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Message: [QUOTE="mox69, post: 1294237, member: 76391"] I agree with the comments about fear and overconfidence. So far in my short MX career, I have seen these two things cause a lot of accidents. At this point I have been to most of the tracks that are withing ~2-3 hours from me. So I have a procedure that I personally use to get myself used to a new track. I used these techniques when I was a totally new to this sport and will probably continue to use it. 1. When I get to the track (new or old track) I always take 1-3 "slow" laps. During these laps I never really jump anything, roll through the whoops, make mental notes on what looks scary and what looks easy, check the lines, etc. 2. After I'm comfortable with the layout, I will hit any tabletops slowly. Usually in 1st gear and rolling on the gas at the last bit. The goal here is to no fly far, but be on the gas when I go off the jump. This way I get a feel for which way it is going to throw me. Forwards, backwards, waaay up high, etc. 3. Any "doubles" or potentially dangerous jumps I usually save for my second session. Ya I know call me a wuss, thats ok. If possible I go scope these jumps out on foot, and watch the rest of the A/B/Vet/85 riders hit them. I try and watch speed, guesstimate what gear, etc. I usually "de-scare" myself. Honestly they all look a lot worse when I'm on the bike then when I watching people go over it. More often then not, I see someone come up short. Thats good in a way, because I see what potentially will happen to me :). Furthermore if 90% of the 85cc guys are doing it, I'm obviously being a pansy. If only the A / B guys are clearing it, I'm not even gonna try. 4. When I get back onto the course for session 2, I tell myself which dangerous jumps I'm gonna hit. There is no "maybe" or, 2nd guessing. I mentally commit before heading out to the track. If it's over my skill level, then I just don't bother. 5. At this point I usually attempt this double or whatever. This part is hard to explain, I'm not nervous (I've done just about all the prep I can, so whatever happens...happens). More of a excited / focused adrenaline rush.I commit 110% to the jump. 6. More often than not, I overjump. I make a mental note to roll off the throttle a bit more. Then finally I kick myself in the ass because it was about 100x easier than I thought it was going to be. Honestly you need to be comfortable on your bike and 100% comfortable flying through the air. I'm not an expert on mid-air corrections (yet), but being able to do that will go a long way as well. Realistically you just have to practice. There is such a huge difference between my confidence and skill level from my first time on a MX track (last summer) to now. I sure feel like I make noticeable progress every practice day. I still have a ways to go, and will probably never be a super A racer. But I have fun, and try to play it safe. [/QUOTE]

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