Let’s face it, we all want to be better. It’s human nature to want to be the best we can be in the things we love. And since you’re here, I’m guessing that something is mountain biking.

I began mountain biking two years ago. From the moment I stumbled my way down the first rocky and ridiculous trail, I was hooked.

My instant obsession with mountain biking led me to progress quickly. I spent every waking moment on my bike, getting out there with mates who were way more advanced, focusing on ways to progress and match their skills.

While I may not be up there with the likes of Loic Bruni or Troy Brosnan, I can still ride pretty damn good if I do say so myself. And this is mainly due to the fact that I practiced these seven mountain bike skills religiously, repeating them to myself every time I went for a ride…

It may also be partly because I’m slightly insane… But that’s a story for another day, let’s get into the tips you need to become a shredder on that bike.

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Look Where You Want To Go

I want to begin with the absolute number one tip – no, rule – for stepping your mountain bike skills up to the next level…

Look where you want to go!

This is perhaps the most widely overlooked aspect of mountain biking and something people forget over and over again. As a result, they find progression a mission that seems impossible.

Looking further down the trail provides a much wider perspective of your surroundings, setting the scene for a proactive riding style. Visualize what you need to do and trust your body to do the work.

Now I don’t mean never look down. Those QUICK glances down are needed in order to become familiar with the obstacles in your path… just don’t fixate on them!

Let’s look at something most of us are familiar with… driving a car. When you’re driving, do you constantly stare at the space not even a foot in front of the hood?

Of course not! If you were to do this, you’d be stuck driving in such a reactive state – with little to no awareness of what’s oncoming – that you would surely have a barney. And we’ve already got the distraction of smart phones for that.

No, you look ahead, constantly scanning the road for unknown hazards and you trust your body to do the rest subconsciously.

So why would mountain biking be any different?

Well, it’s not.

Looking where you want to go is essential to prepare for oncoming dangers, and danger is mountain biking’s middle name.

So the next time you’re out on the trails, do yourself a favour and make a conscious effort to keep your eyes up. It will do wonders in improving your mountain bike skills.

Relax Yourself

Relaxing may sound like a silly thing to do when you’re flying down an insane run at bike parks such as Blue Derby or Ourimbah. But relaxing is the key to success.

Do you think professionals are riding tense? Hmmm… I doubt it!

Becoming as stiff as a board is a just and natural reaction when pushing the limits of your comfort zone. It’s a trait that is extremely difficult to overcome. But Ironically, it’s this so called ‘survival instinct’ that leads to most stacks.

You need to train your body and mind to relax.

Mountain biking is all about flow. Your ability to ride smoothly is everything. Heck, it even increases the longevity of your bike! And staying relaxed is the key to accomplish this.

Calming down and maintaining a relaxed state will cut out any jerky nature destroying the flow and in turn, exponentially increase control and grip.

So take a chill pill and enjoy yourself on the next mountain bike outing! If you find you can’t, try slowing down, take on sections at a comfortable pace and stay in control of your mental stress.

Get Loose To Encourage Better Mountain Bike Technique

Getting loose goes hand in hand with relaxing and is the definition of being nimble on a mountain bike. Allowing the bike to float freely beneath you equips you with the ability to make swift adjustments to your riding posture in search of perfect grip and balance.

Too many people ride stiff and never utilize the human bodies flexibility. They take the term ‘attack position’ too literally and never stray from a crouched, strong form – an extremely bad habit if you’re trying to increase your mountain bike skills.

While this strong form is correct in certain situations, I don’t like referring to it as the ‘attack position’. To me, that sounds like this is how you should ride a bike in technical situations, and that is just not true.

Instead, I like to call it the ‘ready position’. The perfect middle ground, so you’re ready to manoeuvre in any way necessary. Whether it’s to soak up harsh impacts or maintain balance through a technical section, you’re always ready to attack the trail correctly.

If there is but one piece of advice I can give, it’s this…

Don’t treat your body and bike as one, treat them as two completely separate tools working together for success.

Brake Before, Not During The Danger Zone

It doesn’t matter what the obstacle is! You need to slow down before reaching the ‘danger zone’.

The ‘danger zone’ is something I’ve cleverly made up (ok, it’s probably already a thing) and can be one or a combination of many things… Essentially, if you see something and think “oh shit”, then slam the brakes on, that’s the danger zone.

If you find yourself braking in said zone, there’s a high chance that grip can be wiped from the tread of your tyres and a sketchy conclusion will follow.

The trick is to notice the ‘danger zone’ early, and pick a point to ensure slowing down before reaching it is possible. Which will be simple thanks to my first tip – look ahead!

So how do we cement this important braking technique into our riding style?

At first it’s ok to go slower than you think. Getting used to the feeling of slowing before the danger zone and picking up speed during is exactly what you should do. And as your confidence sky rockets, so too will speed.

This is the biggest issue any mountain biker faces when referring to braking. Well, It’s one of my biggest mountain biking downfalls anyway.

But there is a couple of things that can aid this process:

• Scope the line – If you’re constantly riding blind down a run, you will never learn what speed is right for your ability. Each obstacle will surprise you time and time again, setting you up for failure.

• Forget about your surroundings – What I mean is forget about other people, especially your mates! Don’t try and show off, you’re not impressing anyone when you end up flat on your face.

• Calm yourself down – Getting too excited is another bad habit (in this circumstance). While excitement may help enthusiasm and confidence, it sometimes pushes the basics out the window.

Braking before it’s too late is one of the most difficult mountain bike skills to learn, especially if you’re as hot headed as me. And it’s something that is going to be an ongoing battle. But if you keep at it and make the effort to apply the above tips, your riding is going to thank you for it.

There is a mighty lot more to good braking technique than just slowing down early and for access to all of my tips, join our newsletter to receive ongoing training and support. Oh yeah and it’s FREE 🙂

Choosing The Line To Boost Your Mountain Bike Skills

You’re going to reach a point in time where everything seems to come to a stand still and you just aren’t improving anymore.

Don’t be fooled. There is no limit to how good you can be other than what you perceive.

Maybe you’re travelling as fast as possible through a specific section or maybe you’re attacking it all wrong.

Getting exotic with line choice and attempting new approaches will broaden your horizon and open up new exciting paths down the mountain. And as you progress, you’ll begin to find the lines that suit your style.

Choosing the fastest line may sound like an easy task, but it’s not. Far from it actually.

Visualising what you’re capable of and how to get the most out of your riding is another extremely hard trait to learn in mountain biking. But if you open your eyes to every possibility – and are prepared to make some mistakes – then your chance of success is multiplied exponentially.

By pushing the limits of your comfort zone and taking on board other mountain bikers opinions, you can start to explore different options. Options that may take you over that rock, rather than avoid it. Or one that may lead to the inside of a corner, instead of railing the berm.

There is no exact science to know what the best line is and opinions vary immensely. Finding the line is a massive trial and error exercise and will be ongoing forever.

All you can do is be open and keep on practicing.

Ride With People Who Are Better Than You

Hitting the trails with riders that are better than yourself can quickly and drastically improve your mountain bike skills. For starters, they will be more than happy to answer any questions you have and provide useful feedback on your style.

And Believe it or not, just following others on trails – taking note of their body position and general riding techniques – is one of the best methods of progression.

Challenging yourself to keep up with the pack, applying similar techniques to those that you’ve witnessed can inspire confidence that has been tucked away for a long time.

Copying their lines and understanding why they are able to nip in and out of the runs faster can only improve your mountain bike technique in the long run. You just have to be open to try new things and a bit of friendly banter coming back at you.

Ride Faster… Just Send It!

Now, there’s a lot of times in mountain biking where slowing down is the better practice. Take cornering for instance, slowing down to learn the correct technique and improve exit speed is essential for a better ride. But in other circumstances, speed can be the holy grail of improvement.

The main reason many of us ride slow is fear, fear of eating shit. And for good reason… Coming a gutsa in a rough, rocky patch isn’t anything to look forward to and if high speed becomes a factor, the consequences can be dire.

That being said, if your confidence is peaking and you’re able to keep a relaxed and loose nature, speed can do wonders for stability and control.

For example, watching professional downhill racers punish the worlds gnarliest rock gardens – just gliding over the horribly rough terrain – can sometimes be unbelievable.

But that’s just it. They move so fast that they are able to glide over most of the obscure debris. Selecting their lines with pinpoint accuracy and hitting them fast allows them to skip over half of the hazards!

Heck, I even notice the smoothness when I open up the brakes and let fly down the mountain.

Like I said, overcoming the fear factor is tough, but with speed as your secret weapon, you’ll be able to maintain flow in every circumstance.

Well, nearly every circumstance…

Though speed may be a great asset in your repertoire, remember there is a higher risk associated with this almost mad man approach to mountain biking.

Summing Up How To Improve Your Mountain Bike Skills

I’m guessing you noticed the general theme of this post?

Everything is linked together.

Performing only one of these tips perfectly is great, however, you’ll never be riding to your full potential unless you can intertwine all of these mountain bike skills and make it an everyday occurrence on the bike.

As with everything, consistency is key to success and nothing beats having support to help you grow.

I am currently building a community with the aim to improve both mountain biking skills and experiences exponentially. Every and anyone is welcome and there is no pre-requisite to join.

My goal is to deliver both personal and group training (online for now) in order for you to reach the level of mountain biking that you desire.

If this sounds like a group for you, all you have to do is subscribe below and then our journey to mountain biking paradise will begin!