Message from Linnea:
The best place to start is with the Body Position and Braking course! You'll find this under the "Skills" dropdown in the top navigation bar.
Having correct body position will be the key to success in every future skill. Instilling healthy braking habits early also means you won't have to re-learn this later.
Then, move to the Cornering course next! Spend a LOT of time here, as cornering is complex and takes a huge amount of practice and iteration. Maximizing your traction is one of the most empowering things you can do on a bike (plus, you can avoid that awful front-tire washout!)
Message from Simon:
Here at Fluidride, we are all about foundations! Like so many things in life worth achieving, long-term success is built on patience and thoughtful, calculated progression.
It's easy to get caught up on the next skill and the skill after that, so also be sure to take a moment to recognize how far you've already come.
The mental side of mountain biking is a critical piece to success. As you learn and practice, remember that progression is NOT linear. You will have better days and worse days, big breakthroughs and plateaus. This is part of the process, so it's important to set realistic expectations and be fair to yourself!
- TIPS FOR LEARNING -
TIP #1: We strongly encourage you learn with a friend! Not only will it be more fun, but you'll also be able to give each other useful feedback, based on the same technical knowledge and foundations.
TIP #2: Use video feedback. LOTS of video feedback. This will help you:
- Develop the connection between what a body movement *feels* like and what it actually *looks* like. This will help you better diagnose what's actually happening in the exact moment.
- When doing drills, we like to review our video feedback on every lap for a few repetitions, and then put the camera away for a few rounds so we can just focus on the flow. Then back to the video! This allows you to learn both analytically and through a state of flow.
- Use videos of yourself doing drills and compare to Simon doing the drill on the site. Go frame-by-frame to understand your opportunities to improve.