[dhkid]

Its not really talked about much, even though everyone knows that its often the most important part of riding. Just wanted to pick your brains on what you guys do to work on this side of riding.

For me, I fail at two bits. Braking when you shouldn't be and lately just scared of going big on jumps.:

jumps, i can slowly work on and work my way up. its the big step downs that get me, when you cant see the landing until you are in the air. and all you see when you approach the lip is the lip and sky. screws me up big time.

braking is really getting annoying, i know i can do a section brakeless and much faster but something in my head just goes: OH SH!T and brakes. i know its supposed to be your reptilian brain that just things you are going to die and goes into survival mode, but i am sure there are ways around it. when i can i ride death grip, but that only works sometimes.


what do you guys do to get around things like this?

the main thing that comes to mind for me is manning up and start riding moto x, everything is faster and jumps are bigger. dh wont seem so bad after that.

another thing is to ride tracks that are much faster than what you would normally race on, get used to the speed so that you can stay calm when racing on what would then be slower speed tracks.

of course there is also what fabien barrel does and just gets into this whole state of mind before races and worlds. i dont know anything about that so cant comment.

 

[blackspire]

Wearing more armor usually works for me in terms of speed and hitting stuff I wouldn't otherwise do.

Ironically, on this weekends pushbike-session I had a pretty nasty crash on a track that I haven't bothered to have my full armour-kit (since I rarely get more than 5 minutes riding time because I have to push my bike up and I know the track inside out). After that crash I'm going to wear alot more armour at all my rides.

Another thing that works is riding with better riders, if you can speedcheck jumps and corners with them it feels alot better, otherwise you can easily get into your own tempo and not improve as much.

And finally you can always ask yourself: "What would Sam Hill do?"

 

[chillindrdude]

i believe some folks don't even think about it, as they have natural/innate talent. That talent + training regimen = world cup dh powerhouse.

but that is not me...

i think about what i do on the bike alot, so much so that i think i overthink to many times. but thats the engineer in me. i tend to break complex moves into little parts. get dialed on one part and move on to the next. hopefully after multiple iterations, i can put together an optimal run.

for example, say there is a series of DJs...i will practice just getting comfortable rolling in, the right speed, body positioning, etc. at first. then i'll work up enough courage to hit the 1st jump, work on pumping and body positioning after landing in preparation to hit the 2nd, and so on. eventually...i can put together a nice run.

but i'm always envious of those riders that have never even inspected a DJ set, but able to roll in and hit them like they dug it themselves.

i guess thats what separates a Pro from a hack like me.

 

[dhkid]

that's normally the case with the guys with raw talent, but once in a while you see guys make it up there who aren't like that. leov admits that he has to work really hard to go fast, just pure determination.

engineer here too, but not as anal as you. i am envious.

blackspire - amour is a check. used to ride with out pads a while back, was just getting stupid.

yeah, riding with faster riders is definitely something high on the list too. which will be fine here in the uk, but once i go back home to malaysia this time next year, fast riders are non existent. so you have to do everything by your self. planing to spend a few months in the alps before if leave the uk tho. that should be good.

 

[SylentK]

It may be mental that you think its mental.

I think its just practice, practice, practice. Practice brings confidence. Confidence makes fast riders.

There was a TV advert for some pro sport out here that had a line that stuck in my mind. It said, "Most people practice until they get it right. Professionals practice until they can't get it wrong."

Pretty obvious and lame at the same time, but I think some people "get it" faster than others and therefore need more practice than others until they feel comfortable doing the things you mention.

my .02

One thing I do to not brake too much is to just feather or just slightly drag the rear brake before the section in question. It still feels like you're braking, but obviously not as much as taking two fists full of slow-the-heck-down. Know what I mean? But now that I know I can do it with just a bit of speed scrubbed, now I should be able to do it with no brakes, right? Guess I need to practice....

 

[Sandwich]

Practice and following other riders are the best techniques.

If you follow a faster rider through a section, you should be able to keep on his tire if you follow his moves. Key word is should be. I followed a guy this weekend who was just plain out faster than me. I wasn't as strong as he and I just didn't have the skill level, so he definitely gained on me, but if I followed his line and method, I wasn't left in the dust.

Over time, I'll have a better feel for my bike and the strength will be there, then I can just open up the brakes and let it go.

As for the jumps, always scout things out first. One of my friends has no "fear" gene and mine is turned way up. He'll hit a blind drop following another person and 90% of the time he'll come out just fine. 10% of the time he wrecks hard. For me, I need to see it before I can ride it. Hopefully in time that will fade, but is hasn't yet. I like being able to walk too much.

 

[spleen123]

write a simple note on the top tube of your bike to keep reminding you to go fast. for example:
"grip it and rip it"
"pedal pansy!"
"hold it wide 'n let it slide"
"flower power"
"pin it ya fairy"
"get your skirt out of the chain"
"wwsd" = What Would Sam Do (or steve)
"bender did it"

Just a few to get you started haha

 

[kidwithbike]

in the words of a very fast and amazingly consistent pro on the East coast Chris Higgerson
"sometimes you gotta just put your brain in a bucket, and lean back and let her eat!!!" this is shortly followed by a string of the most hilarious and enthusiastic moto sound effects ever.

in my experience confidence is key, trust that you have the skills and abilities, including the skills to recover from mistakes or just roll with them, not overreact or overcorrect, dont grab a handlefull or start to bail go down with the ship! haha
trust your bike and tires they are amazingly capable and will do their thing if you let them and kinda guide them in the right direction!

 

[DBR X6 RIDER]

Good advice posted already, so not too much to add.

What helped me was not looking at the bad side of things (crashes, etc.) when trying new stuff. Instead, I just picture myself hitting the feature cleanly and the ensuing bliss. It works for me, at least. There's just enough time to worry about the bad stuff if you get to that point. Kind of like if you look at the tree, you'll hit the tree...if you focus on the bad stuff, you'll likely succumb to it.

 

[norbar]

Actualy for jumps I tried to build a dj bike but as I got it ready most of the newbie dj stuff got ruined in my city :/ Moto wouldn't be so bad if it wasn't that damn expensive.

For braking I just try to keep my fingers of the brakes as much as possible and it makes me brake less. Also I just noticed that it may be the brakes that simply annoy me as they don't bite where I want them to. If money allows I'll go saints or codes.

 

[demo 9]

Try music, im an extremely mental rider, i dont feel that i have insane pro talent, but my results will run hot and cold with the mood im in. I have felt that music helps me alot.

 

[jonnynails]

Like everyone has been saying, practice and more practice. Build up slow as far as increasing the size jumps you hit until the roadgaps are just second nature and instinct. It always helps to follow behind better riders - both to get faster and to figure out the speed on a gap.

I really like the person's comment above about focusing on the positive side of things. I tend to spot the "danger" areas on a trail and don't always refocus quick enough to what I need to do to be able to get my bike thru the rest of the section quickly and cleanly. The more you focus on the line you don't want to take the more likely your brain takes you on that line. Something that helps me not drag brakes is looking as far down the trail as I can. Don't focus 5 feet in front of your tire.

As far as blind landings, you just gotta know what speed gets you how far based on different sized lips. After that it's trust. Just keep telling yourself how great the transition is and how smooth of a landing it's going to be. Know and believe that your speed is right and then just hit it.

 

[Alloy]

It's different for everybody, find what works for yourself and you'll start going faster.

There's a lot of books about this for other sports. Tennis was a big one. They wanted to figure out what separated the top 5 tennis players from the guys where ranked 70 and 100. One of the things they found was that they were lasered focused... while the other players between rounds would look the crowd, the ball boy, or whatever. The top guys would only look at their racket thinking about the next round. They were putting just as much effort into the match between rounds than during the round itself.

Doing this you can top into an ability most all humans have which is to perform stronger and better under pressure. You have this because your ancestor's would have been eaten if they didn't, and they passed it on to you. If you choke under pressure right now, don't worry. Just knowing that this ability is in you will bring it out. But it can take awhile until it's showing when you want it.

 

[Total Heckler]

I think my problem is I don't think about things enough while riding/racing. I think it works to my advantage in some ways, but in others could really help me improve as a rider. I am always missing lines etc because I am not thinking enough about it.

I guess my moto background just puts the braaaaaaap over it thought in my head most of the time haha

 

[Sandwich]

I like to say to myself out loud "I am Sam Hill" and then pretend I'm in pink and yellow pajamas. Then I make moto noises and flash a look to the invisible photog.

 

[MinorThreat]

The three things I have to constantly remind myself of over anything else is:

• Looking up and looking ahead, looking beyond the exit of the corner.
• Pedal - Remembering to pedal in EVERY section that I can; anywhere I can get in an extra pedal-stroke and to not get complacent and coast something where I should be getting in another lick or two.
• Concentration - Keeping my mind focused on the course and not letting my mind wander or get distracted.

I don't seem to put all of those together all the time like I should but when I do it has paid off.

 

[soul-skier]

you can always ask yourself: "What would Sam Hill do?" [/QUOTE]

........he would relax, practice the fundamentals (look ahead, dont brake when cornering, dont brake on off-camber, look through corners, compress the suspension during braking, trust your tires, equipment, suspension and ability) and enjoy the time spent on your bike.

At the end of last season I broke my left tib/fib. I now have a plate and eight screws on my shin above the ankle. I couldnt wait to get back on the bike again as I sat around all winter. Spring came and I headed to Plattekill. Man, was I scared sh*tless. I was walking the bike down sections that I had ridden many times before. I didnt have confidence in my ability, but believe me, the ability was there. This past weekend I somehow re-gained that confidence and conquered my fear and hesitancy. I set in my mind that this is what I WANT to do and I visualized how it would look and feel. Chris Higg is 100% right......sometimes you have to turn off your brain. Focus on being calm, focus on not focusing at all and just do it.

 

[Tracer Tong]

When I want to be fast I focus on a few things and I repeat them to myself at the top:

Eyes forward, Point my chin- This is obvious. I also say to myself "Look at where you want to go, not where you don't want to go".

Relax- obvious.

Ride my ride- I say this because I imagine that I'm the fastest guy in the world and I've got the speed in spades, I just need to ride my ride and the speed will be there. It helps.

Hope that helps. This is a topic of interest to me as well.

 

[freeridefool]

For me its not during the race that I need to focus. I tend to over focus.

My uncle who race with and is friends with a lot of top pros gave me this tid bit of advice that works very well for me.

Get a stop watch, sit down and go over every pedal stroke every corner and every rock. Everything. Just as you would if you were going race pace. Then when you cross the finish line in your head, look at the time. If its not about the pace your running on track, then your leaving something out. So I go make another run and go over it in my head again. After a few time doing that I find I dont have to think as much and I can just ride.

 

[dhkid]

really good info in this thread already, keep it coming!

freeride fool, that sounds really interesting, will have to try that some day.

to one of the posters who talked about braking every so slightly. i do that already i can never brake hard, its just my riding style. but sometimes even when i feather the brakes, it gets annoying. braking power wise, its very little/low but against a stop watch it all counts and adds up. especially if its going to contribute to your exit speed into a flatter section.

minor threat - pedalling i tend to leave out at the moment and just include during my race runs, it comes naturally. my fitness is crap at the moment due to having to put aside riding for university, but i am going to take two gap years to ride my bike once i graduate next year. i do understand that being strong and powerful will help in the confidence that you can stay in control of the bike and push harder ect. but then i look at riders like danny hart and josh, they were going much faster than i can ever go when they were youths and junior riders. so no excuses for me, loads of work needs to be done. where as fitness i see as something that you can work on and built up fairly easily and quickly, skill and mental strength/confidence takes time, so i rather work on that first.

 

[dhkid]

anyone remember that post that fabien barrel did a while back on his website? talking about his preparation for the worlds at fort william?

i cant seem to find it, think it was on his website but google turned up with nothing. only his team subaru web site shows up. trying to drop him an email, might get a bit lucky and maybe he will reply.

 

[nenjarickard]

Interesting thread!

I really agree with that the mental part is a very big part of the ridigng, for example i use to say that the most important with your bike is that it brings you confidence. Not that it is light, last years model, good looking, the bike a pro rides etc.

As long as it got decent suspension the rest is a matter of taste rather then right or wrong, atleast to people in my class who have'nt even started racing serious yet...

 

[Yeti]

In my case for jumps I know I can do I just push myself to inspect them once and then jump them. In my case if I look at a jump for too long I start being too rational about it and get scared and hitting a big jump with some doubts in your mind is worse than just doing it.
As for brakes: on the sections that are safe, try and try until you crash. In these safe sections you'll just get some scratches most of the times and you'll brain will get used to and learn the limits. Death grip helps a lot too, you just need to commit. One thing a lot of people forget is that your body has to be fit. The fitter you are the quicker and more precise your body will respond giving you more confidence.

 

[Damo]

Take yer chain off for a week.

 

[fluider]

Few months ago I saw a German documentary film focused on importance of training our brain and keeping it fit to keep our motoric abilities fit and vital. Among other interesting observations they mentioned that mental training can be more efficient for some sports than conventional practice-practice-practice-.... Subjected sportsmen were told to imagine they are swimming/skiing and their brain activity was watched. Neurologists were amazed how active the brain was. Automobile racers project the important parts of the track in their brain and "watch that film" before the race.

 

[dhkid]

damo - dont really have trails close to me that are like what you have, so taking a chain off will be a bit silly as you will come to a stop. but i know what you mean, when i can i do no pedalling runs, frees up your mind to just focus on the important things. love it!

fluider - yeah, i have read about that before but not as comprehensive as that documentary. it involved two groups of people, i think they might have been high school students, scoring 3 pointers in basket ball. one group practised on the court, while the other practised mentally visualising them self doing the act of the same amount of time. the ones who practised mentally improved by something lie 4% over the others.

some one touched on that point a while back to, talking about shaun palmer when he first started racing dh. before he even started racing, he researched by watching all the videos he could get his hands on of races and top riders. studied their technique, their bike set up, where the bars and seats were ect.

another example is of riders who get injured and come back stronger even tho they have spent loads of time off the bike. time off the bike was spent watching riding videos and practising mentally. so when the get back on the bike, they are on it already.

 

[nenjarickard]

I need advice for mental training. ;D

 

[Total Heckler]

who get injured and come back stronger even tho they have spent loads of time off the bike. time off the bike was spent watching riding videos and practising mentally. so when the get back on the bike, they are on it already.

I raced sport for 2 years and only made the (top 5) podium maybe 3 times out over 20+ races.

Then I crashed. Broke and dislocated my shoulder, had surgery, and was off a bike for 3 months. Spent a lot of time watching races, watching bike movies, and recovering.

Came back to race sport again not expecting much and had the best season I've ever had. Nothing but podium finishes including the Sea Otter.

This year I raced pro and got 7th overall in a local 7 race series out of 41 other racers.

Just had surgery last week on my other shoulder. Really hoping I can make a strong return like I did before.