Sometimes improving your riding isn’t always about the minute details of how you handle a bike. Here, Aled Morgan explains why you should be confident in everything you do.
There is a common saying among bike riders that if you didn’t crash, then you weren’t trying hard enough. That’s all well and good, but I am yet to meet a single person that actively enjoys crashing. So how do you build confidence, without crashing?
With social media as it is, it’s too easy to only look at people that are better than you and focus on aspects that you can’t do, but sometimes looking back at where you came from can actually be a positive move.
Whether you look back to a year ago when you first started riding, or even before you learnt to ride a motorcycle, look at how far you have come! Regardless of how many setbacks you may think you are experiencing, you are still progressing in your hobby and your skillset.
It’s very easy to say ‘the bike did that’, but no, it didn’t. It may well have aided you, but if you took the bike off its side stand, kicked the stand up and let the bike go it would fall over. The only person who has achieved anything on that bike, is the person riding it.
So the next time you get the bike to the top of a tricky track, smile and remind yourself ‘I did that’. Chris Birch may well have done it faster or with more style, but concentrate on the little victories you achieve on each ride rather than the whole intimidating picture.
When you do get it wrong, try to understand what happened. Typically we brush it off as a laugh so pride doesn’t get hurt, but when you get home, think through your actions and try to identify what you could improve, and then set yourself the task to improve it on the next ride!
Whether we like it or not, our sport/pastime is about self-confidence. I don’t mean cockiness, that’s something entirely different. I mean an inward self-belief that you can do something, and inner trust in your own abilities. It’s important that anything you attempt, you commit to. Either do, or don’t, and if you have decided to go for it then clear your head of any bad thoughts and never go half-arsed.
One of the main attractions of this activity is that there is a constant challenge. So embrace the learning process, because if you were perfect, knew everything and it all became easy, you would most likely find another hobby quite quickly!
Finally, there are numerous adventure bike training schools throughout the UK, take the time to contact them and understand if they can progress you in a way you would like. Can they tackle your inner demons? And will they coach you through that ‘thing’ you keep struggling with?
Most importantly though, remember that adventure riding can all get a bit too serious at times but it is supposed to be fun!