glyph98 wrote:Thanks for the advice. I will try to take a picture or two of the doubles I want to hit. Maybe that will help a little too.
Just to help you guys understand my fear, I have broke 16 bones to date, and the latest was on Sept. 30th of 2006. I broke my Back and right hand. I also tore the legament in my right wrist.
I high-sided my bike mid corner while road racing, when the engine siezed. My back is still sore and my hand is not very strong yet. I get sharp pains in it all the time. So I know I should be thankful for just being able to ride. But even at age 32, I still want to improve every time out and get faster. I just dont want to crash hard any time soon.
Jay
Jay - congrats on your CRF, and best wishes as you heal up!
You're wise to stay within your comfort zone, not only as you heal but also learn jumping. Give yourself plenty of time to do each! I'm the same age, and every weekend I have that thought in the back of my mind as well - "man it'd be great to hit the doubles today". But so far I've chosen to keep working on other skills that will help reduce lap times in lieu of doubling (corner speed, braking later entering corners, corner speed... and corner speed).
If you catch my drift, there are other things that will help you become a more rounded rider in the dirt other than jumping wild and free. For example -- for me, I've just begun learning how to speed scrub, as I feel more comfortable learning and attempting that skill, to get back on the grouond quicker and back on the gas,
instead of doubling. The doubling will come when the time is right, and the speed scrubbing will still be handy by then, too.
I'm not one to put a timeline on anyone's progress, or suggest a given amount of seat time before something should be tried - some people are just naturals at certain things. But I will say this -- if you're approaching a jump with the thought of doubling in mind, and are telling yourself, "man I'm not sure this is a good idea yet", then it's probably not. Give it some more time. Concentrate on other things "cornering, body position, smooth riding style, looking ahead, changing lines" and you'll find jumping to almost work itself in the mix at a pace that's right for you. When you are ready to double, it might be a good idea to measure it out, then try it on a table-top. Get some marking paint and make a line on the table top that represents where you'd need to touch down to safely clear the double. Then hit that mark 10 times out of 10.
Good luck and stay safe. Nice track btw! Always a good idea to go riding with someone else even if skills are similar - safety for one, and the other thing is you can spar back and fourth. Let him go ahead of you by 1/4 lap and try to (safely) catch and pass him, then vice versa. Maybe make a gentleman's agreement not to jump side by side for a while, since that can add to the new stress of trying to jump correctly. If one guy has it down pat but the other doesn't, it's easy to drift sideways and meet up in mid air.