TECHNIQUE
92 mbrM AY 2 019
BRAKING ZONES
Ifyouwererollingdowna steeproadwithconsistentgradient
andtraction,youcancontrolyourdescentonthebrakes.
Applyconsistentpressureandyou’llbeabletobalancethe
effectsofgravityandstayata consistentspeed.Off-road,
thingsbecomea littlebitmorecomplicated.You’restilltrying
touseyourbrakestokeepyourspeedconsistent,butthere
willbeplacesthatyoucanbrakesafely,andplaceswhereyou
needallthegripyoucanget.Thesecrethereis todomore
brakingwhereit’ssafe,andallowyourwheels,especiallyyour
frontwheel,moregriponthetechnicalorchoppyfeatures.
Lookforsmootherareasofconsistentgripandaimtodoall
yourbrakingthere.That way you can enjoy a lot more traction
where you need it.
FLUIDITY
Aslongasyouhaveyourbrakingzonesandyourbody
positiondialled,you’llbeabletoenjoya lotmorecontrol.
Fromyourpointofviewyou’llfeelconfidentbecauseyou’ll
haveopenedupsomuchmoretimetoreact,andfrom
anyoneelse’spointofviewyou’lllookfluid.Themoretime
youcanopenupbystayinglowandbrakingdeliberately,the
moreconfidentyou’llfeeloneventhemostchallengingof
trails.Don’tbeafraidoflearninga technicaltrailoffbyheart.
If you’realwayshittingfeaturesblind,you’llbereactingto
whatyousee.Onceyouknowa trailoffbyheartyour
mentalcapacitywillbeopenedupandyoucanworkon
improvingotheraspectsofyourtechnique.Thegoalis to
neutraliseyourbodyweightthroughrangeofmotionand
safebraking.Themoreyoupractise, the easier and more
automaticit willbecome.IT’S ALL ABOUT
THE EXIT
Everytimeyoucomeacrossa technicalpartofthetrail,
whetherit’sa tightcornerora choppysectionofnatural
features,focusongettingthroughit sothatyoucancarry
speedwithyou.There’snopointinrattlinginfastandstalling
inthedifficultbit.Deliberatelymakea shapeonthewayin,
controlyourspeedandgetontherightline,thenyou’llbe
abletorollthroughthechallengewithtimetoreactandcarry
allofthatmomentumouttheotherside.Thisis whatis meant
byslowin/fastout.It willtaketimetoperfect,sosetupthose
sessionsonchallengingpartsofyourloopandallowtimeto
progress.Chargingthroughandmakingloadsofmistakes
isn’tsatisfying.Ridingwithconfidencewillcomefromhaving
control.Andcontinuallymakingprogressis somuchmore
satisfying than stalling on the same features every weekend.MAKING IT LOOK EASY
Thethingsyouwanttofocusontobecomea moreconfidentriderare
maintaininga lowbodyposition—especiallywhenyou’restressed—braking
whereit’ssafetodoso,andusingallthetrail.Don’tjustheadoutfora loop
andrideeverythingonce. Head back up and practise. That way you’ll always be
making progress.Thisisa partofthecornerthata lotof
peoplefeelthey’rerunningoutofroom
on.Andyhasopeneduptheexitofthis
turnsomuchthathefeelsconfidentto
line his whole body up with the straight.Brakingwhereyou
havegripwillmean
thatyoucanletgo
where it counts.Keepinga lowbody
positioniseasyon
levelground,but
whatdoyoulooklike
when it gets steep?