The aim of this review is to highlight my progression through doing a skills course, I realise these reviews provoke some critical replies; if this is your style please feel free not to read on. I would call myself an average rider; enjoy trail centres, local rides and go out about once a week. I had never really been comfortable with my wheels off the ground and therefore usually steered around jumps and drops. I had been on a coaching day before in Wales but found it more like a guided tour of a trail centre and therefore didn't really have any moments that changed my riding. I had very much plateaued with my riding skills.
I booked a session with Tony Doyle from UK Bike Skills, for the simple reason of the reviews that followed him on all the riding sites. I met Tony down at Woburn Sands.The day started with Tony doing his skills check, I guess so he knows where to take the session and he very quickly gets an idea of your skill levels. He breaks everything down into body position, speed, footwork and looking. This is the physical sense, what Tony is also a master of is mental skills, he works as heavily on your mental skills as physical, in my case this was the part that needed working on most of all. We initially worked on trail energy and using it to best advantage, pumping was utilised and we worked on the disconnected bunny hop. We then moved onto a trail where Tony worked on my cornering and four physical skills. What makes Tony such a good coach is he can quickly identify how you best take instruction, in my case it was visually and therefore everything was played back to me on camera so i could see my own mistakes. Before I knew it we had incorporated a drop and 6ft gap jump into the trail. We then moved to Herts Shore, this place blew me away and I thought it was all well beyond me. Needless to say a short time later and more mental persuasion I had done my first ladder drop and jumped a 12ft log booter. I went away from this coaching day with a complete change in riding ability, not only physical but mental.
About a month after my coaching day I had an ankle operation which took me off the bike for about 3-4 months. I went back to Herts to ride as soon as my ankle was back up to it. I found that what Tony had taught me had stayed with me, so much so I was jumping again before long. I recently went back to Herts and rode with Tony, this wasn't a coaching day but turned into it. My mental skills were worked on and my commitment to air was once again increased, we then worked on linking sections and various lines with ladder drops, booters and jumps were incorporated. Within this session Tony had me combining the 12ft log booter, 14ft kicker, dirt jump, 9ft gap step down and a hip from a 12ft platform, an amassing day which was mainly down to Tony’s ability to work on my mental skills.
Tony has completely changed my riding ability and given me the skills to go further than I would ever have thought. I don't want this to come across as a sales pitch for Tony, more as a true reflection on his ability and what he has done for my riding in such a short space of time.
I've got a session on Wednesday, getting proper excited for it now 
I think it's definitely more mental for me than the physical jumping skills cos I already know how it should feel, I just don't dare do it any more! Gonna pad/full face up and go for it 
