Always when bunnyhopping and regularly going off drops I habitually look at the floor when in mid-air. I guess to check whether I am actually clearing whatever it is I am trying to.

It’s a bad habit and I need to stop, but just can’t seem to break it. Even bunnyhopping a small pile of sticks, which I can easily clear, I still look down. No matter how many I tell myself not to look down before starting the run in. I’ve tried focusing on the next trail feature etc, but nothing seems to be working.

Anyone else do this? Anyone broke the habit?

Or am I just a weirdo 😐

Want me to dance with goog with no clothes on in the middle distance?

Neck brace?

I think you defo need to pick a point somewhere and just fix your gaze on that to force you to keep your head up. Get googy to stand just beyond your sticks and gaze into his beautiful eyes.

put a sticker with an image of an old mans wrinkled willy on your top tube. You’ll only look down once and be so traumatised that you will never look down again.

Problem solved

The goog options are out as no doubt he’s gonna be ‘not getting involved’

I’ve tried fixing on a point after – which works ok for drops if I really think about it, but never works when I’m bunnyhopping. I’m totally at a loss what to try next.

Buying a neck brace is probably a bit over the top to jump over some sticks at the park.

One of them electrocuting dog collars might work though, if I could rope someone in to pressing the buzzer….

Blinkers?

Duct tape on the bottom of my goggles may work….

It’s something I have to consciously think about otherwise I look where I’m going to land. It’s so much easier and nicer when I look way ahead though and I’m slowly getting there and having to force myself to look further less often, but it’s now almost a year since my Jedi day and I’m still having to consciously make the effort to look up and ahead a lot of the time.

Look up ? 😉

close your mouth and keep your chin up!

Smile?

just dont look down and look where you will be going after you land if you loose it in the air you will know without reference to the ground and dont worry you dont have the skill to correct so will just crash anyway
HTH

close your mouth

why do you think she has her mouth open? 😯

One of them electrocuting dog collars might work though

I know of a a website that ‘specialises’ in those sort of things, but thats a different thread. 😉

Slow down so that you can look ahead with confidence. Practice on easy trails to start with. As this becomes more of a habit you can start to speed up again.

Lay a series of sticks across the trail at irregular 2-4m intervals.
You won’t be able to look down at the one you are currently hopping over as you will have to look ahead to prepare for the next one.

Come to think of it, I wonder if that’s what’s been going on in the Wyre Forest. It’s not angry walkers, it’s mountain bikers laying sticks across the trails all the time.

+1 for MTG

You see, when human is thrown up into air his natural insticts will force him/her to look down into landing spot stretching out with legs/arms to reach ground faster. This self preservence instinct is stronger in women as they are family keepers while men are hunters, so they have less problems with that.

If you happen to notice that your head is down on jumps n drops, are you sure your head isnt looking down in corners? It would be better if you rode a trail with few corners and lil jumps so someone competent could look what problems you have.

MTG suggested very clever mechanical exercise to correct your vision while pushing up*, rezpekt!

There is nothing wrong with loosing some core Jedi skills, it happens due to various reasons. Video yourself and send it to Jedi, surely he will point you back to the right path*.

Cheers for the replies all. 🙂

Ed-O – I’ve tried the easy trails and slow speed thing, but it doesn’t matter how easy it the trail is, if I have to bunnyhop, I will still automatically look down when I am in the air. Also, I look down on slow speed drops, but very rarely faster ones, I guess because I am not as confident when I have to accurately time the compression rather than let the speed do the work so the same sub-concious action comes into play to check I’m clearing the edge. Actually, maybe if I just spend hours and hours bunnyhopping until I am totally confident I can always pull off clearing something everytime without fail, my sub-concious may stop feeling the need to do the double-check. 🙂

MTQG – yup, that sounds like the best idea so far. I was thinking something similar this morning, that placing something the other side of the sticks to deal with after may keep me focusing ahead. Was thinking about two markers to ride between or something, but will also try your idea. That n practice may just cure me.

Ta 😀

popstar – I don’t do it as habitually on jumps or corners, not to the same extent. Jedi is always getting feedback off me, although even he can’t crack this looking down one. It’s totally a subconcious habit – I know exactly why I do it, and I know when I do it, but just can’t stop it (yet)!

its to do with a protective mechanism. jo, i messaged you 🙂