Would you rather repeat old failures or create new successes? If you’re satisfied with your riding, keep doing what you’re doing. If you want to ride better/safer/ faster, you must consciously practice the skills that will get you there.
One thing at a time. Whenever you’re out riding, concentrate on one skill or component of a skill. Look ahead in the corners, stay low over the jumps, weight your outside pedal, or whatever. Think about executing the move perfectly. Soon you’ll be doing it without thought, and then you can move on to the next thing.
Don’t let bad habits take over. It’s OK to make some mistakes while you’re learning. But when you keep making the same mistake, it becomes a bad habit.
Research by Wendy Wood, a psychologist at Texas A&M University, provides some tips for overcoming bad habits. Wood no doubt had habits like smoking and Xbox in mind, but these tips apply to bad bike habits as well. Let’s say that as you do a big double jump, you stare into the gap and abort the mission.
