Mountain biking is an exciting and thrilling sport. That is why many are getting hooked on the sport. Not only does it offer many great health benefits, it also offers enjoyment while working out. Mountain biking is a dynamic sport that requires speed, finesse, and fitness. The more reason why you should improve your mountain biking skills.
Here are some tips to improve your Mountain Biking Skills
Trust Yourself
You should start trusting yourself if you want to improve your mountain biking skills. When riding, use your judgment. Follow through and don’t hesitate at roots, bridges, rocks, or small jumps. As the saying goes “believe that you can and you’re halfway there.”
Relax
This is probably the most important tip you should remember when riding your bike. Keeping yourself relax while riding can be very challenging especially when you are riding a difficult trail. Remind yourself to relax because a tense body magnifies all of the bumps on the trail and bounces you around. One way of relaxing is learning how to properly position your body in relation to the bike. Once you get comfortable in the position, it will be easier to relax.
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Learn About Bike Maintenance
It is difficult to improve your skills if you’re bike isn’t tuned up properly. Taking some time to understand the mechanics of your bike, how it works, how to do a pre-ride inspection and how to recognize when something is not right can be a great help in improving your mountain biking skills. Knowing that your bike is capable of handling any terrain, you’re going to feel more confident and comfortable regardless of what the trail throws at you.
Ride On Different Terrain
If you only ride a local trail you could ride with your eyes closed, you will never improve your mountain biking skills. Improvement happens when you ride diverse and more challenging trails. New trails and varying terrain will help you train your biking skills and at the same time give you the adrenaline and excitement. Once you conquer trails you think are too difficult for you to handle, you will have the feeling of accomplishment and satisfaction which will make you want to ride more.
Ride With More Advanced Riders
Join a group of riders that will make you push your limits and challenge yourself. Learning from other riders will increase your skill set and increase your cardio. A good group of friends goes a long way in helping you improve your mountain biking skills. Your group should both push you to be better, as well as support your growth as a biker. You shouldn’t feel embarrassed to try new things, or pressured to ride above your ability level too quickly. Another benefit of riding with more advanced riders is that you will get to hear their various experiences and learn something from their stories.
Don’t Forget About Strength Training
Mountain biking requires the engagement of many more muscles than just your legs. It also requires a strong upper body and core muscles to effectively overcome the difficult trails. You have to be strong enough to hurdle the ride. Strength training can provide significant functional benefits and improvement in overall health and well-being, including increased bone, muscle, tendon, and ligament strength, improved joint function, reduced the potential for injury and increase fitness. This, in turn, will help you improve your mountain biking skills.
Practice Tricks
Some of the tricks you can practice outside of MTB trail are skinnies, track stand, manual, bunny hops, wall ride, steps, and cornering. Learning to do these tricks will enhance your mountain biking skills and increase your comfort on the trail when facing obstacles.
Develop Proper Braking Technique
Developing a proper braking technique will really help improve your sense of control when riding. Try to evaluate an obstacle before you reach it, and look for good braking on either side. Avoid exclusively using your back brake. Remember that the front brake provides excellent control and stopping power when used properly. The good thing is that modern mountain bike brakes have tremendous modulation and adjustability. You just have to know how to use them, and they’ll be your best ally.
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