I`m crap. I think its a fear thing. Had a bad experience on a motorbike years ago when both wheels slid out on black ice going round a corner. Seems to have affected my riding ever since. Gonna book myself on a skills course in the new year but can anyone offer any tips in the meantime? I know the basics – weight the outside pedal, lean the bike in to the corner etc.. Just seem to find myself braking too much on the way in, and then still braking (even though I know I should have let go) and then being very nervous through the corner in case the tyres wash out. Bloody annoying. Really bloody annoying.

Get yourself a Maxxis Minion DHF supertacky, and you can practically do what you want, and it'll look after you 😉

Standing tall and weighting the front wheel really helps.

Who's your skills course with?

relax, take less speed in the entry than you normally would and work on the skills involved in that particular technique.
just keep looking as far down/around the trail as you can as well as the bits you mention above

Look further up the trail, keep your head up, make sure you keep as much tension out of your arms and shoulders as possible. – just like riding a motorbike….

maybe wear some elbow/knee pads for a bit more confidence. lay off the front brake if you're using it at all.

The thing that helped me most is being told to look where you want to go instead of at your front wheel.

kevinpp keep off the brakes look round the corner unless its soo tight then look towards the exit and you will go to where you are looking ive been on a beginners skills day today and trust me it works by the time we had finished we were flying round them and keep practicing even the same corner til you feel its right, good luck mate, gaz

not realy helpfull, but I found riding a muddy cannonck chase with XC race tires helped, once your used to not beeing able to corner without two wheel drifitng, doing it with gippier tires and greater speeds was an easy progression, where doing it the other way (starting off with lots of grip and trying to find the limit) always scared me.

I took a trip up the local BMX track after watching "Dirtschool" 🙂 . Kept doing the same corner over and over and was amazed the difference between how fast I originally thought was safe and what actually was! It was all safe with lots of lovely long grass to fall on. (which didnt happen, incidentally)

Its a different matter with trees either side, of course, but I think my riding has definately improved because of it

Thanks for the tips guys. Definately guilty of looking down at the corner (thinking, "sh*t, I am not gonna make it" most of the time)and not through it. Notice it most on the rooty, woodsy singletrack. Find myself looking down at the corner, drifting out to the edge of the trail, and then the brakes go on!
Also guilty of using the front brake too much.
Pads idea might help. Might try and get some 661 EVO knees.
Not booked a course yet – only decided today. I am near Brighton so I think the nearest skills school is in the Surrey hills.

Going to have to try and remember all the tips now next time I go out…

Look ahead, slow in fast out, stand tall. Relax HARDER!

A skills day will give you a sense of what you're doing wrong which is massive progress over not knowing what you're doing. Hopefully you will then start the process of getting it right.

Good luck.

Find a really safe boring corner. Or maybe try a bit of an open area, dirt covered car park.

Unclip/dangle inside leg

Just try the same thing over and over again gathering speed slowly with each try…