Build Confidence Riders in the second group are being held back by a lack of confidence in their riding skills. As a coach you will have the most success by focusing your teaching methods on confidence building. Confidence is a combination of perception and successes.

Perception One commonly held perception is that mountain biking skills are innate – you were born with them or not. This is especially true for women. The reality is that mountain bike skills are very teachable and can be learned by everybody. You must change the perception “I am a poor rider” to allow for the possibility of learning.

Success Nothing builds confidence like success. Guide your athletes up a ladder of success by providing increasingly difficult challenges. It is your job as a coach to make each step up the skill ladder manageable and successful. For timid riders, steps may have to be tiny. Others can move up quickly. Ensure success at each step before you progress.

TEACHING BASIC SKILLS The first skill to teach is balance. The principle of balancing on a bike is the basic skill all others are built upon. The first place to teach the concept of balance to riders of all levels is off the bike with the "Ready Drill" . Have your riders face a partner and stand on one leg, simulating a six o’clock – 12 o’ clock pedal position, and then try to knock each other off balance. Repeat the drill crouched low to the ground with weight on both feet simulating the three o’ clock – nine o’clock pedal position. This simple exercise is a potent way to give your riders the feel for balance and awareness of the remarkable increase in power that comes with perfect balance. Once on a bike this effect is magnified. On technical terrain unbalanced riders will spend their leg strength trying to regain balance, while balanced riders can apply all of their leg strength into powering the pedals. A pair of strong legs will produce little useful power unless they are positioned directly over the pedals.

TEACHING ADVANCED SKILLS Advanced skills are just as teachable and learnable as basic skills. As the level of challenge increases you need a few extra tools in your coaching tool kit to ensure rider success.

Three Strikes and You’re Out My first rule is called “three strikes and you’re out”. This means riders have three chances to successfully clear an obstacle. If they have failed on the third try they must leave it alone and come back fresh another day. On the first attempt a rider will get a feel for what needs done. On the second and third try they can do it. Repeating failure more than three times is a sure method to permanently ingrain a hard wired failure into your neural pathways.

Visualize Success Athletes who are attempting to ride obstacles at the limit of their abilities can use visualization to practice riding an obstacle perfectly in their minds, before executing it physically. Have your athletes watch an accomplished rider clean the obstacle. Then have your athletes close their eyes and visualize themselves make the same approach and pass of the obstacle.

Combine Three Strikes and Visualization If athlete’s fail on their second attempt to clear an obstacle have them take a break and visualize a perfect execution before the third attempt.