[luvz2ridez]

Help me out girls. I'm having a mental hang up. I just started being more aggressive in my riding and trying to do more things like skinnies, jumps and drops. I've successfully done a foot drop with no problem a few times, but now all of a sudden, I have a block and I panick before I come up to it and slam on the brakes, so frustrating What's the deal? The thing that is making me crazy is because I've done the same size drop before! When I'm standing up looking down at the drop off, it looks huge to me and I can't get myself to not roll it. How do I get over this? Any suggestions? I'm all geared up, so it's not like I'm going to get hurt if I do fall off the bike...

 

[skatetokil]

Follow somebody else off. Watching another rider make something look easy often gets my confidence up.

 

[sanjuro]

I would do some 2-3 foot drops which you can roll. Roll it slow at first, then pick up speed, and in a few tries, you can drop them no problem.

 

[TreeSaw]

Yeah, I would follow someone else. That tends to help me a little. Relax...you'll get back there.

 

[MudGrrl]

OMGF is a big fan of following me.... thereby pushing me to do it.... and it does work.........

but I wouldn't recommend it to everybody

 

[TerraNik]

Yeah I just make someone ride before me and by thinking, 'well they can do it, so can I', I get through it!

I had an issue with a set of stairs near my house which I had gone down many times, but since I broke my arm (riding of course) I was just freaked for some reason. I did the same as you - went for it... and then slammed on the brakes!! I seriously went and tried maybe 5 afternoons and would've sat at the top of the stairs going for it and piking for about half an hour each time!! After a while you kinda get sick of that - so my bf DRAGGED me back there one day after I told him what issues I was having and all it took was him going down first, and then him sternly telling me to "DO IT!!". And now I'm fine!!

So my advice - watch someone else do it a couple of times... and find someone to yell at you until you have a go! :biggrin:

 

[weimie]

I agree with watching other people before you. But in the end you just have to go for it....my hands are getting sweaty just thinking about it though. Work you're way up to the bigger ones and if you're just not feelin' it one day....don't do it. There's always going to be another day when you're feeling good and confident and you'll have no problem nailing it. Visualizing the jump and the landing helps me also.

 

[luvz2ridez]

thanks all. I guess I just gotta go for it. I do have my hubby out there watching me, riding it first, showing me how it's done and I'm still unable to do it. I'm just going to have to get up the nerve to just do it and if I fall off, it's not the end of the world, I've fallen off before. I'm glad to hear I'm not the only one to suffer from something like this!

 

[luvz2ridez]

Well girls I did it!!! I went out tonight after dinner and did the drop. There's this elevated rock wall behind my house and I can now do the 6" drop and the 12" drop; there's 3 more levels so I have some work to do, but at least I can do the foot again! Thanks!

 

[TerraNik]

Wooo!! Congratulations!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[mohshee]

that is awesome! congrats!!! I find that if I think about things too much and allow myself to approach the object (whatever the object is) too many times without following through, I get in this funky really frightened state and have to just call it quits for the time being. I really think just going for something, without thinking too much about it, may be the way to go. Although, that is easier said then done.

 

[weimie]

Nice work! Feels great doesn't it :biggrin:

I always have problems doing things that scare me twice. Doing it once is okay but doing it twice seems to freak me out

 

[redFoxx]

When I was first starting out I was doing things I could begin by rolling, like dirt jumps and drops. So I would just go faster as time went on and I could get more air and be comfortable with it. Repetition really really helps, even if you're having a bad day, just go out and practice, like doing scales on the piano. And to make your body feel it's just second nature to be going over something where you get air, or riding skinnies, etc. Then as I started moving up to harder stuff, well I couldn't rely on the roll-over so I'd watch others of similar ability do stuff and hear how they felt about something. Or I would have people mention that I could do something after watching me, so that would give me encouragement. I'm always looking for my next thing, even if it seems unattainable at the moment. And then one day, I decide I have to finally do it. I hate that moment! It is so scary! But I just get into the Go For It mode, figuring if I crash I crash. Then once I do it, I feel like I own it. and yes, doing it the second time is usually scary as well until I've done it a ton of times and then I really do own it. Until the day I take it for granted and I let my guard down and I do it stupidly....

 

[luvz2ridez]

Well yesterday I had a great day. I did a foot and a half drop without even thinking about it! Twice. I don't know why this was holding me up so bad because now I can hit them like I always could. Now I just need to be able to hit them while going down the hill and I'll be fine. I also manuvered a technical rocky descent perfectly three times. Yippee!