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  • Getting all of my bottle back – how?!
  • hughjayteens
    Free Member

    I had a nasty off a few months ago and screwed my shoulder, knee and ankle hitting a tree quite hard, and then managed to have a high speed off again on my first ride back (no injuries this time thankfully!).

    Since then, I am quite nervous on my bike – my injuries are not 100& yet, but I can’t feel them when riding, I just find myself thinking about things too much before I do them and start getting nervous when I’m approaching stuff I’ve been flying off for years.

    I guess it’s my self preservation gene taking over as before this crash, I’ve never really had a big off before and certainly never been injured. It’s starting to get on my nerves now when I’m making a mess of drop offs I’ve been nailing previously so I was wondering what the best approach is apart from just MTFU!

    I’ve booked onto one of Jedi’s drops and jumps days next month but with a trip to Les Arcs looming, I’d like to get back to the way I was!

    Any tips?

    jimjam
    Free Member

    Everyone’s different aren’t they? You’re not alone though, clearly even the pro’s suffer from this. My advice would be to find that feature or trail that really challenges you and just do it.

    If there is a decent sized drop near you that you know you’ve done in the past then set your sights on that. If there is a technical descent that you find really challenging then session that over and over until you get fast on it. It’ll come.

    Kato
    Full Member

    I broke my arm pretty badly a few years back and had the same trouble. THing is I never really got my confidence back until I had a another off and came out unscathed. Then something twigged that I could fall off and not break myself every time I did

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    stevey
    Free Member

    I know exactly where you’re coming from.

    Through a mixture of a couple cheeky crashes ( mashed up ribs – again!) and from the fact that its not always possible for me to get out and ride regularly ( Im very often overseas through work ) , Im just coming out of a period of having my riding confidence shot to pieces! ha

    Its real frustrating knowing that trails , jumps, drops etc that you’ve previously nailed are causing you so much grief. Getting the fear from a wee drop when you’ve dropped big ones, gaps etc.

    Try going somewhere local and start building yourself up again, start of small, session sections until it all starts feeling smooth and clicks back into place. I found myself wearing a full face and easing myself back into sections I used to rail in an xc lid but it all started coming back and now im riding better than ever.

    Its frustrating but sometimes you’ve got to step back and build things back up. One step back for two steps forward

    You’ll feel it come and then you’ll get a little smile back.

    _tom_
    Free Member

    THing is I never really got my confidence back until I had a another off and came out unscathed. Then something twigged that I could fall off and not break myself every time I did

    Yeah this happened to me a while ago, had an OTB similar to how I messed my shoulder but this time just got away with some bruises on my moobs 😆 I’ve only had that one serious “big” crash out of many smaller ones which only put me out for a few days – starts to bring some confidence back if you think of it in that way. So trying to think this way could be worth a go, unless all your crashes are big break ones 😛

    globalti
    Free Member

    Crashes are caused by physics overcoming your ability to ride. Stop worrying about it, take it a bit easier and remember that you ride to enjoy riding, not to prove what a big man you are.

    coolhandluke
    Free Member

    After a big spill (ripped shoulder tendons and didn’t ride for 4 months), I lost my “mojo” and walked steeper rockier things that I’d ridden before with no trouble. It was all in the head.

    I put myself on a skills course with Ed o at the Great Rock. Cured and improved in a 1 day lesson.

    Superb

    rewski
    Free Member

    Same here, broken wrist and clavicle, I went back to the scene of the crime to try and work out what happened, I didn’t ride it, wrist not strong enough yet, but I will. My accident was a classic case of not knowing the terrain, it’s so important to check a trail out before you hit it flat out, even walk it if you must. I’m taking it easy for a while, concentrating on fitness and XC, which I’m really enjoying.

    hughjayteens
    Free Member

    Thanks for the input – pretty sure the Jedi day will help a lot, but think I’ll go to a place I know well and just session some bits until the flow comes back.

    joolsburger
    Free Member

    I have exactly this issue and Les Arcs in three weeks. Came off Wednesday night and winded myself, mangled up my thumb and hurt my shoulder. This after several breakages (nothing serious but all pretty akward) in the last year.

    Think you just have to get back on and keep at it. I tend to take it easy for a bit but then find something tricky and ride it a few times as has already been said. Falling off is always a possibility but tensing up when riding just makes it more likely. It’s grabbing a handful of brake at just the wrong moment that seems to cause lots of offs.

    As for Les Arcs, you could just spend a day in the bike park refreshing your skills and playing about before hitting the hills.

    jedi
    Full Member

    I’ll see you in a couple of weeks time then 🙂

    hughjayteens
    Free Member

    Certainly will! Looking very forward to it. Turns our you are about 3 miles from my business partner’s place – Sacombe?

    SurroundedByZulus
    Free Member

    Jedi has a very special talent for coaching. He has the uncanny ability to read your skill level then fill in or adjust the missing bits and with that comes confidence. It’s not a case of gaining confidence through increased bravery, it’s gaining confidence through increasing ability.

    binners
    Full Member

    I had a big off last year. Smashed myself in pretty badly. Had my face stitched back together while my head was spinning with concussion. Not fun!

    My problem was complacency. I’d just ridden a load of challenging more technical descents, then got on an ‘easy’ one and just stopped concentrating. It bit me!

    My bottle went for a good while. Funnily it was a trip to Morzine that did the trick. Just work your way back up again. Good luck!

    cheese@4p
    Full Member

    OP do you really want ALL of your bottle back? Sounds like you had just a little too much bottle before your crashes.

    hughjayteens
    Free Member

    cheese@4p – the crash that injured me was due to complacency – a drop off followed by a jump that I’d done dozens of times previously, my concentration lapsed once and I got the take off wrong so landed and went into a tree! The second off was probably due to excess enthusiasm at Cwm Carn – giving it the large down the DH course having never ridden it before, so slowing down a little for things like that in the future certainly wouldn’t go amiss!

    jedi
    Full Member

    sbz, thanks for your kind words 🙂

    hughjayteens
    Free Member

    Quick update. After several annoying trips to Swinley and Aston Hill over the last few weeks, something finally clicked on Sunday and I think I’m back to my old self again! Looking forward to growing my skills on Friday rather than finding them again!

    brooess
    Free Member

    I had 2 offs a few years ago and ended up with 2 broken shoulders and a head in bits that nearly convinced me to give up riding. Which wasn’t a rational response, purely emotional. Right now it sounds like your fear is winning over your rational mind.
    My tuppence worth:
    1. Don’t pressure yourself – you’ll worry more and ride worse. It’s ok to ride slowly and carefully. Remember if you look at the tree you’ll hit it!
    2. Remind yourself it’s your fear talking, not reality. And the fear is a perfectly understandable and normal reaction after yr experience
    3. I used some skills training to help me out. I briefed the trainer on a few specific techniques like drops but also really emphasised I needed some techniques to help me deal with the fear and to feel more relaxed and safer on the bike.
    Good luck – it’ll come back in time.

    Kevevs
    Free Member

    I’ll never ever have the mindless “bottle” I had when I was a teenage BMXer and skateboarder even if I was crap. I’ll never have that ever again I don’t think 🙁

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