# Learning new skills



## Jpcannavo (Sep 4, 2015)

So I'm about to turn 57, in good shape, and consider myself a solidly intermediate rider, comfortable on all but black diamond trails. I train all winter long, and in warmer season ride 3-4 days a week. I never did the bmx type thing as a kid, and as an adult lack certain skills. I can't bunny hop, and have little to no jumping ability. I would however love to develop these skills. Wondering if others have had the experience of developing a bigger skill set later in life, and if so want advice?
Joe


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## Sparticus (Dec 28, 1999)

GiantTurd said:


> ... Practice, practice and practice...


^^ this.

One thing I learned about getting air: hit it like you mean it. Throttling down will just cause a nosedive. (I learned this off-road motorcycling, but the rule applies to motorless bikes, too.) Some lips are gimmes, others require advanced skills. Start small and like GT said, practice, practice, practice.

I have a friend who likes to say, "Push your 'I Believe' button." 

--sParty


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## Crankout (Jun 16, 2010)

Once you hit 55, it's all over for learning anything new. 

Pack it up, pack it in...


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## mtnbkrdr98 (May 27, 2004)

Jpcannavo,
yes, very similar here. I'm 53, solid all around intermediate. I've jumped some doubles before, but generally no jump skills. I DID learn how to bunnyhop correctly early on (a true bunnhop, not just pulling up with clipless on). I don't seem to be as aggressively willing to hit some tech sections like I was in my 30's, when I started - even though I know I can, but crashes take longer to recover from!

Anyway, like you I'm motivated to keep progressing. We have a bike park with progression of drops and jumps, from VERY small, to larger, so I would say if you want to jump, watch, read, look at videos and practice on very small stuff - get the technique right - have fun! and work up.

I'm most interested in improving my speed and my cornering and braking technique. I took some private lessons from a local Pro level rider in the area that has a skills business on the side with his wife. Those are great and fun! You meet some cool and like minded people - so if you have access to that, it's well worth it.
Again, I really want to work most on my cornering speed and techniques and just being as fast and smooth all around as I can and just having fun and staying fit!


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## theycallmeE (Aug 21, 2007)

*Perfect Practice Makes Perfect*

Like others have said, practice is key, but learn what works for you. Some people respond well to coaching. Some people need to figure it out for themselves. Figure out how you learn and pursue that.

I've always enjoyed working on technique, so much so that I'll go out by myself just to practice certain technical sections, moves or skills. While this does carry the risk of being by yourself if something goes wrong, the trade off is not worrying about wasting anyone else's time or patience. Doing stuff over and over again will build up your confidence and muscle memory - as long as you don't do it until you're worn out and discouraged.

If you like coaching, there are clinics, which have the benefit of hopefully qualified coaches dedicated to working on your skills in controlled situations. I coach kids and we plan out the skills we are going to work on, the sections we are going to use, how to keep them safe, etc. They learn much faster this way than just riding.

If you really want to go big, check out Whistler's Summer Gravity Camps. The have special sections for us "mature" riders too:thumbsup:


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## AllMountin' (Nov 23, 2010)

Midgemagnet gives great advice. A lot of those skills can be broken down into parts and learned in a semi controlled environment. Don't be afraid to go off trail to find what you need. Most urban landscapes offer virtually everything you need to practice progressively. Start small and with lots of repetition. You'll know you're ready when it's time to go bigger, so don't force it. That doesn't mean it won't challenge you mentally at first. It's important to work these things into your everyday rides. Progress is gradual, but steady. Don't worry about the big picture; that is too daunting. Build it up one at a time, appreciate each success and the possibilities it opens up in your riding. In a few years with that approach, you'll have a formidable skill set, and you'll be experiencing the trail in ways you only dreamed of.


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## techfersure (Dec 17, 2010)

Jpcannavo said:


> So I'm about to turn 57, in good shape, and consider myself a solidly intermediate rider, comfortable on all but black diamond trails. I train all winter long, and in warmer season ride 3-4 days a week. I never did the bmx type thing as a kid, and as an adult lack certain skills. I can't bunny hop, and have little to no jumping ability. I would however love to develop these skills. Wondering if others have had the experience of developing a bigger skill set later in life, and if so want advice?
> Joe


I tuned 60 last year and is my 35th Mtn biking season, the single best way to improve all your biking skills is ride with advanced riders. My skill levels are as good as anytime in my life, I also spend a lot of time on tech features like log rides,bolder tech, jumping, steeps, etc. I race Enduro in Cat 1 and open class and now going back to some DH after a several year hiatus. Keep at it and stay fit!


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## CaptDan (Jun 26, 2013)

I watched a vid about a guy learning a variety of new skills, not all of them bike related.

The most interesting aspect of the vid was that he timed how long it took to (reasonably) master each skill, and it was amazing how short the time frames were. Not that he was gifted by any means; he was just persistent, consistent and thorough.

Try his technique; approach the new skill with the mindset that you WILL master it -- it's just a matter of time and effort.

And keep track of the time invested; you may be shocked by how little time you spend practicing. The idea is to _expect_ it to take 1-2 hours. When you think about it, 2 days practicing for 1 hour is _nothing_ to gain a new skill. 

Good luck, and keep us updated on how you do. :thumbsup:


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## AllMountin' (Nov 23, 2010)

techfersure said:


> I tuned 60 last year and is my 35th Mtn biking season, the single best way to improve all your biking skills is ride with advanced riders. My skill levels are as good as anytime in my life, I also spend a lot of time on tech features like log rides,bolder tech, jumping, steeps, etc. I race Enduro in Cat 1 and open class and now going back to some DH after a several year hiatus. Keep at it and stay fit!


That is the standard mountain biking advice, but I've never seen it actually result in timely gains. Everyone I know who has progressed rapidly, has done so via instruction and deliberate practice, whether it be skills clinics, or more of a self guided pursuit.

All of the skills you mention, and more, could be learned in under five years, with a dedicated and focused approach. A lot of riders spend years hoping to learn things through osmosis or trial and error- that could be learned in days, with good instruction and a bit of drilling. Why try to rediscover what has already been solved? It'd be like trying to learn math by rediscovering every theorem for yourself. The hard work has already been done for us. All we have to do is learn the technique and then the mechanics.


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## robwas (Feb 18, 2009)

Midgemagnet said:


> There are some great videos on YouTube (and some terrible ones). I put great store in the teachings of Phil Kmetz (Skills with Phil) and Seth Bikehacks (Seth's Bike Hacks), and some of the GMBN tutorials are good too.


I like those guys too, also for just biking in general Clint Gibbs also has a great channel as well. I like your advice and how you broke down the order too, really an excellent approach for anyone trying to improve. One thing I like to do on days when I don't feel like riding hard for fitness is do what I call "piddle" around. On those days I'll do stuff like clear branches from trails and examine things, maybe even take some photos and also work on new skills. I once did that for I guess 3 hours or so and normally I don't wear my gps but this time I did and I couldn't believe I rode over 12 miles JUST messing around and trying to clear logs, go off drops, bunny hop, etc. One other thing I'll mention for me is that my skills got a lot better when I started wearing tacky shoes and flat pedals instead of being clipped in. I can actually hop higher now at 50 years old than what I did when I was in my 30's with toe clips (and much safer because I'm using a better technique).


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## Skooks (Dec 24, 2008)

Also 57 years old and need to upgrade my jumping skills. I ride 3-4 times per week on mostly black diamond trails. I have no problem with steeps and technical features but I shy away from jumps higher than a foot or so. I took a 2-hour jump course last summer and it helped a lot. I still don't jump off anything big, but I now know how to do it and am starting to develop the 'muscle memory' to properly hit a drop. I have the physical skills but need to develop mentally. Luckily practise is so much fun! Taking even just a single 2-hour clinic improved my skills far more than riding for many years has.


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## Yalerider (Feb 14, 2017)

57 newb here. Would like to learn this stuff also. Gmbn has some awesome videos. Next will be to make some small jumps with tractor in my field and try some small jumps


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## CaptDan (Jun 26, 2013)

Yalerider said:


> ...Next will be to make some small jumps with tractor in my field...


Slightly off topic, but when creating beginner jumps, make the face (incline) of the jump flat and AT LEAST as long as the wheelbase of a bicycle. This helps the bike stabilize in it's new direction of travel before launching.
Otherwise the front wheel will drop down (off the lip of the jump) while the rear wheel is still being pushed upwards.






With practice you will be able to hit the short 'kicker' jumps, but until then, a jump with a long, flat face will help remove unpredictability and build confidence.

Congrats on challenging yourself to improve your riding skills & enjoyment! :thumbsup:


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## bitflogger (Jan 12, 2004)

Look up Grif the "Mountain Bike Geezer". Grif started riding MTB at age 62. It's been a great pleasure to meet and know him via regional IMBA events. He's renamed some of his sites and content since making an association with Ryan Leach.


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## MSU Alum (Aug 8, 2009)

I've been mountain biking for a very long time, but still need to work on skills. Among them, cornering better (well, I'd like to do everything better!). My wife (who started mountain biking 5 years ago at the age of 58) is focused on some of the instructional videos on youtube, one of which is "Cornering, with Fabien Barel". It's pretty great, and my cornering has improved after watching it, but I haven't been able to incorporate all of the aspects of what he talks about in the video until just a few days ago. We were drinking Moscow Mules, and watching bike porn when we decided (after about 4 of them) to go out into the driveway and get on the bikes and try to put it all together. Epiphany! It all just seemed to fall into place. The next day, we were doing it like Fabien! So, want to improve your cornering? Get shifazzed, get on the bike - try mot to kill yourself....I'm not responsible for accidents - and try out those skills you saw on youtube!


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## 33red (Jan 5, 2016)

You can find lots of videos on youtube
for the bunny hop you need to jump real high and the bike will fallow, learning videos describes steps you can practice on flat grass on a park just go over a small stick than a 2 in keep the process safe,,, a beginner in fat i failed an uphill 3 times last february but made it 4 times out of 4 in march,, we gain confidence,, i am 59 and enjoy learning, my dad did his record 61 squats in a row 3 months after i suggested him that exercise, he was 89 so a bit of stubbornedness helps


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## burtronix (Jun 5, 2006)

58 here & still learning. Learning to jump is no problem at all - learning to land is the tricky part. 

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk


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