Spontaneously and at short notice after reading some positive posts on Singletrack forums, I booked a days 1-1 tuition with Tony 'Jedi' Doyle for a skills course. Like the majority of riders here, I felt comfortable riding my bike off road, weaving between trees, sweeping through singletrack and coping with the odd drop.....so what could Tony teach me? For a relative modest fee (even more so when compared to what I've spent on the shiny bits of metal I ride upon), I got a the best part of a days 1-1 tuition with ‘Jedi’ Doyle.
I'd already given Tony the brief previous by email where I thought my strengths and weaknesses were, where my comfort zone was and most importantly, what I wanted to get out of my time with him. Having entered the Megavalanche later this year, I wanted to give myself the best possible chance of completing the event in one piece. Tony tailored a days training around my needs. At no point did it feel like he was trotting out some off the shelf generic lesson or using the day to show off his skills rather than developing mine.
It became obvious during the day that Tony had got a measure of my riding and where my areas for development would be before we had even left the car park! Tony’s expert eye picked up some tell tale signs purely from the way my bike was setup, he’s a very sharp guy obviously!
Tony drove the day perfectly, we progressed at a comfortable pace and he didn’t dwell on any area longer than necessary before moving me on to the next stage to ensure I got maximum return for my invested time and money.
We started by covering what one might consider the basics of riding, how to weight the bike by shifting my weight, how to ‘pump’ the ground to extract free speed and how to corner. Now obviously, I already knew how to corner, you turn the handlebars right, easy! But approaching everything Tony said and demonstrated with an open mind really helped me to understand how to really [i]corner[/i]. Using Tony’s technique, the increase in speed I could carry through corners was amazing. My confidence in the bike, the tyres any myself grew massively over the course of the day and with the increased speed and confidence, came increased enjoyment.
We then spent time working on my technique for handling drop offs and jumps. Tony’s approach of again starting small and covering the fundamental skills required to handle the bike really helped me develop the confidence and right state of mind to attempt anything larger than I had been able to do previously. Looking back on the day, it seems laughable now than the gap jump we road past early in the morning that looked so frightening was now just another part of the trail I was all too eager to ride. There was simply no fear of failing, the days lessons and practice sessions had equipped me with the skill, knowledge and state of mind that I needed to clear this section of trail with ease.
We finished the days riding with a short free ride session which gave me the opportunity to put together everything I learnt during the day, Tony led the way around the woods including some of the sections that I had practiced earlier during the day. We didn’t ride these as teacher and pupil anymore, but just as fellow cycling enthusiasts and friends enjoying the trail.
It’s obvious from spending time with Tony that he loves riding bikes. He also has a rare skill in that he can teach and motivate in the way he does. So why did I spend bother spending time with Tony on his UK Bike Skills course? It’s obvious now, there is simply no better way to spend hard earned money on which would have increased my enjoyment and satisfaction from riding as much as the time spent with Tony has. Absolutely 100% recommended!, Thanks Tony!
A nice recommendation there. I'm hoping to get a small group together for a days tuition with him 😀
bigsi - hope you're well!
If you do get a group together, can I chip in and come with you?
nice post dude 🙂 you sound a very happy man
Hope you got a good discount for the PR job! 😛
vikingboy, thank you for the feedback!
don't forget what i said to you, work on the points we covered and keep me informed of your progress. i told you i could teach you to jump ! 🙂
[url] http://ukbikeskills.blogspot.com/2010/02/ians-day-of-progression.html [/url]
How much did you pay ?
that is one of the most cringeworthy pieces of writing i have read in a long time.
trimix, he paid £180 for a one to one session.
when i read the title i thought "god what did i do wrong??" 🙂
Can someone summarise all that?
Jamie: It was good.
Jamie: It was good.
Cheers.
Price sounds good too.
Man goes on course, man finds course useful, man becomes better rider... 😉
Nice one!
I reckon that spending more money on skills training, rather than upgrading from SLX to XT (or whatever) is definitely a good idea. I did a basic skills course at Llandelga & although we didn't get to the level of 'rad' skills, we spent quite a lot of time on the basics of riding position, small drops, cornering (inc. berms) etc. & I am now much more confident & smooth than I used to be. I must have been REALLY bad before!
VIkingboy. Mind if I ask how much it cost?
It's something I've been thinking about for a while as I have [i]several[/i] areas that need improvement....
Petesgaff - Im good ta, how's you ?
Will def keep you informed if i can get a group together. Will prob post something a bit later on in the year on [url= http://southdownshosting.co.uk/smtbforum/ ]Sussex-MTB[/url] so keep an eye on that as well.
We're also doing a few rides up in the Surrey Hills and planning something for Swinley in March/April time if you fancy tagging along on one of those as well then let me know, normally it a Saturday or Sunday.
Andrew Hirst:
VIkingboy. Mind if I ask how much it cost?
jedi:
trimix, he paid £180 for a one to one session.
when i read the title i thought "god what did i do wrong??
Sounds good dude. Tony's a mate of mine, so I'm lucky enough to have been coached by him a lot over the last couple of years. I can't say I'm surprised by the content of your post. Sounds like your properly buzzing from your day dude.
Any days planned for the N.E (England) ?
Sorry.... I missed what Jedi said it cost..... That's what happens when one surfs forums at work.... 😳
i'd pay someone to teach me to manual down a street. Money on completion...!
I reckon that spending more money on skills training, rather than upgrading from SLX to XT (or whatever) is definitely a good idea
Too right. Getting your head screwed on right is more difficult than buying some infinitesimally 'superior' piece of kit and doesn't look as good in the car park, but it is worth more in the end.
It's the same with cars, motos and virtually any other sport/activity that requires equipment.
ps. If you can stay loose on the bike, look much further ahead and remain calm you'll be half-way there.
its a bit of a 'readers wives' write up isnt it?
Spontaneously... Absolutely 100% recommended
Just what I wanted to hear as I'm booked on a one-to-one with Tony next week!
Am now properly [s]stroked[/s] [s]stoked[/s] excited about it. 😆
Shame you don't do Afan yet, Jedi - It'd give me an excuse to slack off one day of the weekend we're there 😉
What's wrong with people giving a glowing write-up about something they're happy/satisfied with?
Makes a nice change from being cynical/negative about stuff.
Woody - Member
Any days planned for the N.E (England) ?
+1 I'd definitely be interested too, but wouldn't it make more sense to go where the training trails are?
What's wrong with people giving a glowing write-up about something they're happy/satisfied with?Makes a nice change from being cynical/negative about stuff.
Ditto that. Sounds like money very well spent, Vikingboy.
It's the sort of write-up I'd be happy to spend time writing if I'd had a good experience - Tony's just started his own small business, he's a long-time contributor to the forum and a fantastic rider (and a nice bloke, by all accounts - I haven't met him). I wish him and his business well.
: P
Fair point Mike, I guess some folk get tired of the endless love-ins.
EDIT also the "what did you do last summer"-project-writing-style may irk some.
OP - Thanks for spending time writing that up. I'm hoping to get a day's training with Jedi at some point (when work is a little less of a stressfest and I can get a day off!) and this has reassured me it's gonna be worth the time and money. 🙂
dont get me wrong im considering the course myself, i know i could do with the help!
the style just seemed reminiscent of such a publ;ication, not that i read them often
but wouldn't it make more sense to go where the training trails are?
Yes, but it's a bloody long way to Milton Keynes and if there were enough people interested to make it worthwhile...............
Fair point Mike, I guess some folk get tired of the endless love-ins.
I think it is mostly you Al. I read that as a good review by someone who'd had a cracking day.
Life doesn't have to be like this you know
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I guess some folk get tired of the endless love-ins.
Some otherfolk get tired of the endless neg outs, you're either a glass half full or half empty, seems like the OP is a half full kinda guy.
Having booked an day with Tony myself in a couple of weeks time I was worried this was going to be a slamming!!!! Even more looking forward to it now.
Proper LOLz, but I'm not the only one with my viewpoint.
I've met Tony on a couple of the Swinley rides, and it's pretty obvious that he'd be a top class coach. I'll hopefully be sorting out a group before summer, with the added complication of a mix of skill sets between 6 month novice and DH mentalists 🙂
Jedi, have you fixed a date(s) for some skills weeks in the Basque country yet?
jimmy - Memberi'd pay someone to teach me to manual down a street. Money on completion...!
where do you live? 🙂
vikingboy,
from the title I thought ho bu@@er having booked a 1-2-1 for the end of Mar, so pleased having read your report 🙂
Thought this was going to a negative post, slagging of the Jedi, and saying how the chap had wasted his money.
Thankfully it wasnt, Jedi appears to walk on water, oh and mr Original poster, theres a job going at the Labour party for a PR guru, very well done though.
Sounds really good, glad to see it wasnt a slag-off like I feared it might be!
I can't really afford a one-to-one but if anyone wants to get a small group together and chip in a bit each I'd do that 🙂
Jedi, have you fixed a date(s) for some skills weeks in the Basque country yet?
I'll come!
Jedi - I'm not on here much so not familiar with you - where are you based? Website? I'm hoping to get some schooling in the summer.........
duurrgh, sorry I just looked at the top of the page 😳
Thought this was going to a negative post, slagging of the Jedi, and saying how the chap had wasted his money.Thankfully it wasnt, Jedi appears to walk on water
LOL
He'll be parting the red sea next! 😉
Seriously though, not done a skills course with him yet (would like to soon), but have met and ridden with him a few times in the past. The stuff you can pick up off him whilst just out riding is uncanny, to have 6 hours booked out specifically for him to coach your skills... If you don't learn loads you're either an arrogant tosser, or should be racing DH at World Cup level!
I spent yesterday with a 1-on-1 with jedi, & I was about to post up a pretty much identical thread. What the OP's said is exactly my experience.
I'm certainly one of the "can't jump, won't jump" brigade. That thread from the other day is me to a tee. If Tony had shown me at the start of the day what he'd end up getting me riding i'd have laughed at him.
I've already booked a follow up session.
blimey guys how long is this thread! :O
Mackem - MemberJedi, have you fixed a date(s) for some skills weeks in the Basque country yet?
1st week in may is the basquemtb.com/ukbikeskills coaching week.
Mboy - come with us on the 20th march!!
I don't want to hijack Jedi's thread, especially when everyone's saying nice things, but... Mackem / Eck, the skills week is the 2nd to the 9th of May, there are some more details on my site: [url= http://www.basquemtb.com/special-weeks/ ]Jedi in a Basque?![/url]
I'm just getting a banner ad together so you'll hopefully see that up there ^^^ sometime very soon.
Darn it, I can only do school holiday times.
i'm looking forward to spain. singletrack heaven
Nice thread, though not surprised, ukbikeskills abroad also a top move.
I am such a rubbish rider that I think I'd be too embarassed to be taught! Though I'd love to improve so that is the first mental hurdle I have to overcome lol
mental skills can be harder won than physical ones
Nice one.
Wholly agree with spending time/cash on your skills rather than shiny bits
I am such a rubbish rider that I think I'd be too embarassed to be taught! Though I'd love to improve so that is the first mental hurdle I have to overcome lol
LOL
As a qualified skills trainer myself (though sadly not mountain biking!) I can guarantee that the biggest hurdle to overcome is the belief that nothing is wrong, or you're good enough already.
To have the desire to improve is the single greatest attribute you can have... Your mind is a sponge. You'll not remember everything, but you'll remember a lot more if your mind is turned on to it!
Mboy - come with us on the 20th march!!
That a Saturday?
If so, and I can possibly catch/share a lift, then yeah I'm up for that...
All that is cool MaverickBoy, problem is that when I start hitting trees, slow down on the flat cause i think i am going to fast as it is and manage to grind my big chainring on every bump on the trail, I will just turn red and be too embarassed to pedal one more time lol
Yeah - its a saturday. I'll mail you otherwise I might hijack this thread!
mackem, sickie? 😉
Tempting, but i'd never get away with it.
Having just come back from a skills course with Tony at Glentress I'd have to say the first/original post is bang on the money.
He diagnosed my main problem from a blurry, distorted photo and unsurprisingly was 100% right. We started on this from the car park!
He's a nice guy on and off the bike and certainly has some interesting ideas (roots don't exist, tyre choice don't matter and trails are living things with energy for starters: scarily it all made sense at the time). And it wasn't me who was drinking Hoeegarten neither.
He quietly deconstructed my knocking on 20 years of mountain biking and rebuilt it from the ground up without fuss. Also surprising was his eagerness to adapt/integrate my own ideas about things since my learning style is 'maximum kinetic': yup another Tonyism.
However I am bitterly disappointed that I didn't get to huck any 25 footers or road gaps. And my crash (on the blue ffs!) proves that I haven't transmogrified into a trail god. On second thoughts I've been ripped off and I want my money back... 😯
Skills courses are definitely worth doing in my opinion (and I'm sure it doesn't [i]have[/i] to be Tony). Thanks again Tony, I'm looking forward to my Steve Peat/Crested Butte moment once again. 😉
are those pictures from woburn?
which pictures?
So Tony, you got to teach the dust-spewing legend that is glupton today - was he showing [b]you[/b] how it was done? 😉
(just kidding, George is a nice guy and he was raving about it to me earlier)
yeah, todays group session was cool 🙂
[url= http://ukbikeskills.blogspot.com/2010/02/group-session-at-glentress.html ]gluptons group session[/url]