I don't remember which vid it was, but in one of Cathro's "Learn to Bike" episodes he says something like "ok, so today we're going to move away from the fundamental stuff and talk about the secret skills that get you to the World Cup level ... (psst... there are no secrets... World Cup riders are just REALLY good at the fundamentals...) "
I really don't want to give away Simon and Fluidride's secret recipe, but I'll say that he zero'd in on footwork, center of gravity, and unconscious left/right differences in technique. Most riders turn better one direction vs. the other, and that was immediately apparent to Simon after watching me ride for 25-seconds. I actually think it was helpful to not be doing drills on the trail because the cone drill isolated elements of my turning technique and really laid my bad mechanics bare, with nowhere to hide. On a real trail, I think it's possible to show off a lot of great skillsets while hiding your bad ones. YMMV, but I learned as much in two hours on that afternoon as I have in the last 5 years.
Copy that TEAMROBOT, good feedback. I suppose I've never done cone drills with a coach to know, and its been 25 years since I did a mountain bike clinic.
This is good talk that has got me interested in getting coaching. We can all get faster and better. And I think making improvement is what gets me stoked on biking.
I really don't want to give away Simon and Fluidride's secret recipe, but I'll say that he zero'd in on footwork, center of gravity, and unconscious...
I really don't want to give away Simon and Fluidride's secret recipe, but I'll say that he zero'd in on footwork, center of gravity, and unconscious left/right differences in technique. Most riders turn better one direction vs. the other, and that was immediately apparent to Simon after watching me ride for 25-seconds. I actually think it was helpful to not be doing drills on the trail because the cone drill isolated elements of my turning technique and really laid my bad mechanics bare, with nowhere to hide. On a real trail, I think it's possible to show off a lot of great skillsets while hiding your bad ones. YMMV, but I learned as much in two hours on that afternoon as I have in the last 5 years.
Not sure I agree there are any secrets to technique or riding better. Good coaches certainly don't have secrets.
So fluidride just focused on flat ground cornering? No other areas of riding? How did this cornering session transfer to your on trail riding, especically for turns that don't require the same movements as on flat ground?
I'm not asking to be a dick, I'm asking because people want to know why they should invest in their skills and how a good coach may help them develop. Sadly stories of "secret sauce" and "special drills" do a disservice to those who want to seek out help.
I really don't want to give away Simon and Fluidride's secret recipe, but I'll say that he zero'd in on footwork, center of gravity, and unconscious...
I really don't want to give away Simon and Fluidride's secret recipe, but I'll say that he zero'd in on footwork, center of gravity, and unconscious left/right differences in technique. Most riders turn better one direction vs. the other, and that was immediately apparent to Simon after watching me ride for 25-seconds. I actually think it was helpful to not be doing drills on the trail because the cone drill isolated elements of my turning technique and really laid my bad mechanics bare, with nowhere to hide. On a real trail, I think it's possible to show off a lot of great skillsets while hiding your bad ones. YMMV, but I learned as much in two hours on that afternoon as I have in the last 5 years.
Not sure I agree there are any secrets to technique or riding better. Good coaches certainly don't have secrets.
So fluidride just focused on flat ground...
Not sure I agree there are any secrets to technique or riding better. Good coaches certainly don't have secrets.
So fluidride just focused on flat ground cornering? No other areas of riding? How did this cornering session transfer to your on trail riding, especically for turns that don't require the same movements as on flat ground?
I'm not asking to be a dick, I'm asking because people want to know why they should invest in their skills and how a good coach may help them develop. Sadly stories of "secret sauce" and "special drills" do a disservice to those who want to seek out help.
Except he purposely is leaving out what differentiates fluidrides cornering drill as helpful vs an unhelpful one out of respect to fluidride.
From the little team robot gave away I assume it’s mostly about actually adjusting your feet as you corner. A lot of riders effectively corner one way left and another right. Of course their are times on the trail you’ll have to corner without time or space to adjust your feet but a lot of riders simply don’t really think about their feet as much as they should when they ride.
The difference is a good coach will immediately spot the issues in your technique, be able to quickly describe how to change your mechanics to achieve proper technique, and can properly adjust the drill to match the riders current level (for example how spaced the cones are). They also can structure the time spent on individual drills to best help the rider achieve their goals.
anybody can set up four cones, start with the further out, practice a bunch, and move those cones closer and closer. A good coach is going to make that first few drills 50x more productive. Generally first bunch of lessons are one or two productive drills any student can use and can subsequently practice. Once you run out of the fundamental drills that’s when you usually start to coach more racing or riding craft as opposed to basics. Coaches who are equally good at this are even harder to come by, (and some are good at this despite having bad fundamentals themselves).
unless you are a pro generally there is a pretty hard cutoff to where the gains coaching is no longer as beneficial as the costs and time to pursue it. I should def invest some more into coaching when I have some budget. However if all a coach has to offer is drills they used to get good at riding then you probably aren’t using your money wisely.
I paid a decent chunk of change on an “advanced” riders skill course. I was 1000% disappointed. This was a group setting and we spent most...
I paid a decent chunk of change on an “advanced” riders skill course. I was 1000% disappointed. This was a group setting and we spent most of the day doing beginner skill drills because almost all of the riders in this group were beginners who “thought” they were advanced. It was a total DISAPPOINTMENT. If you’re looking for serious coaching don’t go with Ninja Skills or whatever their name is. Big waste of money
The take away here is not necessarily that the coach was bad but that 1-2-1 or private sessions with others you know at a similar level is 100% the way to go. I'd wager that the coach was frustrated they couldn't help you as much as they'd like because of the difference in the group's abilities.
Guiding or coaching, the group being at a similar level can make or break it. The progression you see in a rider on a private session is often magnitudes greater than group sessions. The feeling for a coach delivering a private session like that is incredibly rewarding too.
Tl;dr: If you really want to progress quickly you have to pay for it. Private sessions all the way.
Except he purposely is leaving out what differentiates fluidrides cornering drill as helpful vs an unhelpful one out of respect to fluidride.
From the...
Except he purposely is leaving out what differentiates fluidrides cornering drill as helpful vs an unhelpful one out of respect to fluidride.
From the little team robot gave away I assume it’s mostly about actually adjusting your feet as you corner. A lot of riders effectively corner one way left and another right. Of course their are times on the trail you’ll have to corner without time or space to adjust your feet but a lot of riders simply don’t really think about their feet as much as they should when they ride.
The difference is a good coach will immediately spot the issues in your technique, be able to quickly describe how to change your mechanics to achieve proper technique, and can properly adjust the drill to match the riders current level (for example how spaced the cones are). They also can structure the time spent on individual drills to best help the rider achieve their goals.
anybody can set up four cones, start with the further out, practice a bunch, and move those cones closer and closer. A good coach is going to make that first few drills 50x more productive. Generally first bunch of lessons are one or two productive drills any student can use and can subsequently practice. Once you run out of the fundamental drills that’s when you usually start to coach more racing or riding craft as opposed to basics. Coaches who are equally good at this are even harder to come by, (and some are good at this despite having bad fundamentals themselves).
unless you are a pro generally there is a pretty hard cutoff to where the gains coaching is no longer as beneficial as the costs and time to pursue it. I should def invest some more into coaching when I have some budget. However if all a coach has to offer is drills they used to get good at riding then you probably aren’t using your money wisely.
So if it as easy as a "good coach" spoting issues in your technique and quickly describe a change in mechanics, then why are there so few coaches (your own admission) who can do it? What's so hard about it?
I'll ask my original question again .... what, in Robots case, actually changed that lead to an improvement in performance and how was this improvement measured?
I'm not being a dick, I just asking the tough questions that seldom get answered and in my experience are a barrier to people seeking out coaching for their riding.
I paid a decent chunk of change on an “advanced” riders skill course. I was 1000% disappointed. This was a group setting and we spent most...
I paid a decent chunk of change on an “advanced” riders skill course. I was 1000% disappointed. This was a group setting and we spent most of the day doing beginner skill drills because almost all of the riders in this group were beginners who “thought” they were advanced. It was a total DISAPPOINTMENT. If you’re looking for serious coaching don’t go with Ninja Skills or whatever their name is. Big waste of money
This is what turns me off of most classes offered. I'm an expert level rider and I'd be disappointed in this. If I'm doing a class...
This is what turns me off of most classes offered. I'm an expert level rider and I'd be disappointed in this. If I'm doing a class I do not want to be in a field with cones or ladders. I want to be on challenging trails pushing my skills safely. Some of these classes too I think are outrageously priced. I felt like I was seeing anywhere from $500 to $800 for a couple days. That seems steep.
If you are starting out or intermediate I think these style of classes is a great way to build foundations. My wife saw serious improvement in a few classes.
I'd lean towards something like "Into the Gnar" with a group of the same skills if I was doing a weekend class. But even slightly different skills if you are in a place with radical trails, you can still get something out of it.
But I also think I could benefit from continuous coaching on foundations like body positioning, cornering and vision. These are life long things to practice. A weekend course I don't think is the best for these type of skills as I think in a couple weeks I would revert to older habits. A weekly class with the same coach for a few weeks would accomplish this better. I don't know how online does this but I would likely prefer in person as it is more collaborative.
I'm seriously jealous of the kids in our Durango Devo program. They have some serious skills and that is from great coaching every week with a solid foundation. They will almost all be better riders than me in their early teens.
I have taken that same Advanced Riding clinic @jasbushey did. Most of the people in the clinic attended the beginner class the day before as part of a discounted 2-day clinic. I'd call myself an intermediate rider, but I thought the skills taught in that advanced class were basic fundamentals, stuff that around here at least you need to know to get down just about any trail safely. I was hoping the clinic would be geared towards taking those fundamentals to the next level - getting coached in real time on body positioning and dialing the techniques of each rider to confidently hit bigger features, execute turns smoother and faster, etc. I can't imagine what they were teaching the in Day 1 beginner class... How to shift gears? I do think the guy running the clinic was good, but the other issue was that there were 12 of us attending. That's just too many people to be able to get any substance out of it IMO.
What you say about continuous coaching is the real key. It's also why I think I've gotten more out of online coaching than the real thing. It takes a lot longer online because you have to watch the training videos, video yourself, review the videos of your riding, and upload them for critique to know if your really getting the technique down. But I'm doing this on a continuous basis. I believe a good, in-person coach, one hour per week, for a few months would really move my journey along at a much faster clip than online learning.
@Remymac - One coach for 12 riders is ridiculous! A 1:6 ratio is the maximum I'd tolerate for a group session. There's no way a coach is going to be able to track what everyone is doing in that scenario. And scheduling an advanced class as an extension of a beginner session is pretty weak too. If it's a truly advanced class, the beginners will be in over their heads, and if it's a "beginner+" course, any advanced riders will be disappointed like you were.
Regarding continuous coaching, there's a group in Canada called YYCMTB that developed a Season's Pass program. Everyone is divided into groups by ability, and you do a group ride every week with some coaching thrown in where it makes sense. There's a coach and a tail guide, groups don't get too big, and you can move between levels or groups as you progress. I haven't heard of anyone else offering that kind of session, but there must be somebody doing it.
Simon's clinics are sort of like Jackson Pollock paintings, because they're so simple I walked away thinking "Well geez I could have thought of that." But the fact is I didn't think of that, he did, which is why he's the artist and I'm the customer. That's why I don't want to give away the relatively simple formula he used in his clinic with me. However, I can address which specific parts of my technique we worked on in the cone drills.
I dug up these two old pictures of me racing as "before" and "after" pics for coaching. The first is 2009 at Mt. Hood Skibowl (RIP) near Portland, OR. It was my first year racing in the pro category and I got destroyed every single race. You can see in the pic I already crashed earlier in my race run and I'm missing a knee pad.
Here's specifically what sucks in this photo: I'm pushing down on my inside foot instead of weighting my outside foot (inside foot is lower than my outside foot), my shoulders are slouched, my hips are closed, I'm not looking through the turn, and as a result my feet, knees, hips, and shoulders are also pointed outside instead of through the turn. As a result of all that, I'm not really leaning the bike into the side knobs, the bike is standing up through the turn and I'm kind of riding on the center tread of the tire. Total bullshit. This photo is a particularly egregious example, but I pretty much rode every right-handed turn (and a lot of lefts, too) with these same bad habits until I took a lesson with Simon, and he saw all this stuff in 25 seconds of watching me ride.
The next photo is from the season opener Beacon Hill DH race in March of 2012 near Spokane, WA, a month after my clinic with Simon. You can see that my shoulders are neutral and strong (opposite of slouching), I'm confidently looking through the turn, my outside foot is pushing down and weighting my side knobs, and my hips are active and open. Thanks to good body position, I'm about to rip this right hander.
That body position allows me to apply consistent force to my side knobs while still being relatively relaxed and able to react, so the bike ends up doing most of the work automatically. As a benefit, it's actually way easier to ride a turn correctly, and riding right-hand turns got a lot less scary and I crashed a lot less. I won that race, so that was pretty confirming, too.
@Remymac - One coach for 12 riders is ridiculous! A 1:6 ratio is the maximum I'd tolerate for a group session. There's no way a...
@Remymac - One coach for 12 riders is ridiculous! A 1:6 ratio is the maximum I'd tolerate for a group session. There's no way a coach is going to be able to track what everyone is doing in that scenario. And scheduling an advanced class as an extension of a beginner session is pretty weak too. If it's a truly advanced class, the beginners will be in over their heads, and if it's a "beginner+" course, any advanced riders will be disappointed like you were.
Regarding continuous coaching, there's a group in Canada called YYCMTB that developed a Season's Pass program. Everyone is divided into groups by ability, and you do a group ride every week with some coaching thrown in where it makes sense. There's a coach and a tail guide, groups don't get too big, and you can move between levels or groups as you progress. I haven't heard of anyone else offering that kind of session, but there must be somebody doing it.
That is a really cool concept. I wish there were something like that around here.
I had to learn how to drive a manual car this year because my automatic broke down and I never bothered to really figure out how to drive my wife's car. I knew the fundamentals of driving, the rules, and how to drive smart but I couldn't drive a stick.
I watched a bunch of YouTube videos about it and I still sucked when I got out there and actually drove it. I had an understanding of what to do, but I wasn't actually doing it until my wife told me what I was doing wrong in the moment and how to improve. I tried driving the car by myself for weeks up and down residential roads but would stall and end up pulling off to the side all the time.
I had to get my wife to drive me to a parking lot/dead end road to practice with the clutch. I tried driving in a busier park at first and stalled it after driving a loop and getting stopped by a pedestrian. Then I was blocking the whole lane, people were honking, and I got stressed and stalled it again. I got my shit together and pulled over to let everyone through, then moved to a quieter, flatter location with no barriers to worry about. I was way less stressed and performed way better.
The absolute best way for me to learn the clutch was not starting and stopping, but just holding the car in place and rocking back and forth on a small incline. Yeah it was boring and probably wore the clutch out a bit, and it has almost nothing to do with actually driving a manual. That little game taught me more about clutch and gas control than the preceding two weeks of aimless driving I had tried out. It probably looked stupid to the construction workers outside but it was great for me.
I've stalled the car once since, even driving in stop and go traffic, starting on steep hills in a stop sign queue, and pulling off some emergency turns/stops. Those weren't on quiet, flat roads with no distractions but I had the instinct and muscle memory to do the right thing and keep the car running.
Does that all sound like silly training when the outcome was that good? Not to me. Now replace 'drive' with 'ride' and 'clutch' with whatever skill you want like 'flat cornering'. You don't necessarily learn the best on the trail with all of the distractions and fear that can come along with it.
I haven't done a bike training session but did do the PMBIA Level 1 course and that did teach me a few things that definitely improved my riding.
Except he purposely is leaving out what differentiates fluidrides cornering drill as helpful vs an unhelpful one out of respect to fluidride.
From the...
Except he purposely is leaving out what differentiates fluidrides cornering drill as helpful vs an unhelpful one out of respect to fluidride.
From the little team robot gave away I assume it’s mostly about actually adjusting your feet as you corner. A lot of riders effectively corner one way left and another right. Of course their are times on the trail you’ll have to corner without time or space to adjust your feet but a lot of riders simply don’t really think about their feet as much as they should when they ride.
The difference is a good coach will immediately spot the issues in your technique, be able to quickly describe how to change your mechanics to achieve proper technique, and can properly adjust the drill to match the riders current level (for example how spaced the cones are). They also can structure the time spent on individual drills to best help the rider achieve their goals.
anybody can set up four cones, start with the further out, practice a bunch, and move those cones closer and closer. A good coach is going to make that first few drills 50x more productive. Generally first bunch of lessons are one or two productive drills any student can use and can subsequently practice. Once you run out of the fundamental drills that’s when you usually start to coach more racing or riding craft as opposed to basics. Coaches who are equally good at this are even harder to come by, (and some are good at this despite having bad fundamentals themselves).
unless you are a pro generally there is a pretty hard cutoff to where the gains coaching is no longer as beneficial as the costs and time to pursue it. I should def invest some more into coaching when I have some budget. However if all a coach has to offer is drills they used to get good at riding then you probably aren’t using your money wisely.
So if it as easy as a "good coach" spoting issues in your technique and quickly describe a change in mechanics, then why are there so...
So if it as easy as a "good coach" spoting issues in your technique and quickly describe a change in mechanics, then why are there so few coaches (your own admission) who can do it? What's so hard about it?
I'll ask my original question again .... what, in Robots case, actually changed that lead to an improvement in performance and how was this improvement measured?
I'm not being a dick, I just asking the tough questions that seldom get answered and in my experience are a barrier to people seeking out coaching for their riding.
To go back to my experience as a guitar teacher/student what separated the teacher I kept and eventually worked for was that he was classically trained. He used a personalized version of a long standing tradition that has been used to train millions of people into competent musicians throughout history. Prior to working with him every lesson I had with a teacher was completely unorganized. And some “teachers” didn’t have the skills that would make me want to pay my money and spend my time to be there. I still clearly remember a lesson where I essentially paid someone for me to play some chords while they played some of the wackest solos I’ve ever heard for 30 minutes. Sure it was an introductory lesson I have no idea how he teaches from there. But I left there so pissed off I didn’t try another teacher for a couple years when it became clear I would need one to get into a music college.
there isn’t a fluidride in most communities to train coaches in a method that’s proven.
Beyond that I imagine “turnover” is pretty high among passionate and skilled candidates. Guitar teaching wasn’t for me even in a pretty lucrative gig where I didn’t even have to handle clients except at the lesson (they had his number not mine). While it’s really rewarding to help someone reach their goals, the actual day to day of it can be really repetitive. For me it was the traffic between lessons that really did me in. And the fact spending so much time playing music in a repetitive setting was negatively effecting my enjoyment of my favorite hobby.
so the only reason I was ok as a teacher was I was gift wrapped a several hundred year old method to teach with and I quit teaching before I ever got great at it. Exchange guitar for mtb and it’s not going to really be any different except be far more exclusive.
Marcelo Gutiérrez has been posting a bunch of simple tips and tricks videos that, while maybe obvious to more experienced riders, offers a lot of helpful information. And before you get upset that the videos aren't in English, turn on the subtitles, and don't forget how many riders there are in Latin America. His YouTube channel also has a bunch of other rad content in case you're curious what the ex-DH racer has been up to!
When it comes to Latin American influencers in the world of downhill, Marcelo Gutiérrez undoubtedly takes the top spot. Not only due to his impressive athletic career but also for the focus he applied to his life after retiring from the World Cups. Marcelo channeled his passion and experience into contributing to the education and training of thousands of cyclists in Latin America and the Spanish-speaking world. He understood the significant responsibility experienced cyclists hold in sharing technical knowledge with the vast community of cycling enthusiasts eager to learn from their role models, especially when talking to a huge portion of the world that speaks Spanish and sometimes are forgotten by the industry in general.
Furthermore, Marcelo recognized the immense potential of Latin America for the bicycle industry. Mountain biking is one of the most popular sports in the region, with people increasingly interested in continuous learning and enhancing their technical skills. Through a mix of personal anecdotes, how to videos, challenges, event participation and professional tips, Marcelo aims to empower the entire cycling community, regardless of their level of experience, to learn key aspects that may seem obvious to the more experienced riders but remain unknown to many cyclists.
Marcelo teaches the iconic Wheelie in 3 simple tricks so that anyone who wants to learn to master it can do so through constant practice following these 3 simple, but valuable steps.
Transitioning to clipless pedals can be daunting for many cyclists, but mastering your bike without them first is key. Here are some top tips to enhance your cycling experience when starting to use clipless pedals.
Punctures are always a hassle during rides, causing you to lose time, and even could be the end of your ride. Tubeless tires: a little-known trick in the world of amateur cycling, provide the solution to stop worrying about recurring punctures.
Pay attention, MTB enthusiasts! In this video, I'll give you advice, tips, and some examples to learn how to pedal through obstacles because you and I know that tackling roots, rocks, holes, etc. is essential to elevate technical skills and conquer challenging MTB terrains.
I don't remember which vid it was, but in one of Cathro's "Learn to Bike" episodes he says something like "ok, so today we're going to move away from the fundamental stuff and talk about the secret skills that get you to the World Cup level ... (psst... there are no secrets... World Cup riders are just REALLY good at the fundamentals...) "
I really don't want to give away Simon and Fluidride's secret recipe, but I'll say that he zero'd in on footwork, center of gravity, and unconscious left/right differences in technique. Most riders turn better one direction vs. the other, and that was immediately apparent to Simon after watching me ride for 25-seconds. I actually think it was helpful to not be doing drills on the trail because the cone drill isolated elements of my turning technique and really laid my bad mechanics bare, with nowhere to hide. On a real trail, I think it's possible to show off a lot of great skillsets while hiding your bad ones. YMMV, but I learned as much in two hours on that afternoon as I have in the last 5 years.
Copy that TEAMROBOT, good feedback. I suppose I've never done cone drills with a coach to know, and its been 25 years since I did a mountain bike clinic.
This is good talk that has got me interested in getting coaching. We can all get faster and better. And I think making improvement is what gets me stoked on biking.
Not sure I agree there are any secrets to technique or riding better. Good coaches certainly don't have secrets.
So fluidride just focused on flat ground cornering? No other areas of riding? How did this cornering session transfer to your on trail riding, especically for turns that don't require the same movements as on flat ground?
I'm not asking to be a dick, I'm asking because people want to know why they should invest in their skills and how a good coach may help them develop. Sadly stories of "secret sauce" and "special drills" do a disservice to those who want to seek out help.
Except he purposely is leaving out what differentiates fluidrides cornering drill as helpful vs an unhelpful one out of respect to fluidride.
From the little team robot gave away I assume it’s mostly about actually adjusting your feet as you corner. A lot of riders effectively corner one way left and another right. Of course their are times on the trail you’ll have to corner without time or space to adjust your feet but a lot of riders simply don’t really think about their feet as much as they should when they ride.
The difference is a good coach will immediately spot the issues in your technique, be able to quickly describe how to change your mechanics to achieve proper technique, and can properly adjust the drill to match the riders current level (for example how spaced the cones are). They also can structure the time spent on individual drills to best help the rider achieve their goals.
anybody can set up four cones, start with the further out, practice a bunch, and move those cones closer and closer. A good coach is going to make that first few drills 50x more productive. Generally first bunch of lessons are one or two productive drills any student can use and can subsequently practice. Once you run out of the fundamental drills that’s when you usually start to coach more racing or riding craft as opposed to basics. Coaches who are equally good at this are even harder to come by, (and some are good at this despite having bad fundamentals themselves).
unless you are a pro generally there is a pretty hard cutoff to where the gains coaching is no longer as beneficial as the costs and time to pursue it. I should def invest some more into coaching when I have some budget. However if all a coach has to offer is drills they used to get good at riding then you probably aren’t using your money wisely.
The take away here is not necessarily that the coach was bad but that 1-2-1 or private sessions with others you know at a similar level is 100% the way to go. I'd wager that the coach was frustrated they couldn't help you as much as they'd like because of the difference in the group's abilities.
Guiding or coaching, the group being at a similar level can make or break it. The progression you see in a rider on a private session is often magnitudes greater than group sessions. The feeling for a coach delivering a private session like that is incredibly rewarding too.
Tl;dr: If you really want to progress quickly you have to pay for it. Private sessions all the way.
So if it as easy as a "good coach" spoting issues in your technique and quickly describe a change in mechanics, then why are there so few coaches (your own admission) who can do it? What's so hard about it?
I'll ask my original question again .... what, in Robots case, actually changed that lead to an improvement in performance and how was this improvement measured?
I'm not being a dick, I just asking the tough questions that seldom get answered and in my experience are a barrier to people seeking out coaching for their riding.
I have taken that same Advanced Riding clinic @jasbushey did. Most of the people in the clinic attended the beginner class the day before as part of a discounted 2-day clinic. I'd call myself an intermediate rider, but I thought the skills taught in that advanced class were basic fundamentals, stuff that around here at least you need to know to get down just about any trail safely. I was hoping the clinic would be geared towards taking those fundamentals to the next level - getting coached in real time on body positioning and dialing the techniques of each rider to confidently hit bigger features, execute turns smoother and faster, etc. I can't imagine what they were teaching the in Day 1 beginner class... How to shift gears? I do think the guy running the clinic was good, but the other issue was that there were 12 of us attending. That's just too many people to be able to get any substance out of it IMO.
What you say about continuous coaching is the real key. It's also why I think I've gotten more out of online coaching than the real thing. It takes a lot longer online because you have to watch the training videos, video yourself, review the videos of your riding, and upload them for critique to know if your really getting the technique down. But I'm doing this on a continuous basis. I believe a good, in-person coach, one hour per week, for a few months would really move my journey along at a much faster clip than online learning.
@Remymac - One coach for 12 riders is ridiculous! A 1:6 ratio is the maximum I'd tolerate for a group session. There's no way a coach is going to be able to track what everyone is doing in that scenario. And scheduling an advanced class as an extension of a beginner session is pretty weak too. If it's a truly advanced class, the beginners will be in over their heads, and if it's a "beginner+" course, any advanced riders will be disappointed like you were.
Regarding continuous coaching, there's a group in Canada called YYCMTB that developed a Season's Pass program. Everyone is divided into groups by ability, and you do a group ride every week with some coaching thrown in where it makes sense. There's a coach and a tail guide, groups don't get too big, and you can move between levels or groups as you progress. I haven't heard of anyone else offering that kind of session, but there must be somebody doing it.
Simon's clinics are sort of like Jackson Pollock paintings, because they're so simple I walked away thinking "Well geez I could have thought of that." But the fact is I didn't think of that, he did, which is why he's the artist and I'm the customer. That's why I don't want to give away the relatively simple formula he used in his clinic with me. However, I can address which specific parts of my technique we worked on in the cone drills.
I dug up these two old pictures of me racing as "before" and "after" pics for coaching. The first is 2009 at Mt. Hood Skibowl (RIP) near Portland, OR. It was my first year racing in the pro category and I got destroyed every single race. You can see in the pic I already crashed earlier in my race run and I'm missing a knee pad.
Here's specifically what sucks in this photo: I'm pushing down on my inside foot instead of weighting my outside foot (inside foot is lower than my outside foot), my shoulders are slouched, my hips are closed, I'm not looking through the turn, and as a result my feet, knees, hips, and shoulders are also pointed outside instead of through the turn. As a result of all that, I'm not really leaning the bike into the side knobs, the bike is standing up through the turn and I'm kind of riding on the center tread of the tire. Total bullshit. This photo is a particularly egregious example, but I pretty much rode every right-handed turn (and a lot of lefts, too) with these same bad habits until I took a lesson with Simon, and he saw all this stuff in 25 seconds of watching me ride.
The next photo is from the season opener Beacon Hill DH race in March of 2012 near Spokane, WA, a month after my clinic with Simon. You can see that my shoulders are neutral and strong (opposite of slouching), I'm confidently looking through the turn, my outside foot is pushing down and weighting my side knobs, and my hips are active and open. Thanks to good body position, I'm about to rip this right hander.
That body position allows me to apply consistent force to my side knobs while still being relatively relaxed and able to react, so the bike ends up doing most of the work automatically. As a benefit, it's actually way easier to ride a turn correctly, and riding right-hand turns got a lot less scary and I crashed a lot less. I won that race, so that was pretty confirming, too.
That is a really cool concept. I wish there were something like that around here.
I had to learn how to drive a manual car this year because my automatic broke down and I never bothered to really figure out how to drive my wife's car. I knew the fundamentals of driving, the rules, and how to drive smart but I couldn't drive a stick.
I watched a bunch of YouTube videos about it and I still sucked when I got out there and actually drove it. I had an understanding of what to do, but I wasn't actually doing it until my wife told me what I was doing wrong in the moment and how to improve. I tried driving the car by myself for weeks up and down residential roads but would stall and end up pulling off to the side all the time.
I had to get my wife to drive me to a parking lot/dead end road to practice with the clutch. I tried driving in a busier park at first and stalled it after driving a loop and getting stopped by a pedestrian. Then I was blocking the whole lane, people were honking, and I got stressed and stalled it again. I got my shit together and pulled over to let everyone through, then moved to a quieter, flatter location with no barriers to worry about. I was way less stressed and performed way better.
The absolute best way for me to learn the clutch was not starting and stopping, but just holding the car in place and rocking back and forth on a small incline. Yeah it was boring and probably wore the clutch out a bit, and it has almost nothing to do with actually driving a manual. That little game taught me more about clutch and gas control than the preceding two weeks of aimless driving I had tried out. It probably looked stupid to the construction workers outside but it was great for me.
I've stalled the car once since, even driving in stop and go traffic, starting on steep hills in a stop sign queue, and pulling off some emergency turns/stops. Those weren't on quiet, flat roads with no distractions but I had the instinct and muscle memory to do the right thing and keep the car running.
Does that all sound like silly training when the outcome was that good? Not to me. Now replace 'drive' with 'ride' and 'clutch' with whatever skill you want like 'flat cornering'. You don't necessarily learn the best on the trail with all of the distractions and fear that can come along with it.
I haven't done a bike training session but did do the PMBIA Level 1 course and that did teach me a few things that definitely improved my riding.
To go back to my experience as a guitar teacher/student what separated the teacher I kept and eventually worked for was that he was classically trained. He used a personalized version of a long standing tradition that has been used to train millions of people into competent musicians throughout history. Prior to working with him every lesson I had with a teacher was completely unorganized. And some “teachers” didn’t have the skills that would make me want to pay my money and spend my time to be there. I still clearly remember a lesson where I essentially paid someone for me to play some chords while they played some of the wackest solos I’ve ever heard for 30 minutes. Sure it was an introductory lesson I have no idea how he teaches from there. But I left there so pissed off I didn’t try another teacher for a couple years when it became clear I would need one to get into a music college.
there isn’t a fluidride in most communities to train coaches in a method that’s proven.
Beyond that I imagine “turnover” is pretty high among passionate and skilled candidates. Guitar teaching wasn’t for me even in a pretty lucrative gig where I didn’t even have to handle clients except at the lesson (they had his number not mine). While it’s really rewarding to help someone reach their goals, the actual day to day of it can be really repetitive. For me it was the traffic between lessons that really did me in. And the fact spending so much time playing music in a repetitive setting was negatively effecting my enjoyment of my favorite hobby.
so the only reason I was ok as a teacher was I was gift wrapped a several hundred year old method to teach with and I quit teaching before I ever got great at it. Exchange guitar for mtb and it’s not going to really be any different except be far more exclusive.
Marcelo Gutiérrez has been posting a bunch of simple tips and tricks videos that, while maybe obvious to more experienced riders, offers a lot of helpful information. And before you get upset that the videos aren't in English, turn on the subtitles, and don't forget how many riders there are in Latin America. His YouTube channel also has a bunch of other rad content in case you're curious what the ex-DH racer has been up to!
When it comes to Latin American influencers in the world of downhill, Marcelo Gutiérrez undoubtedly takes the top spot. Not only due to his impressive athletic career but also for the focus he applied to his life after retiring from the World Cups. Marcelo channeled his passion and experience into contributing to the education and training of thousands of cyclists in Latin America and the Spanish-speaking world. He understood the significant responsibility experienced cyclists hold in sharing technical knowledge with the vast community of cycling enthusiasts eager to learn from their role models, especially when talking to a huge portion of the world that speaks Spanish and sometimes are forgotten by the industry in general.
Furthermore, Marcelo recognized the immense potential of Latin America for the bicycle industry. Mountain biking is one of the most popular sports in the region, with people increasingly interested in continuous learning and enhancing their technical skills. Through a mix of personal anecdotes, how to videos, challenges, event participation and professional tips, Marcelo aims to empower the entire cycling community, regardless of their level of experience, to learn key aspects that may seem obvious to the more experienced riders but remain unknown to many cyclists.
Marcelo teaches the iconic Wheelie in 3 simple tricks so that anyone who wants to learn to master it can do so through constant practice following these 3 simple, but valuable steps.
Transitioning to clipless pedals can be daunting for many cyclists, but mastering your bike without them first is key. Here are some top tips to enhance your cycling experience when starting to use clipless pedals.
Punctures are always a hassle during rides, causing you to lose time, and even could be the end of your ride. Tubeless tires: a little-known trick in the world of amateur cycling, provide the solution to stop worrying about recurring punctures.
Pay attention, MTB enthusiasts! In this video, I'll give you advice, tips, and some examples to learn how to pedal through obstacles because you and I know that tackling roots, rocks, holes, etc. is essential to elevate technical skills and conquer challenging MTB terrains.
Post a reply to: Have you ever invested in your riding abilities?