#richdrew #therideseries #fezzari
It's the foundation. It's the baseline. It's where it all starts. It's body position. At The Ride Series MTB Skills Clinics, we preach being centered over the bottom bracket for as long as possible. NOW, there are times where that just isn't possible, but those are the exception and not the rule. Here's a breakdown of why we feel you should be centered and a few examples on a rad section of trail here in Bentonville.
Think of it this way: As a human being, when you're faced with fear what's your initial reaction? It's to push away from fear. Embracing that this is natural is key for progression in our opinion. Having a solid understanding of the benefits of being centered over the bike is important. From there, it's putting yourself in situations that are comfortable enough for you to slowly raise your barometer of body position.
Start small and find a relatively easy section of trail. Work that centered position, thinking about heavy feet, light hands, and the elbows upright so that the forearms are RELATIVELY in line with the forks. This might feel a bit odd at first and there might be some personal things that make it even more uncomfortable. Are you oddly shapen, do you have past injuries that have caused mobility issues? These can make if tough to emulate what we might deem to be that "perfect position." My advice, think of it in terms of "your perfect position" instead.
YOU WON'T ALWAYS BE TRULY CENTERED. You just watched the video and you saw moments where I was behind the center of the bike, it's gonna happen. Don't be so literal. The goal is to be centered as much as possible and remember, the visual of centered will change as the pitch of the bike changes.
HAVE FUN!!! The goal of these videos to help you have more fun. I've NEVER met anyone that said
"the better I got the less fun it was." That doesn't happen. The better you are, the more fun you have...it's a scientific fact!
Here's all the obligatory stuff I need to add ;)
Special thanks to ‪@aribikes‬ for supporting this platform. The Delano Peak I'm riding is a LEGIT bike and I really dig it!
We would love to see you at a Ride Series Clinic or even for a private on trail coaching session. If you'd like to attend, or just have a question, please email
info@therideseriesmtb.com
Spread positivity and have fun out there. Peace out dumpers!
Rich