Letting fear control you

[fireball]

As an outdoor instructor i deal with fear everyday, helping my students overcome fear of heights or trust issues getting them out of their comfort zone and discovering what they can do etc

but for myself its another story completely i still have a simple fear that controls me and after pushing myself i still can not overcome this fear

its the simple act of openroad riding and cornering, how can i overcome this fear? i know the basic principals of it all and nail all the basic riding at slow speed figure 8s and U turns all the basics a learner needs to know buts its this next step i cant get, i try to keep relaxed and have to remind myself to relax often

can anyone offer a solution to this?

[Disco Dan]

As an outdoor instructor i deal with fear everyday, helping my students overcome fear of heights or trust issues getting them out of their comfort zone and discovering what they can do etc

but for myself its another story completely i still have a simple fear that controls me and after pushing myself i still can not overcome this fear

its the simple act of openroad riding and cornering, how can i overcome this fear? i know the basic principals of it all and nail all the basic riding at slow speed figure 8s and U turns all the basics a learner needs to know buts its this next step i cant get, i try to keep relaxed and have to remind myself to relax often

can anyone offer a solution to this?

This reminds me a bit of Frosty's thread on fear - having a small amount of fear is good, instead of trying to overcome it completely aim to 'control' your fear.

I think about fight or flight - having too much fear, you run but by controlling it and using it to help you I think is the key.

Hope that helps

[yungatart]

You need to reprogramme your brain...tell yourself, preferably out loud, that you are awesome at open road riding, cornering is a piece of cake etc. You need to do this on a regular basis, as often as possible and especially last thing at night before you go to sleep.
The subconcious can not distinguish fact from fantasy but will act on either, so it is up to you to get it to act on what you want.
The next thing is when you do go for a ride, focus on the successes, no matter how small. Remember the feeling that goes with them, conjure up those feelings in your mind and recreate them.
Take your time, ride with someone you trust who will be able to help you and find a deserted road to play on.
Oh, and have fun!!

[ManDownUnder]

Time in the saddle rriding ttowards the edge of your comfort zone... you'll find it starts to move.

Also - track days (depending on the kind of fear triggers you have). If it's simply speed that holds you back then the track is an awesome safe place to push that boundary.

[Trudes]

You need to reprogramme your brain...tell yourself, preferably out loud, that you are awesome at open road riding, cornering is a piece of cake etc. You need to do this on a regular basis, as often as possible and especially last thing at night before you go to sleep.
The subconcious can not distinguish fact from fantasy but will act on either, so it is up to you to get it to act on what you want.
The next thing is when you do go for a ride, focus on the successes, no matter how small. Remember the feeling that goes with them, conjure up those feelings in your mind and recreate them.
Take your time, ride with someone you trust who will be able to help you and find a deserted road to play on.
Oh, and have fun!!

Totally, mind over matter. I was around at a friend's house a couple of weeks ago and I said to him "I always have trouble moving my bike around because it's so heavy and I feel like I'm going to drop it, I just have no confidence in myself" and he said to me "Just keep telling yourself that it's not really heavy and that you can do it piece of cake" (or something to that effect), so I did, and it helped, so now I have his voice playing in my head everytime I have to move my bike around (Yeah, thanks Andrew!!haha) and....

Time in the saddle rriding ttowards the edge of your comfort zone... you'll find it starts to move.

Also - track days (depending on the kind of fear triggers you have). If it's simply speed that holds you back then the track is an awesome safe place to push that boundary.

this is great advice too!! Practice practrice practhrice and push yourself to do things that scare you a bit without making it so scary that you think, 'Stuff this it's too scary". Good luck chicky!!

[Kittyhawk]

Tell yourself to focus on the task....push yourself..if you have fear in cornering, go practise on a stretch of road you are familar with and do it in 10km/hr steps working your way up to the speed limit...

Practise...what is it specifically you are scared of, the unknown road around the corner, speed, exposure of being on a bike and not in a car?

[MyGSXF:Me]

Go find a rider training course!!!

I have done several courses with Andrew & Lynne at www.roadsafe.co.nz & they are bloody brilliant!!!

I used to have "issues" with my front brake.. ie: being too scared to use it to the degree I should have been, in fear of locking it up or flipping myself over the handlebars..

Andrew helped talk me through my barrier & encouraged me to pull the lever in harder each time I did a run past him.. & each time I managed to use it more & more.. so that now when I'm out riding my front brake & I are very well acquainted & are firm friends!

Also learning "how" to corner "correctly" from trained instructors.. makes a HUGE difference Learning the correct lines for road riding increased my confidence ten fold! Also keeps me safe by being well away from the centre white line!!

As some others have said about reprogramming your brain etc.. you need to replace old thought patterns & habits with new habits.. but "learn" the correct ones.. as Andrew stated.. someone could have been riding for 15 years.. but only actually have 1 years "experience" & 14 years of repeating bad habits!

Jen

[Duc]

My advice is take your time and "ride within your capabilities" until it all comes together for you.

I still have a basic fear of what 's around the blind bend and will I cope with it if I find it unexpectedly. Its a good control measure.

Confidence grows with time.

BTW : Keep your arms loose. If you are tense, your arms tighten and thats bad for cornering.

[fireball]

Practise...what is it specifically you are scared of, the unknown road around the corner, speed, exposure of being on a bike and not in a car?

i only have one eye my depth perception is a little off and i guess im really scared of not so much coming off but the will my tyres hold me in the lean etc etc

recently ive been riding throught to Hunua through the twisties and that road is shit the first time riding it i was scared of the unknown but now i find it is the fact i lack a fluid motion with the bike (i am on LilSels bike) so its a combination of scared of the unknown and me being pissed off with myself because i know i can ride but i just cant get it...... if that makes sense?

[Kittyhawk]

Before you go out on a ride, do a couple of laps around a block and some figure 8s, just to get the feel of the bike and what it can, cant do.

Alternatively I suggest going on the back with an experienced rider, doing the route you want to do in the future and then see how the bike handles. You'll get a better indication as to how far you can lean it over etc.

[kickingzebra]

Two lifechanging pieces of advice....

Pinned in third (courtesy Tim Gibbes)

When in doubt, do a wheelie... (KB random archive)

[Krayy]

First thing is to make sure you have some good gear on. It's a wonder what a pair of armoured trousers does for your confidence.

The next part is to do the Bronz Ride Right, Ride Safe course where its in controlled conditions, and on Whenuapai airbase the amount of grip available is incredible. You couldn't come off if you tried, well you could, but you'd have to try real hard.

After that, find a piece of road that has 2 or 3 sweeping corners, preferably with a small straight between them and go up and down it quite a few times practicing the techniques learned on the course like urn in points, apexes and exit points.

That will get you going then you can look at riding on gravel or in the wet later for a bit of excitement.

[R6_kid:Me]

might seem a bit harsh but maybe it's not for you?

Riding scared isnt the smartest thing to do, the only person that is going to figure out what is making you scared is yourself. Without overcoming that you won't be able to ride safely.

All you will be doing is triggering survival reactions and making it hard for yourself, but telling yourself not to do them is a step in the right direction.

I suggest having a good read of 'twist of the wrist', not to ride faster, but to gain an understanding of what elements of riding can influence difference reactions that will stop you from being able to ride smoothly and without upsetting the bike.

[fireliv]

I know what you are saying fireball, I feel exactly the same way. I agree that good safety gear is a great start, and definatly agree that doing courses is also an awesome idea.
Everytime I take a corner right, I just try to hold on to that thought and feeling and try to do it again. Keep focusing on the positives, cos you will eventally get there!

Good luck

[Ixion]

I always let fear control me when riding. I find it has major advantages, staying alive being not the least of them. Being afraid is a good thing.

Subordinate that fear why examining each element of it and figuring out how you can deal with if it does happen.

Fear: What may lurk around that blind corner? Deal with it - slow down
Fear: My tyres may skid when I am leaned over ? Deal with it - find a safe place and practice leaning over - more and more - until they do skid, or, more likely, something scrapes. You now know how far you can safely go. Lean a bit less than that and all is well (probably- I'm being a bit simplistic here, cambers and bumps and suchlike can affect this, but the principle is the same)