Video: Kate Courtney On Improving her Technical Skills to World Cup Standard
 | When I get to race day, I know that we have looked at everything and that I am confident in the choice I am making. I think with technical riding, confidence, strength and power makes the biggest difference. |
Full send
Sometimes in order to go forward you need to go back. What has that meant for Kate Courtney this season? Mastering even the simplest essentials like cornering and technique so that no matter what gets thrown at her on the race track, she is able to punch back with confidence and strength. Full Send dives into the technical progress Kate has focused on this season on the Scott-SRAM team and under the wing of Thomas Frischkneckt.
Technical skill
Coming from the USA and transitioning to mountain biking at the Elite level meant playing a game of catch up against the technically adept Europeans who are used to demanding tracks in varying conditions. Working with Thomas Frischknecht has been an opportunity for Kate to focus on mastering technical features and skills like cornering to squeeze every second out of the race track.
| When I get to race day, I know that we have looked at everything and that I am confident in the choice I am making. I think with technical riding, confidence, strength and power makes the biggest difference. |
Line Choice
Whether on the World Cup track or out at your local trail network, line choice is everything. That is why one of the most important parts of Kate and Thomas’s work together is pre-riding the race track and discussing line options. Together they can go back and forth on the best options so Kate can have full confidence come race day on the choices she is making on track.
No room for error
At the top, there is no room for error, no matter the conditions. That’s why leading up to and during the season, Kate’s training focuses on putting herself into multiple different situations. This means time in the gym working on conventional exercises like leg strength and explosive power, but also through ‘fun’ exercise like the balance board that help you strengthen yourself in ways you can’t by riding your bike. All this work translates into confidence, power and strength to punch back no matter what the conditions on track throw at you lap after lap.
| She stands out for being a fast learner, someone who always wants to do things better. |
Push and pull
Young talent meets age-old wisdom. This coach and rider collaboration of walking the track and working out which lines to take and how to make the course work for Kate is what gives her the confidence come race day. The process of going back and forth, creatively looking at the track and getting to know every option is one Kate enjoys most with Frischi.
Watch more episodes of the Rising series here.
Video: Rained Upon Media
Photos: Rained Upon Media
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Member since May 29, 2013
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From experience, XC race descents provide *some* recovery but are still pretty taxing, and it's really tough to react quickly when you're that ragged. Throwing/catching/balancing between exercises in the gym is probably a great way to simulate that.
It is undeniable that althetes of different physiology, using different training strategies come to very similar results. Emily Battys form on deadlift and squat is better than Kates. And so what. Which leaves us wondering... what is it that a coach really does. As one coach told me once: when working with althetes you first of all make sure you don't hurt them in the gym because that would be pathetic.
You're so right with the different training strategies !
Ah the stretchy wonder tape... I can't even count the number of people I've seen with ludicrous (but colorful) tape jobs at local sprint triathlons, distance runs, etc. I'm convinced 99% of the time it's just a statement - "Look at me, running through the pain! Be impressed with me, but don't expect too much!". Imagine believing that a piece of tape scrunching up your skin does anything to your joints and muscles underneath... I could see the stuff working as a sort of made-to-order compression sleeve if it was actually wrapped all the way around a limb/joint, but no, it's always just a 8" piece stuck on your forearm or whatever.
Then again, we know the placebo effect is real and powerful IRL... if it *seems* to help, maybe sometimes it actually does.
Then you see the pros do it in the replay and it looks like they're just sailing over some mellow rocks lol.
Again, just to be sure...