not that I do it, but some riders I've known use an "herbal" supplement to help them get over their nerves. It definatlly gives them the "green" light to charge down any trail and jump over gaps filled with "weeds" and broken "pots". My personal opinion may differ, but there good guys and they usually "smoke" me down the fireroads. The one dude got his frame powder coated "blueberry chronic" and put "middies" tubes in this tires. He usually eats "juicy fruits" before riding and listens to "white widow". I've often heard him referencing something about a "quality $400 ounce" but he tells he hes talking about some new material Easton is using for their handle bars.

 

[dhrookie]

Not that I do it, but some riders I've known use an "herbal" supplement, it definatlly gives them the "green" light to charge down any trail and jump over gaps filled with "weeds" and broken "pots". My personal opinion may differ, but there good guys and they usually "smoke" me down the fireroads. The one dude got his frame powder coated "blueberry chronic" and put "middies" tubes in this tires. He usually eats "juicy fruits" before riding and listens to "white widow". I've often heard him referencing something about a "quality $400 ounce" but he tells he hes talking about some new material Easton is using for their handle bars.

ha ha thats great. thanks guys for all the advise. put most of it(the good stuff) to use today. everything was clicking and runs were great. cleared the creek gap that troubled me with room to spare, next time out going to work on the ladder drops. just told myself i can do this let go of the brakes and pinned everything i tried. great feeling to do that. just want to be ready in three weeks when snowshoe opens up and i get smacked in the the face from the reality of "real downhill". cant wait.

 

[denjen]

ha ha thats great. thanks guys for all the advise. put most of it(the good stuff) to use today. everything was clicking and runs were great. cleared the creek gap that troubled me with room to spare, next time out going to work on the ladder drops. just told myself i can do this let go of the brakes and pinned everything i tried. great feeling to do that. just want to be ready in three weeks when snowshoe opens up and i get smacked in the the face from the reality of "real downhill". cant wait.

You havent even seen Snowshoe yet and your freaking yourself out. LMAO!!! I will take it easy on you the first couple runs.

 

[dhrookie]

You havent even seen Snowshoe yet and your freaking yourself out. LMAO!!! I will take it easy on you the first couple runs.

hope so. piece told me you were the man!

 

[renorider40]

can't think about it to much. the longer it takes you to do something the more time you have to think, then you over think it and screw up. You just have to say fvck it and go for it, thats what i do.

 

[Alloy]

well gee, thanks for the full page of bullsh1t there tony robbins, now that we can all "will" ourselves straight to world cup podiums without ever crashing as a begginer I might just have to move up to pro and start planning my rockstar status.

Hey a little "will" never hurts man

 

[ridenorcal]

As someone thats really just started taking my racing seriously this year, I've been working a lot on dealing with my nerves. I've found that I do best in races when I don't think too much about the pressure of racing but instead on enjoying riding my bike and the feeling of pinning it. If you think about why we all race its because we love it, so the more you try to enjoy it the less nervous you will feel and, in my experience, the better you will do. When your racing is important to you, that also tends to help your riding progress in training. I've found that when hitting new jumps, lines etc. I have have much more motivation knowing it will just make me a better, faster rider in the long run and improve my results. Also having confidence in your abilities as a rider will help you get past the mental barrier preventing you from going harder. All of this is a cycle- pushing hard in training and proper mental preparation for races tend to get good results, which boost your confidence making it easier to overcome the nerves aspect.

 

[rockwool]

Dont think about getting hurt period! Block that out of you head and I think of the best runs that you did on your practice runs and the best flowy runs you did through some very hard techincal sections. Visualize how you did it and try to feel as smooth and concetrated as possible. Block out all of the "what if" thoughts! Those thoughts make you uncomfortable and stiff, making you get out of line. Also, if you are breathing very hard it can make you tired quicklly, if you begin to breath hard, imediatelly try to breath normally. It will also relax you more. I began to do this and now I dont worry at all. I just focus a lot on visualizing the course and staying smooth. Bye bye nerves!

Some really good psychology right there! Every mountain bikers ABC to Shaolin biking.

 

[rockwool]

Not that I do it, but some riders I've known use an "herbal" supplement to help them get over their nerves. It definatlly gives them the "green" light to charge down any trail and jump over gaps filled with "weeds" and broken "pots". My personal opinion may differ, but there good guys and they usually "smoke" me down the fireroads. The one dude got his frame powder coated "blueberry chronic" and put "middies" tubes in this tires. He usually eats "juicy fruits" before riding and listens to "white widow". I've often heard him referencing something about a "quality $400 ounce" but he tells he hes talking about some new material Easton is using for their handle bars.

Actually, THAT is the real Shaolin biking!

 

[iRider]

Some good advice here! One thing I want to add: I have seen many guys at the races that try to go way faster in their race run than in any of their practice runs....and this hardly works! You are missing all your braking points and are riding out of control....and crash!
BTW: aren't those herbal supplements slow also your reactions down? Don't know if I think this is a good idea if you want to go fast

 

[Heath Sherratt]

I feel I'm fast(in my own mind). i know i could be so much faster if i get over the nerves. getting hurt or breaking something sucks ass, i seen two guys in the past three weeks take hard diggers and i don't wanna do that. but i wanna be faster, and seeing that makes me hold the brakes a little longer. what is the best way to get over nerves? just suck it up and roll like a Kamikaze one run and see what happens? I feel like i pick good lines, its the "big" stuff freaks me out(ladder drops, road gap on the 1st one at horns, and the creek gap). i don't want to sit at home for 4-6 weeks healing up, i get paid for it so I'm not worried about losing money from an injury but how many times will they pay me for a bike accident. all this **** is in the back of my head going down the mountain. another thing, just like MHcrusier said a while back, sucks watching 5 mortgage payments bounce down the hill without you on it. reading this i may talk myself out of going fast every time. maybe I'll stock up on avid code brake pads and have fun. I love doing this, come back with a smile every time i go down the hill, but i wanna be faster.........

Race time is not the time to be improving and pushing your limitations. Practice and training is the key ingredient to excelling in technique, racing is the bar by which you measure your progress. Everyone has nerves, they don't go away, you just adapt as you mature and gain experience. The key is truly to have fun and stay relaxed.

 

[skatetokil]

This is one way to do it, but personally I don't like to believe you have to crash to progress. Actually I think it’s just the opposite. The longer you go without reminding yourself you're mortal the more confidence you develop and the faster you ride.

Also I think it's a horrible idea to think you need to crash once to get it out.

Here's why,

When you ride your bike thinking you're not warmed up until you crash it's almost a 100% certain that you will crash at least once. You'll get into a situation that is a little sketchy, and you'll make the unconscious decision that says " oh ****, this is it! I'm going down!" and you’ll just give up and crash.

Where on the other hand if you hold the belief that you can ride out of almost anything, You’ll get into that same sketchy situation, except this time because you strongly believe you can ride out of anything, you won't give up, you won't lay the bike down, you'll manual, hop, or do things you didn't think you were capable of doing to ride out of the situation on still top of your bike.

I see this all the time with beginners, it’s almost like they’re in the habit of crashing. They put the bike down in stupidest situations. If I ever teach a mountain bike skills class, I would have all my students doing drills and developing the correct muscles to pull their bike out of any situation.

Wanna get hurt really bad? Stay on the bike when you should have bailed.

There is a time and a place for everything. Sometimes, when the consequences of a crash are dire you do everything you ****ing can to hang on to the bars. Other times you gotta take the graceful tumble over the awkward stack.

 

[rockwool]

Some good advice here! One thing I want to add: I have seen many guys at the races that try to go way faster in their race run than in any of their practice runs....and this hardly works! You are missing all your braking points and are riding out of control....and crash!
BTW: aren't those herbal supplements slow also your reactions down? Don't know if I think this is a good idea if you want to go fast

One doesn't have to CheechandChongit. Do you always completely wet your self every time you open up a beer? Of course not. Actually, one (1) beer also makes me a better rider..

 

[dhkid]

there is a lot of good info in this thread already. you just have to know when you apply each 'technique'. some times you need to man up and just pin it, other times be cautions and not take stupid risks.

for me, one thing that has helped me a lot is learning how to crash well. basically rode with this one guy who crashes really well until i was doing the same. what i mean here is to ditch the bike effectively, roll in to a ball and not get hurt.

this gives you confidence to push your self until you are off the bike, and you will soon find its quite fun. being able to push an off camber section, go in way to fast and not having any bad consequences.

other times like big drops and jumps, make sure you have your technique sorted first. i have seen too many guys who cant even drop of a curb go for 8 footers thinking if they just man up and do it, it would be fine. but just end up hurting them selfs. once you get you technique sorted, ride with riders who go big all the time, you dont have to do what they are doing, but being around them gives you confidence to do stuff you wont normally do.

and my favorite bit is just telling your self to man up. i always ask my self why, why am i braking here, whats so scary about it anyways? most of the time you would realize that its really nothing, and you just need to relax. get rid of that irrational fear, man up!!

while on a fast run, i just keep telling my self to relax, and focus on what matters, most of the time that just means where you want to go. who gives a fak about those trees that are just inches away from your bars, so what if your vision is all blurred. focus on what matters and do the minimum amount of thinking thats needed.

 

[sayndesyn]

Self loathing is really the way to go. Every run should be a battle with your demons that want you to die. In the words of fight club, "It is only after we have lost everything, that we are free to do anything". Rumor has it that Sam Hill was a Hutu'ist genocidal collaborator and his self loathing alone willed himself to the top of the podium.

 

[BlackAthlete]

Has anyone mentioned "the herb" yet?