Bad skills course session review

Good thread. Lots of people having similar issues to me which is interesting to hear as reading previous threads coaching comes across as a magic bullet. I don’t want my previous posts to come across as too negative. None of the sessions I’ve had have been a revelation but I think I have picked up a little something from each and they’ve always been in a nice location in good company. Its taken me a lot longer than the half day session but my riding is slowly improving. I think the frustration is that it costs a lot of money and time to gain one tip and I’ve often spent a big chunk of a session on something that is no use in real riding or I simply don’t get the measure of. The more I think about the more the piano lessons/tennis coaching style of shorter, cheaper, more regular sessions makes sense. An hour to just work on one thing, then practice in your own time, then go back for then next thing once you’ve digested that.

Haven’t felt the need for any more skills sessions since. Not saying I’m perfect, far from it, but it’s my head that holds me back rather than my technique now I suspect.

I thought I was the same as I’m a pretty nervous rider (never been that gung ho and too old to learn to bounce) but a bit of coaching, a bit of practising and a bit of improvement to the skills compensator and I’m riding stuff I never used to. I still ride up to the same level of scared but now things that used to scare me I know I can ride.

I went to Jedi with my son recently. I turned up as a pretty rubbish, chicken rider and left much less rubbish and much less chicken, while my son ended up doing gap jumps. We spent an uplift day at the Forest of Dean last week and I rode down trails I would previously have walked away from, all thanks to what I’d learnt from Jedi. I’m still rubbish and a chicken, but much less so than I was before the course. I’ve no idea how much difference it would have made if I’d been more skilled in the first place, but as far as I’m concerned it was worth every penny.

Whilst I think you can learn a lot yourself and from mates, the old adage “what you don’t know isn’t going to hurt you” does not apply to mtb.

I know people who are very, very, naturally fast on trails, but who do not like to jump at all and are not keen on steep, techy, trails. This tells me they’re fast but probably not sure why and are also riding on the limit of their skills and courage.

My personal blind spots (I am not one of the forum’s riding gods) are rocks (not ridden often enough to get that fluid confidence on them) and basic speed. I’m pretty happy with sizing up and riding – or not – jumps, drops and gaps and there are no doubting voices in my head where those are concerned.

Robdob, your always fastest going down but couldn’t jump or corner despite being one of the most natural riders ever seen on a bike !

People will blow smoke up your arse if you pay them enough money,
Where were you riding that was straight down with no corners or jumps and were your fellow riders shit ?

Maybe you should read my post properly first.

Echoing the comments above- I did a day with Prorideguides at Stainburn

The group was bigger than promised, and I had very little 1:1 time. However I got out of it exactly what I thought I would; a couple of specific technique issues to eliminate, and some exercises (mainly weight distribution) to work on

I left the course no better than when I arrived but four months of consciously practicing later and I’m a better rider; faster, more in control, better able to flow through fast corners etc.

I paid the same for the course as I did for my carbon bars and I know which made the biggest difference to my riding

Ime a good coach doesn’t have to be a great rider, although they do have to demonstrate the skills, rather they have to be able to identify flaws and communicate how to iron them out.

I asked for a skills course for my 40th. Wasn’t sure how much good it had done until, riding the Dyfi Enduro the next day, I smoked the bf down the World Cup run. I’d been riding a couple of years with enthusiasm rather than skill. The course was with Great Rock and was enjoyable as well as useful – nice vibe. Being in a group though did highlight that I get massively anxious about making a tit of myself in front of a group. I can’t quite decide whether practice at overcoming nerves (I did) was a good thing but I would probably go 1-1 next time.

Also went to Altitude Adventure on holiday a year later. Ian is another guide who can’t help coaching. He pointed out that being fast uphill was all very well but I could get even faster developing more downhill skills. Again, didn’t realise how much progress I’d made until I got home and local trails that I had thought of as tough seemed easy.

i spent a day on a 1:1 course last november,i have been riding an mtb for about 20 years, my mates and i used to go out about 3 times a week, i loved it, loved the thought of going fast. being self employed none of us were tempted to do anything remotely risky, and as such stayed at a level where the riskiest thing we did was going down big kerbs.
Now im not self employed and could afford a few days off so thought i would take a skills course to see if i had it in me to do any of the things i was scared to do before. i suppose im a shit rider, but im not as shit now. if i hadnt taken the course i would 100% be the same as before.
after the 1:1 i could do a gap jump, i could go down small rock gardens, take small drop offs at speed , ride around berms confidently, i also rode some wood 4ft off of the ground which i hadnt been confident enough to do before at 1 ft from the ground.
all this in 1 x 6 hour skills day, which i think is amazing value for money.
i recently spent some time in wales doing some stuff that i thought absolutely impossible. so for me its a big yes going to a skills course especially on a one to one.

Did i also mention i was 62 last week so its never too late.

just in case you havent already guessed where i went, I too went to Jedi and i couldnt be more pleased that i did.
i found that the coaching i got, automatically transferred to riding away from the training ground, i didnt think, oh stop i cant do that, i just did it, yes ive had a few falls but thats cos im attempting things i wouldnt have before and im becoming better slowly, 7ft gap jumps, jumping ditches bigger drop offs.
+ 1 for a skills course and i couldnt endorse Jedi highly enough

Hey, this threads supposed to be about BAD reviews, enough of this endorsing! 😉

Well who has one then?

sorry about that

not me !