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Is it worth an intermediate DH rider getting some coaching?

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Is it worth an intermediate DH rider getting some coaching?
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flag bartonz20let
Posted: Sep 22, 2016 at 12:51 Quote
So I've been riding DH for around a year, I've progressed way better than I expected. If you told me I'd have been doing 30ft gaps or 15ft drops a year ago I'd have laughed at you. I'm not slow either.

So I've got plans to up the riding locations to places that suit a better level of rider (morzine/revs etc) and I wanna race next year.

I already train pretty hard, 2 days weight training, a spin class, 1 evening and a full Sunday riding at places like farmer johns, havok, esholt pretty much every week.

Thing is, I can hit a gap reasonably well 8/10 times but I know at times I'm pushing my luck, I shattered my 5th metacarpal at wharncover this year and don't fancy a repeat because I went out of my comfort zone.

How much could someone gain from some specific coaching over just hours of practice, £250 for 6 hours of dedicated coaching is a fair investment and I'd be gutted if I put my money down and didn't really get anything from it.

I've seen loads of success reviews and videos of improvement before and after courses but it's usually with someone who is new to riding.

I know without seeing me ride it's impossible to say exactly what can be improved, just wondering what people's thoughts are on coaching for an intermediate DH rider?
flag Loki87
Posted: Sep 22, 2016 at 14:57 Quote
Now, this is just my opinion, but i think while there are certainly aspects of riding that can be improved by a coaching session, gaps and drops are not one of them.
Gaps and drops are much more about commitment and a clear head. About looking ahead and keeping your mind at ease. It´s about where you look while doing the drop, which is also influenced again by commitment/fear. You fear that treestump right besides the landing? Chances are you´re gonna take a short look at it while in the air and therefore shift your direction onto it.

Now for things that can be improved by a coach and that a surely very beneficial to an aspiring racer are things like braking points, line choice, maintaining body position etc.
Those will make you a faster rider for sure if you´re training with a competent coach.
Races are not won on the big obstacles. They are won in corners and after 1 year of riding, chances are there is a lot to improve on your technique.

250 is lot of cash. Aren´t there any options for less hours? i mean, 2 hours of specific training can get you pretty far and i´d be worried to get stuck in a coaching group that is looking for completely different goals than you are.
In that case 6 hours can be very long.
flag bartonz20let
Posted: Sep 22, 2016 at 22:46 Quote
Thanks for the advice. 250 is about the going rate for a day 1 2 1 coaching, I wouldn't do a group.

Interesting that you feel that big obstacles don't make the difference, it is certainly where I'm loosing time though. Me n a mate filmed a full run at fjs a few weeks ago and played it back. I'd have beat him comfortably if I had done a step down onto a gradient rooted landing but I chose the chicken run and lost a load of time. It's fair to say if the track had no jumps, I'd have left him for dead as on the ground as I'm quite a bit quicker than him but he has a much better technique in the air.

Your right though, I could certainly get faster in all areas and just by being faster the bigger obsticals should become easier as the chance of coming up short is lowered but in terms of my ability on the ground v in the air, my air is way behind and by far my weakest trait.

I was hoping a good session with a coach would make me a more consistent jumper and help improve the way I deal with the transition and take off, because if I think about it, the 4ft or so before a take off are where I make my biggest mistakes.
flag mrsteve1982
Posted: Sep 23, 2016 at 3:31 Quote
It depends.
Are you the kind of person that can take on critical analysis? I have seen so many guys who have spent money and either they know better than the coach or they listen and forget as soon as they leave.
If you go in with an open mind then coaching is great, small changes to your riding can make a huge difference! Just as an example my buddy made a small change to his body positioning to help cornering and that released more speed in the turns, so he was then able to hit a small kicker to clear a rock garden, the result was faster, smoother and safer runs through this section of track. One skill feeds into another.
flag Loki87
Posted: Sep 23, 2016 at 5:09 Quote
Ok, if you have to use the chicken line that of course will cost you time.
However, i still feel that reading up on dropping and jumping technique and practising those tips by yourself should not be a big problem and will get results fast. However in contrast cornering is much more complicated and specific training with an expert will gain much more noticable results in overall speed and control.
So, maybe just take the class IF the coach is a good one and see what he can do for you. A singles class over 6 hours should get some good results.
flag discotone
Posted: Dec 16, 2016 at 5:24 Quote
bartonz20let wrote:
Thanks for the advice. 250 is about the going rate for a day 1 2 1 coaching, I wouldn't do a group.

Interesting that you feel that big obstacles don't make the difference, it is certainly where I'm loosing time though. Me n a mate filmed a full run at fjs a few weeks ago and played it back. I'd have beat him comfortably if I had done a step down onto a gradient rooted landing but I chose the chicken run and lost a load of time. It's fair to say if the track had no jumps, I'd have left him for dead as on the ground as I'm quite a bit quicker than him but he has a much better technique in the air.

Your right though, I could certainly get faster in all areas and just by being faster the bigger obsticals should become easier as the chance of coming up short is lowered but in terms of my ability on the ground v in the air, my air is way behind and by far my weakest trait.

I was hoping a good session with a coach would make me a more consistent jumper and help improve the way I deal with the transition and take off, because if I think about it, the 4ft or so before a take off are where I make my biggest mistakes.

Have you had any coaching yet? I'm looking into it for early next year. Thinking of using Aline at Revs.I want to improve all aspects of my DH riding.
flag robito
Posted: Dec 16, 2016 at 9:00 Quote
A lesson never hurts, except for your wallet. I don't know about lessons for jumping though. I would get a dirt jumper and hit the trails or an indoor park in the winter. You spend the winter jumping and you'll be killing it next year.
flag bartonz20let
Posted: Dec 17, 2016 at 10:00 Quote
discotone wrote:
bartonz20let wrote:
Thanks for the advice. 250 is about the going rate for a day 1 2 1 coaching, I wouldn't do a group.

Interesting that you feel that big obstacles don't make the difference, it is certainly where I'm loosing time though. Me n a mate filmed a full run at fjs a few weeks ago and played it back. I'd have beat him comfortably if I had done a step down onto a gradient rooted landing but I chose the chicken run and lost a load of time. It's fair to say if the track had no jumps, I'd have left him for dead as on the ground as I'm quite a bit quicker than him but he has a much better technique in the air.

Your right though, I could certainly get faster in all areas and just by being faster the bigger obsticals should become easier as the chance of coming up short is lowered but in terms of my ability on the ground v in the air, my air is way behind and by far my weakest trait.

I was hoping a good session with a coach would make me a more consistent jumper and help improve the way I deal with the transition and take off, because if I think about it, the 4ft or so before a take off are where I make my biggest mistakes.

Have you had any coaching yet? I'm looking into it for early next year. Thinking of using Aline at Revs.I want to improve all aspects of my DH riding.

No, my bike got nicked so Ive skinted myself putting a new one together, couldn't afford it if I wanted to.

I have however taken a bit of time to anaylise my riding, filmed my jumps and been honest about my failings, it's been a bit of a revelation.

I was doing a lot right but slowmos showed I was pumping transitions a bit late and not using my legs enough to push the bike down and forward, the result was the front of the bike was still extending after I left the lip and I was rotating forward.

I'm getting much more pop now, the bike is staying flat and I can focus on whips and table tops as I have more time in the air where I can play with the bike.

A few minor adjustments have made a massive difference.

I've also set my new bike up properly which helps a bit too.
flag Alexhoward91
Posted: Dec 23, 2016 at 1:49 Quote
So you're telling me you do 15ft drops and 30ft gaps but you took a chicken line at farmer johns? Fjs is a tame bike park by any standards. There is no drop over 8ft at fjs, sounds like you need to practice confidence and learn how big 30ft and 15ft are.
flag bartonz20let
Posted: Dec 23, 2016 at 5:53 Quote
Alexhoward91 wrote:
So you're telling me you do 15ft drops and 30ft gaps but you took a chicken line at farmer johns? Fjs is a tame bike park by any standards. There is no drop over 8ft at fjs, sounds like you need to practice confidence and learn how big 30ft and 15ft are.

Yeh, I actually can't do 30ft gaps at all, I just said that to impress people I do not know on the internet.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BHY82tuA-3E/

I'll make sure I measure correctly next time.
flag Alexhoward91
Posted: Dec 23, 2016 at 21:47 Quote
I don't think you need to be taking chicken lines at fjs if you can ride things like the free ride line st havoc, looks just like a confidence issue you've defiently got the skills. Wouldn't be wasting money on lessons
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