Fear

4/22/2017 11:23am Edited Date/Time 4/22/2017 10:22pm
I have been riding for about 4 years now and I have been to a lot of different tracks trying to improve. 2 years ago I was at a track practice and got landed on. I ended up having a compression fracture in my back and I couldn't ride for 7 seven months. When I got back on the bike I was pretty rusty but after a couple months I started getting better and improving quite a bit, hitting new jumps and getting faster through the corners. Then about a year ago I crashed pretty hard and ever since then I have just been very timid on the bike. I am afraid of getting landed on again and am afraid of pretty much every aspect of riding. I enjoy riding with my buddies but I'm just getting frustrated because I'm not improving at all. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
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4/22/2017 11:29am
Your fear is legitimate, this is a dangerous sport.

You're going to have to make peace with this fact, or continue to ride in fear.

You'll have to find the switch in your brain, and turn that thing off.
4/22/2017 11:32am
Nothing anyone can say about the fear factor and we all kid ourselves that it will never happen to us.

As for improving, go out with no expectations and just enjoy being on the bike, expectations take away the fun fast and will probably hinder your improvement by making you ride tight.
BobbyM
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4/22/2017 11:34am
I have been riding for about 4 years now and I have been to a lot of different tracks trying to improve. 2 years ago I...
I have been riding for about 4 years now and I have been to a lot of different tracks trying to improve. 2 years ago I was at a track practice and got landed on. I ended up having a compression fracture in my back and I couldn't ride for 7 seven months. When I got back on the bike I was pretty rusty but after a couple months I started getting better and improving quite a bit, hitting new jumps and getting faster through the corners. Then about a year ago I crashed pretty hard and ever since then I have just been very timid on the bike. I am afraid of getting landed on again and am afraid of pretty much every aspect of riding. I enjoy riding with my buddies but I'm just getting frustrated because I'm not improving at all. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Go golfing
Flip109
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4/22/2017 11:44am
Wear a lot of safety gear. Maybe go over board with it. Don't jump shit you don't want too. Nobody cares weather you do or not anyway. Just go have fun! Ride for you. Ride within your abilities. Don't race and your chance of being landed on will mostly disappear. The more confident you are on your bike the less scared you will be. Look at it like this. You can play it safe and not ride and do safe shit. Then again if you do get hurt pretty bad you won't be able to ride and will be doing safe shit anyway. To me there is nothing compared to throwing a leg over a bike. It makes life so much better when I can go ride and hang out with my friends at the track. The more seat time you get the less scared you will be. When I was younger I put pressure on my self to go a certain speed or hit all the big jumps on the track. It almost made me scared because I felt like I had to do those things. But in the end, nobody gives a fuck. So if that is what scares you to hell with it. Just go have fun.

The Shop

Sideways
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4/22/2017 12:01pm
Flip109 wrote:
Wear a lot of safety gear. Maybe go over board with it. Don't jump shit you don't want too. Nobody cares weather you do or not...
Wear a lot of safety gear. Maybe go over board with it. Don't jump shit you don't want too. Nobody cares weather you do or not anyway. Just go have fun! Ride for you. Ride within your abilities. Don't race and your chance of being landed on will mostly disappear. The more confident you are on your bike the less scared you will be. Look at it like this. You can play it safe and not ride and do safe shit. Then again if you do get hurt pretty bad you won't be able to ride and will be doing safe shit anyway. To me there is nothing compared to throwing a leg over a bike. It makes life so much better when I can go ride and hang out with my friends at the track. The more seat time you get the less scared you will be. When I was younger I put pressure on my self to go a certain speed or hit all the big jumps on the track. It almost made me scared because I felt like I had to do those things. But in the end, nobody gives a fuck. So if that is what scares you to hell with it. Just go have fun.
Exceptional answer Flip Stick. I agree 100%

Graybeard
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4/22/2017 12:14pm
I don't know how old Flip sticK is, but he is very wise. Tell yourself one thing--this is fun, dammit! ALWAYS make sure the day is about having fun first, then the rest will take care of itself. I forget this all the time, worry about hitting certain triples, then the fun stops immediately. And I've been racing for 40 years now! Do I still get scared? Hell yes, some of these big jumps can have bad consequences if I miss, and I used to tuck and roll in crashes, now I go splat! But I work up to everything now, some big tables took me a year of racing to finally get comfortable enough to hit hard and clear every time. It's not skill level, it's mental. You can't teach that, you just have to work through it. And as you do, ENJOY THE RIDE!!!!!!
wildbill
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4/22/2017 12:33pm
Learn to pull huge holeshots and sandbag like crazy. Keeps one safely comfortable.
Frodad78
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4/22/2017 12:43pm
Start riding at smaller tracks and riding areas that are Less populated and practice the smaller jumps until you can build up your confidence and technique again.
Swann
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4/22/2017 12:57pm
Same thing happened to me. Someone landed on me at Pala. Fortunate it didn't break my neck or kill me.

That was back in 2011 and I'm still sketched out, especially on tracks where there's a mixed bag of skill level and experience. I avoid riding in big clusters unless I can trust who is around me otherwise I try to keep a distance if I'm out riding on an open track.
4/22/2017 2:07pm
Fear of an injury and no being able to work torments me evey day, this is the only reason i dont ride anymore.

Quite normal i hope????

" Dress for the crash"" as they say.
Ebs
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4/22/2017 2:14pm
It ain't moto, but MI has a good state trail system if you want to get some ride time in without the worry of someone falling out of the sky on your head.

Can't help you with the mental ninja stuff, self-preservation is a muthafawker. The fast guys who've delt with some scary injures must have a real short memory.
ab
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4/22/2017 2:45pm Edited Date/Time 4/22/2017 2:45pm
Life is too damn short. Enjoy as much as you can because you only get one chance to live your life. I say go for it until you no longer enjoy it
gt80rider
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4/22/2017 3:18pm Edited Date/Time 4/22/2017 3:19pm
To boil it down, the biggest reason we all ride is fear. We can safely go race scca or even rc cars, the reason we ride mx is fear. Fear is normal. Fear is what makes it different from the rest of our lives. Fear is what gets the blood pumping. Rise above it, let it motivate u on the track, and off.

Furthermore, the more you ride, the less fearful you will become. Every minute of seat time will help bring your fear back into the "normal" range.
seth505
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4/22/2017 3:33pm
TripleFive wrote:
Your fear is legitimate, this is a dangerous sport. You're going to have to make peace with this fact, or continue to ride in fear. You'll...
Your fear is legitimate, this is a dangerous sport.

You're going to have to make peace with this fact, or continue to ride in fear.

You'll have to find the switch in your brain, and turn that thing off.
Agreed, the people that freak me out the most are dirt (or street bike) riders that seem to have no fear whatsoever.

That said OP, you can't ride in fear and expect to improve. This might seem dramatic but you need to overcome the mental aspect of fear taking over or maybe switch to something else. Perhaps just ride offroad and stay away from competition type tracks for a while. Good luck!
Mr. Ted
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4/22/2017 3:39pm
Agree with the Flip Tip. And there is something to be said for a healthy respect for fear. Sometimes that is what keeps us from riding outside of our abilities. The whole point of riding is to enjoy yourself. So do that. You've got nothing to prove to anyone.
kkawboy14
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4/22/2017 4:18pm
No Fear is just a slogan to stitch on a pillow!
Jrewing
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4/22/2017 5:04pm
Try to get your overall fitness high. Really helps

Protective gear is underrated as well
Padded shorts, body armour as opposed to roost protection, knee pads, elbow pads.

Well my hands in a splint for 5 weeks because I tripped at night on a tent rope and severed tendons on glass. Now I'm a chance of missing my trip to California riding.
Crap happens anytime!
Samuel
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Independence, OR US
4/22/2017 5:21pm
Stay off the track for a while. Go free riding in open areas and do some trail riding.
4/22/2017 5:24pm
I have been through this same fear of being hurt and not being able to work myself, my fear was caused by a broken tib/fib and shattered elbow as well as just getting older and wiser. I have found progression back to moto by starting out riding off road and trail riding. I started riding slow and building up speed. After about two years I was back on the track again, but I still ride off road and really enjoy it. The good thing about off road is it can be as fast or slow as you want it to be.
TSCHAM101
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4/22/2017 5:41pm
I'm fearful every time I go to the track. When I pull in the gate, i am super anxious, heart rate spikes and then I have to shit.. after the shit, I still have all the same problems literally until I throw my leg over it, and then it translates into focus and laughter(I ride better when I laugh about things) because if I'm not in the right frame of mind is when I crash and get hurt bad. I don't ride with expectations and I'm a decent rider vet 25+ a/b rider depending on the series.

Remember to breath! And a lot of fear leaves because you began to think about breathing next thing you know you're doing 30min motos and come back to the truck and shocked how long you rode

My .02 anyways
Acidreamer
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4/22/2017 6:08pm
JBecker 72 wrote:
[img]https://s10.postimg.org/gf0t9hvax/IMG_3358.jpg[/img]
+1
49weasel
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4/22/2017 6:46pm Edited Date/Time 4/22/2017 6:48pm


I really don't have the fear you have but I get super uncomfortable in crowded practices. I can somewhat hang with the younger faster kids but my endurance is shit so I get tired way too quick. I feel unsafe pushing with a ton of riders on the track. My solution.... Show up later in the day , maybe 2 hrs before closing. Most the guys tease me for showing up that late. I call it champion hours and there's a few perk of showing up late. The track is at its roughest, you can take your time and work on your skills. Plus most riders are gone.
Naanak
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4/22/2017 9:02pm
49weasel wrote:
[img]https://p.vitalmx.com/photos/forums/2017/04/22/189704/s1200_IMG_2187.jpg[/img] I really don't have the fear you have but I get super uncomfortable in crowded practices. I can somewhat hang with the younger faster kids...


I really don't have the fear you have but I get super uncomfortable in crowded practices. I can somewhat hang with the younger faster kids but my endurance is shit so I get tired way too quick. I feel unsafe pushing with a ton of riders on the track. My solution.... Show up later in the day , maybe 2 hrs before closing. Most the guys tease me for showing up that late. I call it champion hours and there's a few perk of showing up late. The track is at its roughest, you can take your time and work on your skills. Plus most riders are gone.
I always ride the best and the most comfortably at that time. I don't have a fear problem but being around a ton of "sketchy" or faster riders messes me up.
usp4u
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4/22/2017 10:22pm
Flip109 wrote:
Wear a lot of safety gear. Maybe go over board with it. Don't jump shit you don't want too. Nobody cares weather you do or not...
Wear a lot of safety gear. Maybe go over board with it. Don't jump shit you don't want too. Nobody cares weather you do or not anyway. Just go have fun! Ride for you. Ride within your abilities. Don't race and your chance of being landed on will mostly disappear. The more confident you are on your bike the less scared you will be. Look at it like this. You can play it safe and not ride and do safe shit. Then again if you do get hurt pretty bad you won't be able to ride and will be doing safe shit anyway. To me there is nothing compared to throwing a leg over a bike. It makes life so much better when I can go ride and hang out with my friends at the track. The more seat time you get the less scared you will be. When I was younger I put pressure on my self to go a certain speed or hit all the big jumps on the track. It almost made me scared because I felt like I had to do those things. But in the end, nobody gives a fuck. So if that is what scares you to hell with it. Just go have fun.
This is all that needs to be said.

In the game of dirt bikes you must get out of your own head. That starts by remembering how much fun you are there to have. Then letting that fun happen.

Speed, skill, and confidence come almost by accident, as long as you heart is in the sport.
4/23/2017 1:15pm
Thanks for all the replies. I went riding today at an open practice and decided to just ride for fun and see what happens..... WOW! I guess I was just being to hard on myself I just went out there and rode like I wanted to not worrying about jumping the jumps or anything and I had a blast!! Thanks again. ✊️✊️✊️

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