Gary Bailey hits nail on the head

Crashinskinoff
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Crashinskinoff 5/18/2012 1:25pm
5/18/2012 1:25pm
So if he comes back and owns everyone, not on the balls of his feet and his finger off the clutch.......
Titan1
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Titan1 5/18/2012 2:16pm
5/18/2012 2:16pm
Titan1 wrote:
On riding on the balls of your feet....I ALWAYS rode like that, until one time in the late 90's I was reading an article in either...
On riding on the balls of your feet....I ALWAYS rode like that, until one time in the late 90's I was reading an article in either RacerX or TWMX, and it had like 101 riding tips from the pros or something like that. And some of the pros said ride on the arch for better stability, others said ride on the balls of your feet for better mobility. (I found it interesting that there wasn't a "preferred" way).

I decided I'd go back and forth trying the two to see which I like better...I over jumped a table top while on the balls of my feet and busted my ankle/leg (I didn't even crash)...six weeks later I got back on the bike and didn't even attempt to ride on the balls of my feet again.

Fast forward a decade, and now I race/ride offroad and I've been trying to get back on the balls of my feet...and it is literally the hardest thing I've ever tried to change (regarding riding technique).
Motocross83 wrote:
That's interesting. I have tried several times to move to the balls of my feet when not using the brake or shifter - the general Gary...
That's interesting. I have tried several times to move to the balls of my feet when not using the brake or shifter - the general Gary Semics rule being that any time you're not using the brake/shifter you should be on the balls. However I find it almost impossible to do smoothly. More often than not I found myself hurtling into a corner desperately trying to get back to the heels so that I could operate the brake and shifter (especially the brake).

I can appreciate the concept and benefits of it totally. But it's beyond me how one is supposed to switch between ball and heel without presumably careering off the track at some point.
I'm having the exact same struggle right now....It's all fine and dandy on the balls of my feet when I don't need to shift or touch the breaks (or even when I'm sitting down) But if I'm not sitting down, it's incredibly difficult for me to transition to the break or shift lever.

Now, obviously, I suck at riding dirt bikes, and there are a lot of things the pros do, that I just don't get....but I'm with you, I don't get how someone eis supposed shift/brake while on the balls of their feet and/or make the transition to the shifter/brake lever without blowing the corner????

And besides that, it just feels completely unnatural to me...
jleews6
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jleews6 5/18/2012 2:24pm
5/18/2012 2:24pm
My son has been to Gary's schools and Gary is one of the best but one thing I have found is that not everything that one person thinks is better works for every rider. Watching my son ride is text book to what Gary teaches but some people just cant ride that way.
gsxrcr28
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gsxrcr28 5/18/2012 2:28pm
5/18/2012 2:28pm
It's like Keith Code telling Valentino Rossi what he is doing wrong on the bike. Gary might be right, but it is still a little funny.

C'mon man. lol

The Shop

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Falcon
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Falcon 5/18/2012 2:36pm
5/18/2012 2:36pm
I've tried to ride on the balls of my feet but it seems really unnatural to me. Planting my foot on the arch with the heel of my boot right behind the footpegs feels so much more stable.

I will admit that I noticed a little more forward bias when using the balls of my feet in the corners. It helps to make the front wheel bite.
Markout
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Markout 5/18/2012 2:44pm
5/18/2012 2:44pm Edited Date/Time 5/18/2012 2:45pm
If you look at the new pics on racerx from yesterdays Hangtown press day photos, Stewart has a finger on the clutch in every pic...you think he may have read the article? lol
DrSweden
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DrSweden 5/18/2012 2:49pm
5/18/2012 2:49pm
That was a very good article, and despite we couldn't possible know if Stew word improve by this, any serious person despite profession or level should know to be open for any input.

I have met people without education in my field teaching me a lesson or two, I suggest only an idiot thinks he's done with learning and based on Stew's performance lately and his previous results, he needs all input he can get... Or one can blame the bike...
Old Mate
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Old Mate 5/18/2012 2:57pm
5/18/2012 2:57pm
First book I ever read was"how to ride a mini bike"by Gary bailey. 40 years on and I'm Australia's leading mx coach. Don't think I've ever missed a word he has written.
manering
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manering 5/18/2012 3:00pm
5/18/2012 3:00pm
gsxrcr28 wrote:
It's like Keith Code telling Valentino Rossi what he is doing wrong on the bike. Gary might be right, but it is still a little funny...
It's like Keith Code telling Valentino Rossi what he is doing wrong on the bike. Gary might be right, but it is still a little funny.

C'mon man. lol
some of the best coaches in the world were never champions or any good at they're sports they just see whats going on and can break it down better than any.

i know some top riders who are actually retarded at trying to tell someone how to do something.
manering
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manering 5/18/2012 3:02pm
5/18/2012 3:02pm
Markout wrote:
If you look at the new pics on racerx from yesterdays Hangtown press day photos, Stewart has a finger on the clutch in every pic...you think...
If you look at the new pics on racerx from yesterdays Hangtown press day photos, Stewart has a finger on the clutch in every pic...you think he may have read the article? lol
2 finger bad

1 finger good
TDeath21
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TDeath21 5/18/2012 3:05pm
5/18/2012 3:05pm
manering wrote:
some of the best coaches in the world were never champions or any good at they're sports they just see whats going on and can break...
some of the best coaches in the world were never champions or any good at they're sports they just see whats going on and can break it down better than any.

i know some top riders who are actually retarded at trying to tell someone how to do something.
This is always my response when people disregard what I say about a rider because I'm not a professional or anywhere near their level. I'm glad to see someone else say the same thing.
neverwas
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neverwas 5/18/2012 3:08pm
5/18/2012 3:08pm
DrSweden wrote:
That was a very good article, and despite we couldn't possible know if Stew word improve by this, any serious person despite profession or level should...
That was a very good article, and despite we couldn't possible know if Stew word improve by this, any serious person despite profession or level should know to be open for any input.

I have met people without education in my field teaching me a lesson or two, I suggest only an idiot thinks he's done with learning and based on Stew's performance lately and his previous results, he needs all input he can get... Or one can blame the bike...
"all the input he can get"
Well he can get a lot of input right here at Vital. LOL
Dano39
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Dano39 5/18/2012 3:13pm
5/18/2012 3:13pm Edited Date/Time 5/18/2012 3:13pm
I always thought it was more of "split second timing and decision making" choices that hurt James typically followed with a crash.

And regardless of who Gary Bailey is... after telling James, and Big James, about his "bad" clutch habit when he was on 85's... what did we SEE???

259, THEE Most Dominant 125 Rider EVER! Oh go figure that Wink
G-man
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G-man 5/18/2012 3:17pm
5/18/2012 3:17pm
Wait a minute, according to BoobyM, Bubba is done and rides like a Novice—all he (and Alessi) needed to do was take Cockbobbers advise and the Championships would be rolling in one after another.

Sit down style is all that’s missing….….lmfao! Woohoo
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Kartwheel84c 5/18/2012 3:47pm
5/18/2012 3:47pm
I would never disagree with The Professor, but Hannah used to do riding classes and he HATED people using the clutch in corners. He would do the exact opposite of Bailey, he would stand on the inside of a tight left hand corner and if he saw you with a finger on the clutch he would whack it with a stick. He said "be in the right gear BEFORE you get to the corner and you dont need to use the clutch". I also read at the end of RCs career Hannah saying he liked RCs style because he rarely used the clutch and was "in the right gear so he didnt need the clutch". I really think Hannah taught us not to use the clutch because Howerton "invented" it though, not because it was not a good technique to use.
ADynes
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ADynes 5/18/2012 4:24pm
5/18/2012 4:24pm
Markout wrote:
If you look at the new pics on racerx from yesterdays Hangtown press day photos, Stewart has a finger on the clutch in every pic...you think...
If you look at the new pics on racerx from yesterdays Hangtown press day photos, Stewart has a finger on the clutch in every pic...you think he may have read the article? lol
In one of James' recent interviews, he said the YZ made his hands numb (not surprising to me). Maybe the bike forced him to keep as many fingers on the grips as possible, just so he could hang on the whole race?
pacman00
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pacman00 5/18/2012 4:29pm
5/18/2012 4:29pm
side note to finger or fingers on the clutch. your thumb, middle and ring fingers make up the strongest part of your grip.
Old Mate
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Old Mate 5/18/2012 4:47pm
5/18/2012 4:47pm
The clutch fixes the bikes and riders mistakes, so a good ex resize is to be good without it.

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Bill_Carroll
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Bill_Carroll 5/18/2012 6:42pm
5/18/2012 6:42pm Edited Date/Time 5/18/2012 6:44pm
Markout wrote:
If you look at the new pics on racerx from yesterdays Hangtown press day photos, Stewart has a finger on the clutch in every pic...you think...
If you look at the new pics on racerx from yesterdays Hangtown press day photos, Stewart has a finger on the clutch in every pic...you think he may have read the article? lol
manering wrote:
2 finger bad

1 finger good
EDIT: sry uncalled for
bullpen58
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bullpen58 5/18/2012 6:51pm
5/18/2012 6:51pm
I'm not gonna read all 385 pages of comments and I'm sure someone beat me to it, BUT I have to say that I am 100% positive that the pos yamaha is responsible for him not using the clutch, the balls of his feet, or his fancy leg trick.
bullpen58
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bullpen58 5/18/2012 6:53pm
5/18/2012 6:53pm
Markout wrote:
If you look at the new pics on racerx from yesterdays Hangtown press day photos, Stewart has a finger on the clutch in every pic...you think...
If you look at the new pics on racerx from yesterdays Hangtown press day photos, Stewart has a finger on the clutch in every pic...you think he may have read the article? lol
ADynes wrote:
In one of James' recent interviews, he said the YZ made his hands numb (not surprising to me). Maybe the bike forced him to keep as...
In one of James' recent interviews, he said the YZ made his hands numb (not surprising to me). Maybe the bike forced him to keep as many fingers on the grips as possible, just so he could hang on the whole race?
BINGO!!!! ADynes hits the nail on the head. It's the bike's fault!!!
Bill_Carroll
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Bill_Carroll 5/18/2012 6:59pm
5/18/2012 6:59pm
Ah the good o'le days, remember all the old steel I owned vibrated so friggen bad I rode it and rode it.
CamP
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CamP 5/18/2012 7:36pm
5/18/2012 7:36pm Edited Date/Time 5/18/2012 7:38pm
pacman00 wrote:
side note to finger or fingers on the clutch. your thumb, middle and ring fingers make up the strongest part of your grip.
This is correct, and when your grip is compromised by a wrist injury, it's easy to start giving up the clutch finger to reduce the risk of blowing the hand off the bar when you are pounding something.
Bill_Carroll
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Bill_Carroll 5/18/2012 7:43pm
5/18/2012 7:43pm
CamP wrote:
This is correct, and when your grip is compromised by a wrist injury, it's easy to start giving up the clutch finger to reduce the risk...
This is correct, and when your grip is compromised by a wrist injury, it's easy to start giving up the clutch finger to reduce the risk of blowing the hand off the bar when you are pounding something.
All these sexual innuendo's, must be Friday night
StevieTimes
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StevieTimes 5/18/2012 7:46pm
5/18/2012 7:46pm
nytsmaC wrote:
Chuck Norris doesn't use the clutch either.
Chuck Norris doesn't race; that implies that there is some kind of competition for him.

Chuck Norris wins.
CamP
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CamP 5/18/2012 8:59pm
5/18/2012 8:59pm Edited Date/Time 5/18/2012 10:14pm
CamP wrote:
This is correct, and when your grip is compromised by a wrist injury, it's easy to start giving up the clutch finger to reduce the risk...
This is correct, and when your grip is compromised by a wrist injury, it's easy to start giving up the clutch finger to reduce the risk of blowing the hand off the bar when you are pounding something.
Bill_Carroll wrote:
All these sexual innuendo's, must be Friday night
That was a Freudian slip off the grip.
bullpen58
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bullpen58 5/18/2012 9:21pm
5/18/2012 9:21pm
pacman00 wrote:
side note to finger or fingers on the clutch. your thumb, middle and ring fingers make up the strongest part of your grip.
CamP wrote:
This is correct, and when your grip is compromised by a wrist injury, it's easy to start giving up the clutch finger to reduce the risk...
This is correct, and when your grip is compromised by a wrist injury, it's easy to start giving up the clutch finger to reduce the risk of blowing the hand off the bar when you are pounding something.
Laughing Laughing
Sherwood
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Sherwood 5/18/2012 9:33pm
5/18/2012 9:33pm
Markout wrote:
If you look at the new pics on racerx from yesterdays Hangtown press day photos, Stewart has a finger on the clutch in every pic...you think...
If you look at the new pics on racerx from yesterdays Hangtown press day photos, Stewart has a finger on the clutch in every pic...you think he may have read the article? lol
ADynes wrote:
In one of James' recent interviews, he said the YZ made his hands numb (not surprising to me). Maybe the bike forced him to keep as...
In one of James' recent interviews, he said the YZ made his hands numb (not surprising to me). Maybe the bike forced him to keep as many fingers on the grips as possible, just so he could hang on the whole race?
bullpen58 wrote:
BINGO!!!! ADynes hits the nail on the head. It's the bike's fault!!!
The bike works GREAT for Bullpen so clearly it should work for everybody, including every single pro racer...
Sherwood
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Sherwood 5/18/2012 9:37pm
5/18/2012 9:37pm Edited Date/Time 5/18/2012 9:39pm
What kind of style do you think Gary had at

Did he use two fingers on the clutch, was he on the balls of his feet or...
jonjon714
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jonjon714 5/18/2012 9:48pm
5/18/2012 9:48pm Edited Date/Time 5/18/2012 9:52pm
Pretty obvious he wrote that before the scrub pictures hit....

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