Creating Confidence On The Trail

I’m doing something a bit different with this podcast. I’ve decided to start shooting a YouTube Livestream video 3 days a week to get more information out there faster and this is the replay of the first episode.

In this one I answer a rider’s question about how to gain more confidence on the trail. I’ve got the show notes below and you can listen to the podcast with the audio file from it as well. 

Right now I plan on doing the livestream on Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 9:45 a.m. I’ll get the schedule more official in the next few weeks but if you can tune in for one I’d love to see you there.

Q: How do I gain more confidence on the trail? I’m a newer rider and pretty fit but I struggle to wrap my mind around some of the obstacles I come across on my rides.

A: This is a common question for new riders. I have a couple of things I suggest because not all of it is "mental", as in all in your head. Some of it is gaining confidence through success and setting yourself up for that success.

First, make sure you are riding flat pedals. I highly recommend the Catalyst Pedals that I invented because it gives you the most stable platform for your feet. But any good flat pedal will be better than clipless pedals. There is a learning curve with flat pedals but once you get past it you'll be much more confident.

Second, spend time drilling things like front wheel lifts, rear wheel lifts and trackstands (practice with both left and right foot forward). These are the basic skills that make up most of what you do through technical sections on the trail and if you have dialed in then you will be much more confident using them on the trail.

Third, there are a lot of great books on the subject of sports psychology - one of my favorites is Psych by Jud Biasiotto - but in my experience you have to gain confidence through success more than anything else. Hopefully this helps, let me know if you have any other questions.

Last, make sure that you are controlling your breathing and know how to use visualization on the trail. Making sure you don’t fall into “stress breathing” and seeing yourself ride through something in your head will go a long way towards helping you do it in real life. 

You can check out the new Better Breathing Program to help with this if you need help with using your breathing more effectively on the trail. .

Until next time…

Ride Strong,

James Wilson

MTB Strength Training Systems