Who needs a skills course???

NatoED

popstar wrote:

NatoED maybe offer to slave a bit for few days at trails maintenance with guys who teach? Surely your hardwork will be appreciated and you may avoid paying if that causes some problems.

Hehe i remember building trails up in Afan years ago . put in 4 hours work only for a bunch of ramblers to walk up it and bash down the berm we had built up . teh forestry guy with us was well peeved .

paramart

james c you never said why you needed a skills course other than your girl could climb better than you, why did you feel the need for training :?: also some pros with top coaches still make mistakes, golfers, f1 drivers, m/bike riders, if you have the best training it is still only as good as your own ability, if you push to hard you usually come a cropper, some people say a little bit of knowledge is a dangerous thing, yet there is the RAF saying that knowledge dispels fear, the latter i think is when you come a cropper, also would like to know how people become experts at things.

Anonymous

J@mesC wrote:

NatoED wrote:

What i can't understand is why pay for it . Surly ridding with a mixed group of riders with a range of skills is going to be as effective and better for your wallet ?

I very much doubt it. Just because your mates ride well it doesn't mean a) they can tell you why they ride well or b) tell you technically what you're doing right or wrong.

Also, what is right or wrong for one person may not be the same for another. Different riding styles, techniques, the kind of bike, and many other factors apply. A good tutor will adapt the course for the person, pick up what skills they excelling at and what they aren't and work from there. A particular person may have a certain style which will benefit from particular tuition that another may not because they ride differently.

Riding with a group of riders is fun and you can go down all kinds of courses you wouldn't necessarily do normally on your own, but you don't necessarily pick up their skills either. You may see them do something and think you can do the same, only to end up on your head instead. They may be excellent riders but trying to instruct someone how to do something you do instinctively is hard. Worse is they may give advice that doesn't suit you or you are not ready for, or give conflicting advice.

cloudynights

deadkenny wrote:

J@mesC wrote:

NatoED wrote:

What i can't understand is why pay for it . Surly ridding with a mixed group of riders with a range of skills is going to be as effective and better for your wallet ?

I very much doubt it. Just because your mates ride well it doesn't mean a) they can tell you why they ride well or b) tell you technically what you're doing right or wrong.

Also, what is right or wrong for one person may not be the same for another. Different riding styles, techniques, the kind of bike, and many other factors apply. A good tutor will adapt the course for the person, pick up what skills they excelling at and what they aren't and work from there. A particular person may have a certain style which will benefit from particular tuition that another may not because they ride differently.

Riding with a group of riders is fun and you can go down all kinds of courses you wouldn't necessarily do normally on your own, but you don't necessarily pick up their skills either. You may see them do something and think you can do the same, only to end up on your head instead. They may be excellent riders but trying to instruct someone how to do something you do instinctively is hard. Worse is they may give advice that doesn't suit you or you are not ready for, or give conflicting advice.

i understand what your saying but dont you think a lot of how we learn is by copying friends or peers, parents at what they do, children are a great example of how they copy parents and learn why should following your mates on a mountain bike be any different

popstar

Cloudynight, if you had seen G Atherton ride off the cliff, would you repeat the same move? Without understanding of basic mechanics of riding you will end up in the ditch pretty much sharpish. If you 've been found out by others is entirely different matter.

supersonic

It does in the end come down to the rider. If you think you have reached your limit, then maybe seek some tutoring. But I feel there is a lot that the average rider can do before resorting to this (indeed if they ever do resort to it). Maybe you get to the stage where you are happy with whatyou are doing. Maybe you don't. Not everyone who does MTBing wants to push as far as they can. For example I play many a few sports, ie golf, snooker, darts (and they are sports lol), football, and have played badminton and many others in the past. I have never felt I need to take coaching in all of them. Sure I have taken tips, practiced, but seeking coaching for everything I do in life is not the answer for me. Which is one reason we have forums.

cloudynights

popstar, please use your common sense you have said something even my 10 year
old son says is daft

NatoED

Maybe going down a few notches on the bike spec may be good too .

Imagine trying to learn to ride again on a ridged MTB it would definitely help you learn skills fast . lol .

Maybe that's where we all are going wrong. suspension , disc brakes and new rubber compounds on tyres . all these things take away the need for skills at an early stage flattering our abilities .

cloudynights

NatoED wrote:

Maybe going down a few notches on the bike spec may be good too .

Imagine trying to learn to ride again on a ridged MTB it would definitely help you learn skills fast . lol .

Maybe that's where we all are going wrong. suspension , disc brakes and new rubber compounds on tyres . all these things take away the need for skills at an early stage flattering our abilities .

thats true modern tech has changed how we ride we've lost a lot and gained alot at the same time

NatoED

well i said it in jest but it would be fun

popstar

Cloudynight maybe steep chute with drop off is child's play to you, but I could see it as a suicide trail future to ride. If I was novice, should I shout -wohooo and career off there repeating your sick moves?

Perception of limits this n that you see.

cloudynights

popstar wrote:

Cloudynight maybe steep chute with drop off is child's play to you, but I could see it as a suicide trail future to ride. If I was novice, should I shout -wohooo and career off there repeating your sick moves?

Perception of limits this n that you see.

sorry but im at a loss as to what point your trying to make, and why would a novice go down a steep chute, please lets use a little common sense

Jedi

wow, i've been away camping/riding and have just noticed this thread. thank you for your kind words james, was very cool to have met you both

NatoED

hello jedi

Anonymous

cloudynights wrote:

i understand what your saying but dont you think a lot of how we learn is by copying friends or peers, parents at what they do, children are a great example of how they copy parents and learn why should following your mates on a mountain bike be any different

Very much so and I don't deny that learning from friends and so on is just as important.

All that's really being said here is there is a place for a professional course also, for some people. It's not going to suit everyone and not everyone will even believe it's worth the money. Some may pay up and get nothing out of it, some might. Though I've yet to hear a single negative from Jedi's courses and I know of some dozen or so people who've done it, some I know personally, others I've just bumped into and got talking. It's well worth checking out his blog & videos also and see what you think. Not saying you'd change your mind and perfectly fine with that. Not everyone is going to agree. Just that you can get an idea from it just what kind of stuff he does.

As for steep chutes and drops, well the other week I apparently thought I was up for it, and clearly wasn't. I don't know why I tried it though. Maybe because I'd been practising with a friend all afternoon and picked up some tips, then thought this is for me. A stay in the ICU, loss of memory, and bust back has taught me that I'm doing things wrong. Will a course fix that? No idea. Problem is now, just out with friends I'll likely be too cautious and not try anything.

Jedi

NatoED wrote:

hello jedi

hiya
riding bikes rocks!

NatoED

lol except my MTB is off the road (pardon the pun) so been road riding more untill i get it fixed

NatoED

went for a 5 hour ride , that was fun .

NatoED

jedi do you wear a bandanna? surf and say dude alot? I ask cos this thread got way to serious

Jedi

i ride bikes, havent surfed for over 20years except on singletrack

what pigeon hole would you like me to be in

NatoED

oooo ...... one thats the right size for you this thread got way to serious

cloudynights

forgot what were talking about

cloudynights

jedi
are you from hertfordshire my current mrs cloudynights is from there

Jedi

i live in hertford but from london originally

cloudynights

well to a northern lad its all the same area to me

NatoED

well i'm a taffy through and through

cloudynights

natoED
im a quarter welsh my nan is from merthyr tydfil

NatoED

ahh woolly back land

cloudynights

is that what it is nothings changed then where i live is full of them and cows

paramart

hello jedi, can you answer 1 serious question for me, you instruct people but have you done a series of courses to teach, or do you just teach from your own personal riding experiences gained over the years, cheers mart