[Closed] Nervous about seeing Jedi this Thursday - harsh appraisal content

Mods, can we get this moved to the other forum please.

This is the longest post I've ever read.

I'm going to have a coffee and a fag and then reply properly.

Mods, can we get this removed[s] to the other forum[/s] please.

I predict after your session you will be happy, more confident in your riding and you will have cleared the 6ft double. Don't worry about your bad habits, that is Tony's job and he will sort them all out for you. Have a fun day. 🙂

🙁 i dont like the bike forum deadly... its full of people who reply to questions with things like '31.8mm' instead of 'here's a cat licking a window'

scary place!

You will be fine and come away from the day a better rider.

I did a skills day (not with Tony) and after an initial review of my riding he showed me up to a largish drop (5-6foot) and asked me would I normally ride that sort of stuff, I laughed (nervously) and said nope, wouldn't consider it. Yes 10 minutes later was quite happily popping of it 🙂 The rest of the day went well, just need to get the jumping sorted now 🙁

That was a bit of a long post, maybe next time just say 'I'm a bit of a 😀 fanny and I'm scared!' 😀

You do need to MTFU up a bit though as well though don't you 🙂

I wish Jedi worked ooop north as I think I would be tempted to book a session with him

Phil, I got jedi'd yesterday. Best advice I can give is go with an open mind, trust the guy (you'll decide when to move up, not him) and enjoy. There's not been an ambulance up there for 8 years. The only bit of me that hurt afterwards was my cheeks from grinning so much. He'll mentally massage your mind back into place.

Not so much teaching you techniques, more concepts and principles. As for the bike, I worried about the same thing before I went. Didn't need to, it really made no difference.

And for when he makes his way to this thread, cheers mate, cracking day!

I'd followed the same path as you Phil - I had a bad fall on one of my first rides which killed my confidence, then it gradually built up again until the point I had a helmet splitting off etc. For a bunch of other reasons I'm also pretty conservative when it comes to risk and stuff like getting my wheels off the ground seemed like a recipe for a mess of tangled metal and limbs.

I had a day with Tony a while ago - when he was back at Woburn. The first thing is that you will not be pressured into doing anything that you're not comfortable with - this is one of the great things about 1:1 teaching even when compared to a small group as there is no peer pressure. However you will gain in confidence during the day and you will probably find that a lot of the things you found difficult can be put right pretty easily. Don't beat yourself up about stuff you're doing wrong - relax and enjoy the day. Tony's a great teacher and has a habit of slowly moving your comfort zone without you realising it. And don't worry about your 'crappy hardtail' - the bike's not going to learn anything no matter how bling it is.

FWIW I'm still no rad-meister but I'm way faster, smoother and more controlled than I was and the one thing that really winds me up is not getting as much air as I could have off bumps & jumps. (Oh, and the jump gully at Swinley being rammed with 12 year olds with mad skillz during the day at the moment)

And cats are so last year

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Relax, you'll be fine with Tony.

I wish Jedi worked ooop north as I think I would be tempted to book a session with him

Speak to Ed.

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[url= http://www.great-rock.co.uk/blog/ ]Great Rock[/url]

It sounds like your really over analyzing your riding at the moment and don't sound at all confident.. a course isnt my cup of tea, but if you have belief in the skills course your going on (which you seem to) im sure youre gonna come away with a more positive, confident mind set which it desperately sounds like you need...

'I'm a bit of a fanny and I'm scared!'

Phil - we all keep improving, almost every time we ride. You learn from both the positive and the negatives. The important thing, for you especially, is not to dwell too much on, or overthink, the negatives.

Tony will help you set up your head so that you're better equipped to do this.

I've seen you ride... I know you've got the skills, I wanted to push you through some more singletrack stuff at the weekend but sensed a visit to Tony first would be a better plan.

Once you've had your day, get to Wales and ride one of the trail centres... you can definitely nail them, and it will do your confidence no end of good.

I'm going to have a coffee and a fag and then reply properly.

you dont smoke anymore and you're incapable of replying sensibly 😛

EDIT - 50seconds too late, cheers dude!

maybe next time just say 'I'm a bit of a fanny and I'm scared!'

that's true... i like to reflect though and was hoping the details might help lead to some more specific replies 🙂

He'll mentally massage your mind back into place

<30rock>I fully expect him to crush my problems with his mind-vice</30rock> 😀

thepurist, cheers dude.. sounds like we have similar mindsets with regards to risk! how have the skills transferred to swinley?

thanks again everyone 🙂

Yeah, reading for that long gave me that post sexy time warm feeling that's only made better with a ciggy. Plus I've been on a TeeJ post writing day... it's helped with my focus.

I'm more than happy to ride some different places at times when there won't be loads of kids to help re-enforce what he teaches you. Awesumz.

I struggle with long sentences.

Forget all that, don't be worried, Tony will take you skipping through fields of butterflies and wildflowers to riding nirvana.

Hello,

I had a session with Tony in July, and I can't recommend him highly enough.

Sounds like I was in a similar situation as yourself, major off knocked all my confidence. Right now, I'm enjoying being back on my bike more than ever, but more importantly, with the knowledge of when to try something new and when not to.

You'll have a great session, that's for sure.

Damion.

thanks everyone 😀

anybody know what beer tony likes?

"Speak to Ed."

Might look at that for a birthday present. Does sound a bit more structured (which I dont like) where as Jedi appears to be more of a chilled session, although that could be from just looking at the website though....

I wanna go and play at Herts 🙁

Jedi will be as chilled as you want it to be would be my guess... I found the session pretty intense and knackering.

Keep on reading nothing but good things. If you dont mind me asking, what's the cost for a skills sesh with the Jedi??

depends, if you join a group session or go with a couple of friends then it brings the cost down, i went for a 1:1 session... around 4 hours long and 180quid, paid the same to learn how to snowboard and i only do that for 1 or 2 weeks a year, i ride off-road about 9+hours a week so well worth the investment if it helps.. and going by the reviews i'm confident it will

doesnt stop me being nervous about making a fool of myself (more than normal anyway) hehe

I'm going down to see Tony on Friday, but I'll be getting there on the Thursday so I may bump into you [b]philconsequence[/b]

I'm going with the mindset of I'm just gonna ride my bike and learn how to do it better. I'm not trying to think about it at all

I have like most riders had off's that knock your confidence, but I'm not letting that concern me.

Don't over-think your situation

Phil

He had warm Bud (the american stuff) when I was there, but I am pretty sure no-one likes that!

Had a great day out there, but sadly haven't been out enough since.

Jedi the only disappointment was the beer! Can I recommend that you get some alcohol free beer for drivers? I really fancied a beer to wind down but won't touch a drop if I am in the car.

I think all your concerns/riding issues are shared by a lot of riders, even more those of us that have had a few decent crashes 😉

Firstly, good decision on doing it 1:1, that takes a lot of pressure off IMO (I did it with a couple of mates but we were at a similar level so not too bad, if I do another I'd do it solo though). I was the only one that crashed on the course and it was a tame one (washed out on a berm, not doing everything I was supposed to :p glad I had pads on though).

Although I really wanted to get some air time on the course I wouldn't make it your goal otherwise again you'll be putting pressure on yourself. I had plenty to learn to fill the time without having a go on the little jumps but wanted to anyway, tbh though I didn't really take much away from them as I was physically and mentally a bit knackered by then and was also finding the more I tried to focus on the take-off the worse I got. Tony is good at spotting when you've gone past the point of taking stuff in though.

I would focus on the basics that he goes through, positioning, looking ahead, wrists and feet etc. Make sure you get all those right during the course and then keep forcing yourself to practice them on your own time, without them being second nature you'll just be asking for trouble doing the more advanced stuff. Main issue I've had in applying the stuff later is I usually end up riding in a group in quite close proximity so it screws up the looking ahead bit so still have to remind myself to do it.

As someone who went to a Jedi day with a specific goal- wanting to go bigger on jumps. I came away with more alternative benefits.
My cornering which I felt was quick and not needing tune up, has stepped up significantly, I can hear inside my head Tony's mantra for cornering and forcefully have applied this ever since so hopefully soon it will become second nature.
His approach to getting the basics right seems to then under pin all other aspects of what you do, whether it be cornering, jumping, drops, etc.
I was also knackered at the end of the day - mentally. Take food and drink to stay hyrdrated! otherwise loose the aprehension and enjoy, he's a top trainer.

Tony will do wonders for your riding, and he's not going to make you do anything you don't want to do or aren't comfortable with.

When I went for my first session with him I was also a little nervous as I was very new to the whole off-road thing, but Tony certainly put aside those fears and gave me a skill set that I've been continually working on for the last 5 months.
The skills I know have made me faster on the trail, more confident both on the ground and in the air, and generally increased my enjoyment overall. When it has gone wrong I have also generally been able to work out which of my skill set was missing to cause that.

I now have my 2nd session booked with him next Monday, and part of me is nervous that I won't perform as I should. It's just natural for some of us to be that way I think; and honestly I think Tony just wants you to enjoy riding and doesn't have any expectations of what you should or shouldn't be capable of. (I could of course be quite wrong here and apologise to Tony if that is the case, but I don't think I am 🙂 )

To sum up, don't worry just go and enjoy. You'll probably surprise yourself, and don't forget to post how it goes on here.

+1 for taking plenty of fluids with you.

You'll have a great time 🙂

🙂 thanks again everyone

Agree with everything people said about Tony "fixing" you rather than forcing you into riding stuff you don't want to ride. He'll also stop or pause the session when it's clear you're tired/over-excited and in danger of doing yourself a mischief.

I had several bad habits that whilst not totally fixed have made me much better (one of them had me off my bike and on my arse in the carpark riding around a stick) for knowing they're there. From my PoV, trails seem to "come at me" significantly slower than before and I'm clearly faster than I was.

TLDR version - Go into it with an open mind and try to soak up as much as possible. Tony won't make you do the woodwork and you'll come out a better rider.

i for one am not looking forward to your gushing review on friday

you will enjoy thursday, you will be buzzing for days.

dont read it then 😛

nowt wrong with youthful enthusiasm

There's not been an ambulance up there for 8 years.

I was told that if you bin it at Herts, they just chuck you in the road and tell the paramedics it was a hit and run, mind you this was a few years ago now 😉

nowt wrong with youthful enthusiasm

Pretty similar to what my Priest used to say.

onzadog, high5 dood 🙂
thanks for all your remarks and advice people. its bike riding not war, so turn up and be the fonz!

🙂

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heyyyyyyyyy 🙂

I'm aware my footwork needs working on.

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phil, are you coming down weds eve?
andy, see you friday dood 🙂

why the roflcopter allthepies?

i'd love to come up tonight jedi but i've got no camping gear and i wouldnt be able to get up until late and after dark (dont fancy setting up a tent in the dark if i were to buy one!)... if i've got time at work this morning i might see if i can find a hotel room for the night nearby 🙂

ok, i asked as i'll be there until late tonight as its the weds evening ride 🙂 🙂
see you tomorrow and just dont worry.

ohhhhh how late will you be there? if i find a hotel and drive up this evening then i'd prob want to do a test on if i can find the place to make it easier in the morning 😀

hotel booked 😀 i'm going to go collect my bike in my lunch break so i can battle through traffic and get up as early as possible this evening

I'm as jealous as a very jealous thing right now.

yeti, pop down this evening if you like too

now yeti.... i'm going to be battling up the m4, m25 then A1m from 5pm onwards, if you overtake me in your far superior skoda please make sure you honk the horn loads and flash a nipple x

Jedi, I'd absolutely love to, but damn distances and keeping ladies happy is going to stop me making this one 🙁

that's cos you suck... i know this cos deadly told me.

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The Inbetweeners better be funny.

i'm seeing that thursday night 🙂 a nice end to the day i reckon

Phil will be fine, you just need a cup of his magic coffee, then ask Jedi about me binning it 3 times today 🙂
Each time exactly as you say in your first post, getting drawn into looking at wheel then washing out
But got up tried again and largely nailed it, absolutely great day, just wish I'd done it years ago as I now know exactly where I've been going wrong and can't wait to get out there and put it into practises
Loved hitting the drops and the step up too, especiAly the bigger drop into the last corner, I never would have done that this morning
Like others said, you decide what and when to do it, although Tony will slow things down without you realising if he feels it's needed
I stil can't believe what I really had to think about doing this morning was becoming second nature by the end of the session, I still haven't figured out what or how he achieved it, I'm not normLly one to learn so quickly!

well... i wont write a review just yet, it was a bit of a spectacular ending to the session and i'm in a fair bit if pain so i'll wait until thats died down 🙂

😯

'Jedi broke phil! what a monster!' i hear you shout... not true 😀 i did ze tabletop with the style and grace of, dare i say it, something more awesome than an awesome something. it was several meters after a tasty run out from the tabletop i managed to throw myself through the air and damage myself, luckily its the left shoulder and wrist not my recently fractured right shoulder 🙂 huge adrenalin burn out and more pain than i wanted to let on to Jedi signaled the end of the session just as the rain arrived.

looking forward to reading my write-up/blog thing when Jedi posts it 😀

riding is more awesome than surfmat ever was, this is a medical FACT

The question nobody dare ask... did Tony get it on camera? 😉

Looking forward to the write up - I expect pictures of cats demonstrating good looking and footwork skills.

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falling off 50meters past the tabletop after sailing it sweetly dont count as a fail. i thought it was a belly slide celebration! 🙂

i wanted to impress you with my superman impression 😀 forgot to unwrap the bike from my legs mid-air though... some would say mentally tired, others just mental!

my shoulder is completely shot though, not going to lie.. prob be 2 weeks before i can ride on it again if it heals at the same speed my right did when i did the same a couple of years ago. cant wait to get back on though 😀

hope your shoulder is sorted soon.

I'm currently sat in my tent supping a beer @ Jedi's trails whilst browsing t'web.

Looking forward to tomorrow's riding, I hope the coffee pot's gonna be full, reckon I'll need a kickstart in the morning!

cheers andy 🙂 I hope the rains died down for you... could only see about 20 meters in front of the car for 50ish miles of the 70 mile journey home!

you'll have an amazing day tomorrow, the coffee is pretty special too 🙂

rain was mostly ok on the drive down, a few heavy showers but think I timed it about right as there's no rain here now 🙂

schweeet, enjoy it tomorrow 🙂 Jedi has written my blog already:

http://ukbikeskills.blogspot.com/2011/08/phils-one-to-one.html

andy, make a coffee when you wake up. its all there 🙂

4ndy b, was a fun day 🙂

Yup, it was great fun, thanks once again 🙂

Here's my Jedi blog, just in case anyone is interested http://ukbikeskills.blogspot.com/2011/08/andy-bike-doctors-session.html

If you don't have the time or inclination to practice crashing, you'll never get good at it. Perhaps a 'how to crash' section should form part of these skills days. 😉

we all get it wrong sometimes. its that on that edge buzz 🙂