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MX, SX & Off-Road Discussions
General Moto | Off-Topic Posts
"It's All in Your Head"
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[QUOTE="lbk, post: 830128, member: 55269"] Not that I have a lot of room to talk since really I just started dirt riding this year, and actually jumping anything of significance this past weekend. But for me it was all in my head. I posted a while back about looking for the next step. I started by jumping these little doubles on the Intermediate track. I just kept doing those and a small table top on that same track. Over and over again. Till I felt comfortable with it, never pushing too much just a little more each time. Till finally I was clearing the little table top. Nothing to brag about, there were young kids on 80's doing better than me. But I've learned from roadracing that checking your ego at the door, will carry you a long way in your learning curve. To me it's timing and pace, take things at a pace that you are comfortable with that leads to fewer steps backwards. When I first started roadracing I would push myself, which would lead to a crash that would take me back three steps and I'd have to get my confidence back again. This year I've crashed three times roadracing but each time I knew exactly what I did wrong that caused it. So I didn't have to take as much time to regain my confidence. I knew don't do x again and you'll be fine. Anyway back to dirt, this past weekend I thought I was ready to try the doubles on the regular MX track. These are easy ones because the face of the second jump is not steep so you don't have to clear them to be ok. In fact few people were clearing them. So I take a run, and sure enough chickened out wound up just rolling them. So I turned around did it again just concentrating on giving it a little gas before I hit the top to keep the front end up. I landed it, it was smooth and it felt easy. So I turned around and just did this same jump probably 10 more times before going around the rest of the track. By the end of the day I was getting more and more comfortable just doing each jump in very very small increments. I still have a long way to go before I'm jumping anything that anyone who rides regularly would even consider a jump. But my learning curve is at a pace that builds my confidence. When I crash I want to know exactly why I did so that I don't have to take the steps backwards. So it is mental in my book, and to me it's just taking very very small steps. I'm another one who didn't ride as a kid, dirt bikes are completely new to me, and I try to pay attention to what the bikes doing. Relax, stay lose because the bike can get pretty out of shape and you'll still be ok. This was the hardest thing for me to get use to coming from the street, and roadracing world. Best of luck, and if you feel the desire to ride, then ride just do what you are doing now which is taking a moment to reflect on your choices and see if there is a need to change them, or if it was just part of your learning curve. I went through similar time periods street riding where I felt like I just should take a break, when in reality all I needed to do was slow down my learning curve and in the end it pays off. Sorry so long, and not even sure if it will help all this coming from someone who doesn't have much dirt experience, but hopefully by relating to your situation it will at least get you to see, you are not alone, and lots of people go through this type of thing. Some just don't admit it. :D [/QUOTE]
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MX, SX & Off-Road Discussions
General Moto | Off-Topic Posts
"It's All in Your Head"
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