jon v8 Posted June 17, 2008 Report Share Posted June 17, 2008 Evening all,its been bothering me since Sunday that I did the first lap of a trial for 1 dab.That dab was a silly one,and I thought the next three laps I ought to clean it,(and hopefully the rest of the trial.) but stared to slowly lose marks 1/2 way through the second lap.I must of finished on about 12 or 15,still really enjoyed it and I started feeling tired during the last lap.I was in a good relaxed frame of mind,no booze and an early night before.Since I've started riding the A route I've started to take it all a bit more seriously,and Sunday's ride really made me think.I was able to do the sections but not for four laps,OK maybe if I was a bit fitter then the last lap would have been easier.What do I need to work on ? Is it fitness,concentration or was I just lucky in this trial ? BTW the trial was dry and the sections changed very little,if anything they got slightly easier. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atomant Posted June 17, 2008 Report Share Posted June 17, 2008 fitness, fitness and oh... fitness Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fivemeister Posted June 17, 2008 Report Share Posted June 17, 2008 Trying too hard............. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bikespace Posted June 17, 2008 Report Share Posted June 17, 2008 Are you really feeling it physically (arm pump etc) or just not sure what's doing it? I'm suspecting the latter from the way you've described it. You'll be surprised how getting dehydrated can screw you over. Not sure if you're already doing it, but it helps to make an extra effort to shove water, and some energy drink down your neck, and maybe get some pasta in you for breakfast. Not the sort of thing you want to eat on a Sunday morning, but definitely works. I used to swear by it in my rugby days. I use a Camelback to keep the water levels up, and it's amazing how much liquid you get rid of. More than you could ever drink down while passing the car each lap. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toofasttim Posted June 18, 2008 Report Share Posted June 18, 2008 no booze and an early night before. There's your problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billycraig Posted June 18, 2008 Report Share Posted June 18, 2008 There's your problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve Posted June 18, 2008 Report Share Posted June 18, 2008 Interesting topic. I would have thought that your problem is mental attitude rather than a physical one. Ok I know you were a little tierd on the last lap but if the trial only took a soft dab off you on the firstl lap and then got easier I suspect it was not too punishing physically. Often when sections are easy that's when you lose those silly marks through lack of concentration. I'd love to tell you how to improve in this area but If I knew that I'd have won many more Trials myself. Still do all the above with regards to keeping your fluids up etc.. but try and find some mental technique that works for you. On the matter of physical fatigue - I used to practice at Mick Andrews a fair bit and Mick would always come out for a bit of a play and often impart some tips and advise which was always very welcome. It was normally late in the day when I was tired before Mick would come out and I once complained that I was too tired and would call it a day. He told me that whilst you are tired you really need good technique and by training whilst tired you will develop better technique! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
motovintage Posted June 18, 2008 Report Share Posted June 18, 2008 maybe that would work for Andrews but I make more mistakes the more fatigued I am, consistancy issues are training, both mental and physical Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jon v8 Posted June 18, 2008 Author Report Share Posted June 18, 2008 Thanks for all the replies,esp Too fast Tim ! I proved the week before that 2 bottles of red and a late night are not a good combo for a trial the next morning. Does anyone else get the feeling after cleaning a tricky section that it all "clicked" and some kind of magic brought it all together ? I sort of feel that I have some basic ability - not much,but some.And I know that basic fitness would be a help later in the trial, the dehydration I can see too - even tho I cruised back to the car for a drink twice.(and a Mars bar) So the big question is - what can I do for the mental training ? (Besides the dark room and a straight jacket.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jon v8 Posted June 23, 2008 Author Report Share Posted June 23, 2008 So is it the straight room and the dark jacket or does anyone have thoughts ? I really want to do better,not win all the time,just know that my results match what I know I am capable of. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
motovintage Posted June 24, 2008 Report Share Posted June 24, 2008 (edited) riding is the best mental training for me, I'm sure others may have their own oppinions, but try riding stuff you can't clean or go up, keep trying untill you figure out a way, go back and walk your section and look at your tracks, see what you were doing right and what went wrong, picture yourself doing the section clean, create a mental picture of success, and let that be your focus, if you make a mistake, put it out of your mind, and focus only on success, continue the process to psyche yourself out, keep a positive mental image, look where you want to be, dont focus on the hazzard, focus on what is beyond it, riding trials and training you mind that the impossible is possible is trials, keep up the process to build you confidence, the more you ride the more you build your confidence, if you are riding poorly, stop, bad riding reinforces bad habits, if you are riding well continue riding the section several times building your confidence and good riding habits, don't do stuff that is too easy, you want to be challenged to move forward and increase your skill Edited June 25, 2008 by MotoVintage Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
t-shock 250 Posted June 25, 2008 Report Share Posted June 25, 2008 Video yourself riding a section you find difficult, (or get a mate to do it) Then later when you watch it back, it 's really easy to spot whats going wrong, sometimes embarrasingly obvious! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jon v8 Posted June 27, 2008 Author Report Share Posted June 27, 2008 Thanks for the advice,if I can get a pass out on Sunday I'll try to keep better hydrated,(water ! ) and keep focused on the section ahead.Maybe even spend a bit more time studying the section,planning alternative routes in the same section in case I dont quite end up at exactly the right spot I had in mind.Although I am lucky in having lots of practice area I dont feel it helps me as I tend to try what I think is challenging - not perhaps what a course marker would do. Its interesting,(and funny) what peoples comments are and it has encouraged me to push harder - Thank you all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swooshdave Posted June 27, 2008 Report Share Posted June 27, 2008 Proper hydration is essential. While you may not get the hot, dry weather we sometimes encounter it's still important. Camelbak style packs help when you can't get back to the pits soon enough. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ishy Posted June 27, 2008 Report Share Posted June 27, 2008 Proper hydration is essential. While you may not get the hot, dry weather we sometimes encounter it's still important. Camelbak style packs help when you can't get back to the pits soon enough. I've got to wonder about the drinks dispenser strapped to your back or bum bag, when the Titanic took on a load of water on one side the bugger sunk. Trials is all about balance, how the heck can you compensate to keep yourself and the bike upright with all that sloshing about on your back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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