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Regaining confidence?

ThumperX

ThumperX

Slayer of Deer
Joined
Aug 26, 2007
Location
Off Elk Mtn
Moto(s)
Different strokes
Big Bore and little bore Thumpers and a Twingle
BARF perks
AMA #: 2817058
I’ve been off the bike for a long time. Major injury followed by Covid -and an increasingly difficult extraction of the bike from garage have all contributed to a lack of seat time.

Dropping the bike twice also contributes to confidence issues.

How do you get your mojo back?
 
Ride.

That's it.

Also, a word from a professional drummer - he said there is a transformation that happens when you practice relentlessly every day for more than 8 hours.

I may only get a couple hours seat time every day but doing that every day is different than ever so often summer weekend rides. I think I am getting too comfortable...
 
two wheel tramp said:
Seat time. I hate to say it. There's simply no substitute. Repeatedly seeing, "Yeah, I still have this. I can do this."

Also, keeping my eyes up (thanks @Holeshot) and focusing my mental energy only on what IS happening (thanks @tzrider).
Click to expand...
2 riding rockstars right there. Their advice applies.
 
I will be facing this in two months. Done it before.

I focus on my eyes working the road, counter steering to put the bike where I want it, smooth throttle and braking.

As I get into the flow I increase the speed slowly. Usually repeating over 3 rides or so to get back in the game.
 
Focus eyes on working from where you are to another place, create and project a 3 inch wide ride line /… countersteer to put the front wheel within the line.
 
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two wheel tramp said:
Seat time. I hate to say it. There's simply no substitute. Repeatedly seeing, "Yeah, I still have this. I can do this."

Also, keeping my eyes up (thanks @Holeshot) and focusing my mental energy only on what IS happening (thanks @tzrider).
Click to expand...

This ^^^ 100%

Just do it!

When I take a long layoff from my KTM 1090 and start riding it sometimes I have a lack of confidence in the beginning. Especially when I'm pushing it up out of my garage and can feel how BIG it is. It's freakin huge for my height. After I ride it for a day the next day it feels right again. After a few days in a row it feels small...
 
As others are saying, seat time is usually pretty critical. I look at it a bit differently in some ways though.

Confidence comes from taking an action and being certain of the outcome it will produce. The most efficient way I know of to restore confidence is to identify the things we are not certain about and focus on those. If we don't isolate the areas that undermine our focus, and just put in seat time, we may spend a lot of time practicing things that aren't the issue. That's gratifying and may well reinforce falling in love with the activity again, but it doesn't necessarily make a big difference for confidence.

As Reama alluded to, it's very tempting to replay bad outcomes or worry about things that are not happening. This has value when planning, but it's destructive during the activity. To make a random example, if you're approaching a corner and see a patch of sand, you would recognize that the sand is a hazard. In one case, you might be tempted to dedicate a lot of attention to the sand and the possible consequences of riding through it. In another case, you might focus on a line that has no sand, steer the bike towards that, set your line, roll on the throttle and get past the sand. In this case, you have put your attention on the things that lead to a successful and safe outcome. Much more productive.

A first step to regaining confidence faster is clearly isolating the things that make you feel uncertain. Once you know what those are, it becomes possible to give yourself little drills that allow you to practice the skill associated with the situation, get the skill under your control and have many positive experiences where the skill works, you can do it anytime you need to, and know you and the skill are reliable.
 
Have a plan. Plan the route and plan a short list of attainable and specific skills to work on, and exactly how you will execute them.

Example: When I bought Tatanka I felt like a brand new rider all over again. The tall seat and my short legs left me feeling like it wouldn't take much for me to drop it when coming to a stop. It had been decades since I had to plan where I was going to stop and which foot to put down. So I made a plan.

I chose the routes I would ride based on the angle of the roads where I would find myself having to stop. I focused on smooths stops and putting a specific foot to the ground. After a 5-10 rides I began to feel more confidant and began to venture into adding more aggressive braking to a full stop.

Setting realistic goals AND attaining them will have a direct impact on your confidence.
 
Yes, seat time, but there's no reason to go out and make it "super challenging" seat time.

Just being out in the world, trying to keep your head on a swivel, your transitions smooth. All of that can be done on level, straight pavement.

I know when I bought my bike, I hadn't been on a bike in, I dunno, 10 years -- save when they let me test ride the thing. And, yea, it instantly all came back to me on that test ride, to a degree. But one of my first roads was a mountain road that turned into a quite tight and steep road (more than had recalled), and so I was having puckering incidents on, like, my second ride on my bike.

That's not good! :)

The biggest thing, as with horses, is simply getting back on. Gritting your teeth through all the "put the gear on, drag the bike out of the garage, etc. etc." crap that stands between staring at the bike and riding the bike, and getting back on and going.

Good luck! Have fun!
 
The first thing I coach on tight turns is vision. Once vision is corrected, the rest will fall into place more easily.

Where are you looking? You should avoid looking at the ground. All the information you need about the ground can be gained a few seconds before you actually get to the turn. Eyes up, turn your head to look through the turn. If it is a very tight turn, consciously place more weight on the outside peg. Keep your elbows bent.

When it comes to panic braking, you can reduce the 'panic' by looking farther ahead. If you're going to practice this on a bicycle, I'd suggest ensuring that the front brake of the bicycle is on the right side of the handlebar. Most are on the left.

Don't cover the brake when practicing / learning. Covering the brake can lead to abrupt initial application (grab). Once you can smoothly brake without covering the lever, then begin practicing when covering the lever. It can also be useful to use only the front brake when (re)learning / practicing. Once you get the front brake mostly smoothed out, then combine it with the rear brake. Don't worry about downshifting as you are practicing. Separate the individual steps as you are practicing. Add them back in later.
 
ThumperX said:
I am so glad I posted this thread! I bought a bicycle to work on tight right turns and panic braking. These are two problem issues I seem to be having.
Click to expand...
How about a session with Evan @ Monkey Moto to work in a fairly safe arena on those things? His special skill is preparing the drills you need to tackle the specific issues you’re having, and to identify things you may not be aware of. If you don’t know him well yet, you’ll find him one of the kindest and most open dudes ever.
 
How are your basic reflexes?
What to do, before you biff?
I still enjoy muscle memory, and dirt reflexes, they are spot on when I need them,
instantly.

Just as "Maverick" says, "Don't think, Do. "
 
As a tennis pro, the single most important message I consistently sent was, "You don't need lessons as much as you need to play."

However, the first thing that popped into my mind was, "After lunch!". Yeah, that's gonna need some explaining...

I went from novice to double-black diamond to hiking up for areas seen on Warren Miller films. Rapid escalation of advanced terrain, minimal experience on slats.

As I progressed, I noted my best runs of the day were 'after lunch'. Soft snow? Don't think so, it was the refreshed legs and returning to the slopes with a confidence built in prior runs.

I've experienced the same on two-wheels, especially when running short loops of same roads. And that would be my advice. Pick a short loop to ride. Ride it conservatively once or twice and then, stop for lunch. When you return, my bet is you feel far more willing to remove the chicken strips from your tires. They say familiarity breeds contempt. It does, if that contempt is defined as contempt for your prior fears.
 
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