Steve, Ric and Blake's session

After traveling 3.5 hours from wales, the guys arrived on time and I set about discovering the truth in their riding and what was present in the skill set already by putting them through the skills check.
I uncovered a hidden push in them all and removed the bad habits that bogged it down before moving onto to applying it on drops.


Using their natural push I showed why it is used in this technique and they all began to fly off and land perfectly. I even showed them how to tweak the bike in the air once I had corrected their body positioning.
Next we moved onto the trail and worked heavily on cornering and why looking and footwork are so important before once again working on body position.
We worked on flat, bermed, switchback and off camber corners. We linked these together with steps, drops, jumps ,rock gardens and pumping by using the identified braking/pedaling areas.
We worked on linking drops into berms too before riding the entire trail end to end.



Each run got faster and more fluid and the skill set really began to embed itself in them.
It came time to move onto the final technique of jumping and landing on a transition of a tabletop.




Here they used their push once again and I worked hard with Blake on his body position here and one by one, once their looking had been corrected they flew over the 6ft tabletop and both Steve and Ric used their mental skills to ride the gap jump too!
Awesome session guys!

The return of Andy C

I coached Andy last June and on meeting today I put him through the skills check to see what areas needed more work. I found I needed to work on his body positioning and also could see that he had been working hard on his skill set from our last session.
I wanted to work on his positioning on drops and Andy could tell the difference and control immediately and then used his mental skill set to move up to a 3ft drop section and repeat it over again.
Here I also worked on The pedal assisted un weight or better known, wheelie drop technique.
I worked on his timing and speed management and it all came together after a while.
We moved onto the trail and worked on Andy's trail energy management as well as body position in corners too.
We worked on speed manualing, steps, flat, off camber, switchback and bermed corners, rocks, fly outs and linking drops into corners.



We rode the trail end to end quite a few times and Andy's energy management was really coming good as he used the correct braking zones between each section.
I could see the past session and the skills we worked on today really coming together so we moved on.
Lastly we worked on jumping tabletops and also gaps.
I controlled his speed as he focused on his body position, footwork and looking skills and in no time at all was flying cleanly over the table top.
I discovered a protective mechanism when he rode the gap side and we ironed that out easily.


Andy himself called an end to the session as he could feel himself tiring mentally as the adrenalin of overcoming his fear of gap jumps took the energy out of him.
Great session Andy and I'm looking forward to your updates already!

A private session with Jo, Tim , Andy and Mark

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Jo had previously attended a group session and wanted to come back with Tim, Andy and mark and on completing the skills check, I could see the previous session had really paid dividends and also I identified the guys missing skills ranging from footwork, looking and body positioning.
Once the push had been identified and brought to the foreground of their techniques we moved onto drops.
Here we applied the skills to this technique and they were all landing perfectly on the smallest drop and using their mental skill set, they began riding the larger ones too.



From there we moved onto the trail where we worked on pumping, jumping, steps, rock gardens and linking drops into corners and flat, bermed, off camber and switchback corners.
Methodically, we moved down the trail linking each section to the previous ones using the correct braking areas.
I timed certain segments to show time gain when the techniques are correct and the loss when it is not.
We then began riding the entire trail end to end and each rider was flowing more fluidly than before and importantly concentrating on what's next rather than worrying that they may have got something wrong.
We worked on line choice to link drops into corners and how line choice really affects the fluidity of the run.


After a few runs of the trail we moved on to our final technique of steep alpine switchbacks.
Footwork and looking were paramount here and the mental skill set was used to say yes or no to riding them.
Awesome session!

Al and Phil's 2 to 1 session

On meeting Phil and Al, I ran them through my skills check and once I had corrected the skills errors and installed the push we moved on to our first technique, drops! Using their new skills set both physically and mentally, both Al and Phil were landing perfectly off of a curb sized drop and soon were riding all 3 drops easily.
Next, we moved onto the trail and began working on the 14 sections contained in the trail . Methodically, We worked our way along the trail working on footwork and looking in corners and body position on straight on sections.
We worked on pumping, jumps, steps, rock gardens, drops and flat, bermed, switchback and off camber corners. Section by section we linked each section to the next , using the correct barking zones.







After a few complete runs of the trail, where the lads really were flowing faster and more smoothly than before we moved onto the tabletop .
In 5 steps the lads were flying over the tabletop with whoops of joy. Al and Phil really loved the airtime and both rode the gap jump too!
Our session ended there and I demonstrated the skill set being used at herts shore.
Awesome session.

Todays singletrack skills public coaching session

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Dan, Tim, Toni, Ed, Kev Alexandra and Mike met as arranged and we began with the skills check as always. It's here that I identify not only the missing skills but also the present ones too and also where I make set up changes that may be required.
Once corrected we moved onto the drop technique before getting onto the trail proper.



Here I began working on looking and body positioning and later on footwork with some too and all the riders made great strides in this technique, landing perfectly.
We then moved onto the trail and it's 14 sections contained within it. Starting from the top, we worked on each section and linked it to the next using the correct braking zones.
Rock gardens, pumping, steep up slopes, drops, steps and flat, bermed , switchback and off camber corners were all methodically linked one by one and the trails energy was used rather than the riders.
The trail requires riders to add their own speed for the top half and then the riders must control the trails speed for the lower half.
We worked on linking corners and drops quite heavily before we all rode the trail end to end quite a few times. each rider was riding faster and more controlled than they were at the start and also had a mental skills set to apply in the riding also.
Awesome session!

Another session with Seb

Seb had been on a group session with me last summer and wanted to work on the more free ride end of the mtb scale.
I checked what skills were still present and saw I only needed to work on body positioning and the mental skill set as we moved on through the session.
Starting on the small beginner drops as always I corrected his position in flight so he could begin to move the bike in the air rather than a sat back and stiff flight.


I then got Seb linking drops into corners.
We moved onto the woodwork and repeated the same thing in a different context and the same result occurred.


I worked on each individual section before adding the next.
We covered drops, jumps, step ups, step downs and wooden berms too. Methodically, we linked each one to the next and then rode it end to end with a fluidity and confidence that Seb loved. Finally, Seb rode a laddder drop into a 9ft gap step down into a tight corner so smoothly and he even tweaked the air off the drop too.
Rad session !!

Never too old to learn

Mark and Richard contacted me wishing to have their missing skills identified and new techniques developed. So, starting with the skills check I set about doing just that. What surprised them was that a very important technique was already a natural action and once I removed what bogged it down, that action really blossomed.



The first technique we covered was the drop technique and in no time at all both Richard and Mark were landing perfectly and then used their new mental skill set to ride the bigger drops too!
We then moved onto the trail and we worked on linking the 14 sections contained within it using the correct braking zones.
I focused on developing their footwork and looking before adding body position into the mix too.
Flat, bermed, switchback and off camber corners were ridden. Steps, fly outs, rocks, pumping and more drops were ridden and linked together methodically and the flow began to show.
We worked hard on carrying speed through berms after drops and then we rode the trail end to end a few times and the lads really began operating fluidly and without thinking.



Lastly and to their surprise, I moved them onto the tabletop as they ride swinley a lot and other trail centers and I wanted to make sure they had this in their toolbag too.
In no time at all they sailed over the 6ft tabletop and even rode the gap jump side too!
Awesome session guys!

Stu, Robin and Graham's group session

On meeting I ran them through the skills check and discovered some good skills bogged down by bad habits. I set about correcting this immediately and soon we were ready to move onto the drop technique.
Using their natural pushes they all rode the 3 drops, landing perfectly and things really began taking shape.
We moved onto the trail to work on pumping, rock gardens,drops, steps and flat, bermed, adverse and switchback corners. Gradually, we worked our way down the trail linking each section to the next using the correct braking areas. We worked on footwork and looking but also on body position too.


We then rode the entire trail end to end, linking all 14 sections on the trail together fluidly and each run became smoother and smoother.
After a few runs it was time to move onto jumping tabletops as the guys all ride at trail centers at times too and these are always present.
In no time at all the lads were in the air and my task was to manage their speed so they could focus on the remaining physical and mental skills.


As I worked on their individual styles I matched them to a speed. I worked hard with Stu on the mental side of it and in time they all sailed over, landing perfectly on the transition. Graham and Robin even rode the gap jump side to round the session off.
Great session lads!

Herts and Essex mtb freeride session

This session was delayed in December due to snow so the next date they could all make was today. As always I began with the skills check and identified the missing skills in their riding before moving onto the drop technique.
Here we worked on looking and body position during flight and also on moving the bike in the air.
Next we worked on linking drops into corners and worked on footwork.
We then moved onto jumping tabletops and once again worked on looking and body position and in no time at all all the guys were sailing over it.
Using their mental skill set all the guys then rode the gap jump side of the jump too.
I then moved onto a low ladder drop and worked on their peripheral fears and body position on woodwork before moving onto an advanced drop where speed judgement is required to clear a gap.



I then demonstrated linking it into another wooden berm before working further down the trail and adding a step up and step down section.
Things were really moving along nicely and their riding was progressing without bringing them beyond their perceived comfort zones.

Next I moved them onto another drop and we linked it into a 9ft gap step down jump. Each riding used their mental skills to easily ride each section yet again.

We linked drops into jumps and into corners and the guys all showed their new physical and mental skills to great effect.
Lastly I showed them how to ride a hip drop and once again each of them easily rode it and even if errors were made they had the skills to self evaluate what happened.
Awesome session!