Does it eventually...

[Aryain]

become sub-conscious?

Been hitting the track a little lately. And I've noticed that I still have to think to myself and double check that I'm in third and I am wide open almost at the lip to clear a certain jump at the track.

I'm not fluent enough with the rest of the track to really do much else, but when I do get comfortable with all of the jumps and am able to speed up my lap times a little bit, does the speed thing eventually just become second nature?

 

[IndyMX]

become sub-conscious?

Been hitting the track a little lately. And I've noticed that I still have to think to myself and double check that I'm in third and I am wide open almost at the lip to clear a certain jump at the track.

I'm not fluent enough with the rest of the track to really do much else, but when I do get comfortable with all of the jumps and am able to speed up my lap times a little bit, does the speed thing eventually just become second nature?

I would think that it will eventually become second nature, but so far it hasn't for me.

Keep practicing..

 

[Ol'89r]

become sub-conscious?

does the speed thing eventually just become second nature?

Yes and yes.

It's called 'riding in the zone.'

It takes many years of seat time to get into the zone. It takes even more seat time to stay in the zone for a complete race.

The really fast riders don't have to stop and think about what they are going to do, they just do it. It does become second nature after a while. At the top, (Pro level) all of the riders ride on instinct.

The problem with planning what you are going to do is, most of the time things happen on the racetrack that foil your plans. You have to be able to react instantly to things that happen in front of you or around you. If you have to take the time to think about it, it's too late.

Some call this riding over your head. Others call it riding with confidence in your own ability. You have to trust your own ability to do the right things in certain situations. You have to trust your own reactions and skill and have the confidence to rely on yourself. You get this confidence by seat time and more seat time.

Just my $ .02

 

[Vic]

Just my $ .02

That was worth at least a quarter. :cool:

 

[Patman]

Watching the likes of Billywho blast around a track I know what '89er says is true. Of course hanging around with Billy off the track you find out the other zone is the construction / repair zone :)

 

[FruDaddy]

I know of a few jumps that I love to hit in third, but have hit in second because I either missed a shift, or forgot what gear I was in coming out of the corner. The speed was the same (I know because I made it) but the flight was a little off. Mostly I noticed the bike was revving a little hard. Unfortunately, I lack the skill to shift in the middle of most rhythm sections, so I usually just ride it out and correct during the next corner. I also find myself dropping down to first at least once per lap (usually entering a slow corner) so that I will know that I am in the right gear. Please note that I never claimed to be a good rider.

 

[Ol'89r]

Have you ever dropped your keys or a coin and reached down, WITHOUT THINKING, and caught the keys or coin before it hits the ground? Those are the kinds of reflexes it takes for it to become 'sub-conscious'.

Now, try this... Spread your thumb and finger apart and have someone else hold a dollar bill between your thumb and finger about half way down the dollar bill. Have them fold the dollar bill in half, longways and tell them to drop the dollar bill whenever they feel like it. When they drop the dollar bill, try to catch it between your thumb and finger. Unless you have very fast reflexes, it will be hard to catch the dollar bill before it goes through your fingers.

We see the dollar bill drop and our brains tell us to catch it. But, by the time the signal gets from our brains to the muscles in our fingers, the dollar bill has already slipped through our fingers and hit the ground.

This is because our brains are hard-wired to our muscles. It takes some time for the signal to register that the dollar bill has been dropped and for that signal to go from our eyes to our brains and then to our reflex muscles.

It works the same on the racetrack. What many think of as super-human feats on the racetrack are just normal human beings that are relying on their own natural reflexes and skill to save them in a bad situation. We all have this within us we just have to learn to trust ourselves and our reflexes to save us. If you see someone go down directly in front of you and you have to think about what to do, it's too late. By the time the signal goes from your eyes to your brain to your muscles, you will most likely have already run over the rider or crashed trying to miss him.

If you rely strictly on your reflexes, you will automatically know what to do and your body will do it without having to take the time to think about it.

Going fast on a racetrack is all about tricking our minds to let us do things that our minds tell us we shouldn't do. There is a strong sense of survival in all of us. The trick is to have enough confidence in your own skills and ability to let your natural reflexes take over and trust those reflexes.

There again, you get this feeling of confidence by seat time and more seat time.

I'm not a fast guy either but, I know some fast guys and girls too.

 

[oldguy]

I am always amazed when I get the chance to walk a track that my son has never ridden before with him. He will walk up to a jump and say third pinned or second half throttle then walk to the next. then to watch him go out for the first time on the track and see him hit almost every jump exactly like he said and I would guess 80% of the time land it just right. The other 20% just need a slight tweaking. On bigger harder jumps he will calculate it conservatively enough to clear the obstacle but then on the bike fine tune it
Some how he can walk up the approach and mentally calculate what his bike will need to do the jump. If only he could do this with homework at school :nod:

 

[Vic]

Going fast on a racetrack is all about tricking our minds to let us do things that our minds tell us we shouldn't do. There is a strong sense of survival in all of us. The trick is to have enough confidence in your own skills and ability to let your natural reflexes take over and trust those reflexes.

This is good stuff. :cool:

It applies to all endeavors.

 

[redneckbillybob]

when i used to ride ALOT, i would be at the track from 4-10pm about 4 to 5 days a week. most days I was able to "get in the zone" after riding for a few hours. I was able to ride very aggressive, "attack the track" etc. granted my zone is not the same as stewarts zone. but yeah when you can get into that zone its your zone and you riding at your best and also improving.

 

[High Lord Gomer]

... I'm not a fast guy either ...

OK...I'm calling BS on that one!

Not many other people here have raced at the professional level.

 

[ODM2]

OK...I'm calling BS on that one!

Not many other people here have raced at the professional level.

:cool:


He thinks he can get away with big fat lies because of the white hair. White hair or no I have inside information that he still outrides many a young cocky smack talker.
Do you think he was sandbagger on the track too? Is this just a matter of I've always been a big fat liar??? Likes to play with his prey before he eats it?

 

[Ol'89r]

:cool:
Is this just a matter of I've always been a big fat liar????

HEY NOW! :whoa: Whatcha' talkin about??? :ohmy: I'm not fat. :nener: