Nervous Descending

Wattsy Rules

Lot's of valid pointers given so far:

* Use both brakes
* Improve your balance by moving your body position
* Pactice
* Try and relax your body as much as possible. flow with the bike, don't fight it.

Probably the most important thing is vision. Most people look about 10 - 15 feet in front of them. THIS IS WRONG. Look to the next corner. this will help with the following:

* Informatin overload - If you look 10 feet in front, your brain is having to absorb huge amounts of information very quickly so the whole experience speeds up. Eventually your brain can't cope and you either make a mistake or just wear yourself out mentally. If you look further ahead things will slow down and your brain will have plenty of time to absorb the information. ALL forms of motor racing teach this technique...how many times have you heard the best drivers/riders in the world say they slow everything down...this is what they mean.

* Picking the right line - By looking to the next corner you will see where the obsticles are and can plan a route around them. Sometimes you must go over, but by looking further ahead you can decide early if you can bunny hop and keep going or need to brake and take it easy. I'm willing to bet that you slow for every obsticle whether you need to or not. Looking 10 - 15 feet ahead means you have to decide as you hit the obsticle...too late!

* Time to relax - Quick descending can be just as tiring as ascending so you need to be able to rest. By looking far ahead, you can locate areas where you can relax your arms and legs. This may only be for a couple of seconds, but it's better than nothing. If you look 10 - 15 feet ahead, by the time you realise the track is clear, you're already onto the next obsticle.

* You ride where you look - To avoid obstacles you must not look at them. You will ride where you look so always look where you want to ride. This is commonly called 'Target Fixation', and although I disagree with the term, it'll do. By looking ahead, you slow things down, pick your line and then focus on riding the line. If you look at trees and rocks, chances are you'll ride towards them, then things will speed up again.