Author Topic: One tip for learning tricks  (Read 12854 times)

Offline Mark McGrade

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Re: One tip for learning tricks
« Reply #15 on: January 09, 2012, 03:29:08 PM »
Quote
author=datisstom link=topic=50894.msg419440#msg419440 date=1326060186]
^ I guess I should consider selling my bike then. I have no clue how you guys can combine that with school, work, homework etc and still be motivated day in day out.

I have 2 small children, married and a 50 Hour a week Full time job. I ride an hour at lunch every day and 2 hours at night after I put my kids to bed. I also dedicate one full day during the weekend to riding.
I’ve been doing this for 2 straight years now and I’m barely scratching the surface in the Intermediate ranks, But I absolutely LOVE it!

We all live busy lives, but if you have the Will and passion for riding you can find the time. Flatland requires hours of intense Practice and constant repetitiveness.
Record you’re progress, it helps with motivation.
Good luck bud!

Offline datisstom

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Re: One tip for learning tricks
« Reply #16 on: January 09, 2012, 04:20:06 PM »
Thanks, some good tips. I am going to try to ride 2 hours a day. Cheers.

Offline oldmanjoe

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Re: One tip for learning tricks
« Reply #17 on: January 09, 2012, 08:52:46 PM »
my tip would be to try to ride for at least 2 hours, as many days of the week as possible. Things come up and you may not always be able to do that, but you should strive for it if you want to have success with flatland. Things just don't really start poppin off until at least 1.5 hours for me. I have to basically triple that if i'm riding with friends, though, due to chatticus and whatnot.
This saddens me.
As much as I really enjoy trying to ride flatland, I have other things I enjoy doing. I'm not giving up my other joys of life to ride flatland. This comment makes it sound that if I don't I will never have much success. If that is the case, I may re-think the flatland stuff.

I've been "riding" almost a year, and I still can't do squat! But I'm only willing to give it an hour long session at a time. I have extremely slow progression, and I've assumed it was because I was fat and out of shape. I have zero tricks down, but I was assuming that as I got in sync with my body and bike that the progression would pick up.


But in that hour I spend struggling around, I work on the 6 or so moves that I can at least start. Spending another hour on the same things would get tedious, and I think I would lose interest.


I don't think I've ever read a post that discouraged me more.

Offline jpoliti

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Re: One tip for learning tricks
« Reply #18 on: January 09, 2012, 09:03:09 PM »
this fact has already been discussed here, but i really believe that you can work on you efficiency a lot. I know from experience that you can stay stuck on the same trick for ages. Beeing smart and trying to work around it will save you hours of riding. Also, beeing really concentrated helps a lot.
I do have the same problem, family life, a job, i can ride only an hour a day during lunch break during the winter in our wharehouse.
I try to be as focused as possible, make the most out of this hour. It is really frustrtaing after an hour you want to ride the whole day but what can you do....so i try to be as efficient and focused as possible during this hour.
Luckily during spring summer i can ride at nights because it' not raining so much anymore, and 2 hours a day is a good number for me in the summer.
Also, if you don't have that much time, try and focus on tricks that come more naturally to you. during rainy season wich is now, i try and improve tricks i already know, variations (right now whiplashes variations a lot), i don't try to learn anything hard if i can't ride so much, i save it for the summer.
« Last Edit: January 09, 2012, 09:05:20 PM by jpoliti »

Offline ortho

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Re: One tip for learning tricks
« Reply #19 on: January 09, 2012, 10:13:31 PM »
This saddens me.
As much as I really enjoy trying to ride flatland, I have other things I enjoy doing. I'm not giving up my other joys of life to ride flatland. This comment makes it sound that if I don't I will never have much success. If that is the case, I may re-think the flatland stuff.

I've been "riding" almost a year, and I still can't do squat! But I'm only willing to give it an hour long session at a time. I have extremely slow progression, and I've assumed it was because I was fat and out of shape. I have zero tricks down, but I was assuming that as I got in sync with my body and bike that the progression would pick up...


Well, your mileage may vary and the last thing I wanna do is discourage someone from riding flatland. I was trying to be realistic. What's been said above about riding efficiently is more important than just the hours logged on the bike. It depends what your expectations are. I found that if I was ever going to be as good as I want to be I'm going to have to ride at least that much. But I don't HAVE to be as good as I want to be I guess. I can still get a lot out of it even if i'm not awesome (I get exercise that is fun, get to hang w/ friends, etc). If you wanna be *awesome* though you're going to have to put in some really serious work. It doesn't really ever get easier LOL, at least from this end.

Offline Greenball

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Re: One tip for learning tricks
« Reply #20 on: January 09, 2012, 10:27:59 PM »
Like everything else in life you get what you put in. If I wanted to go pro, I'd have to make rideing my 9 to 5 but sense I can't,  I push an enjoy every second I can get on my bike.

Offline shred-squad

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Re: One tip for learning tricks
« Reply #21 on: January 09, 2012, 11:43:00 PM »
I,v been riding longer then most pro,s and i still suck. But i dont care. I ride for the love of riding. The only advice i can think to tell u is to do your own thing in your own style. Doesn't much matter what anybody els thinks as long as u have fun doing it. As long as u have fun progression will happen. Try not to get to wrapped up in being really good just ride.
\

Offline wookie

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Re: One tip for learning tricks
« Reply #22 on: January 10, 2012, 03:46:32 AM »
I don't know which is more frustrating.  Being a beginner to intermediate level rider and not understanding HOW to learn tricks or the amount of time to put in.  Or being a bit more accomplished and KNOWING how to learn tricks but not having the time to really bring tricks you KNOW you can do to fruition.  That's my dilemna.


But anyway, that sh*t about going slower probably doesn't help learn anything faster.  But it may help you learn something BETTER.  Experimenting with your tricks helps open up new possibilities and may give you a stronger foundation on a given position or trick. 




Offline ortho

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Re: One tip for learning tricks
« Reply #23 on: January 10, 2012, 04:20:30 AM »
I don't know which is more frustrating.  Being a beginner to intermediate level rider and not understanding HOW to learn tricks or the amount of time to put in.  Or being a bit more accomplished and KNOWING how to learn tricks but not having the time to really bring tricks you KNOW you can do to fruition.  That's my dilemna.
To me, what's even more frustrating is knowing how to learn tricks, but then not following my own advice and continuously doing the trick wrong in the same way over and over. haha I hate that! That is probably the worst trap you can get in.


Spending another hour on the same things would get tedious, and I think I would lose interest.


Yes, it can be very tedious, but once you get your first taste of landing tricks you will be so stoked. Once you start to crack open some of flatland's little boxes you will want to go further. Hopefully.


Tedium comes from lack of adaptation to conditions, mostly. It's a wall you have to get over by persistence, discipline, adaptation, and/or sometimes brute-force.
« Last Edit: January 10, 2012, 04:26:05 AM by ortho »

Offline AlarmedBread

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Re: One tip for learning tricks
« Reply #24 on: January 10, 2012, 07:12:05 AM »
Incorporate it into your normal workout routine weights, stretch, then flat. Set goals just like in the gym and work on different sets or parts of tricks.

Offline Ken NJ

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Re: One tip for learning tricks
« Reply #25 on: January 10, 2012, 04:38:17 PM »
I'm actually motivated by this thread. I'm going to try to put at least two hrs/ day in.. I rode last night after reading this.  I need to get some new stunts and progress has been slow. So now I'll just spin around in little basement circles until the weather breaks.
flat rules everything around me f.r.e.a.m.

Offline thestraw

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Re: One tip for learning tricks
« Reply #26 on: January 10, 2012, 06:29:31 PM »
my tip would be to try to ride for at least 2 hours, as many days of the week as possible. Things come up and you may not always be able to do that, but you should strive for it if you want to have success with flatland. Things just don't really start poppin off until at least 1.5 hours for me. I have to basically triple that if i'm riding with friends, though, due to chatticus and whatnot.
This saddens me.
As much as I really enjoy trying to ride flatland, I have other things I enjoy doing. I'm not giving up my other joys of life to ride flatland. This comment makes it sound that if I don't I will never have much success. If that is the case, I may re-think the flatland stuff.

I've been "riding" almost a year, and I still can't do squat! But I'm only willing to give it an hour long session at a time. I have extremely slow progression, and I've assumed it was because I was fat and out of shape. I have zero tricks down, but I was assuming that as I got in sync with my body and bike that the progression would pick up.


But in that hour I spend struggling around, I work on the 6 or so moves that I can at least start. Spending another hour on the same things would get tedious, and I think I would lose interest.


I don't think I've ever read a post that discouraged me more.

you shouldn't feel discouraged just because you can't/don't want to put in that amount of time, these are just various opinions on what some experienced riders perceive to be the optimal practice times it takes to get a higher level of flatland competence.  personally i'd rather you rode 5 mins a week than not at all.  ortho is a good buddy of mine and i've seen his riding increase quite a bit over the few years or so i've known him.  he's always smiling and having fun w/ his time and he's impressed me with what he's learned, and he's only doing it for the love.  if you only wanna ride 1 hour a day you'll be infinitely better than if you rode 0 hours a day.  you don't get good sitting around thinking about it

Just enjoy riding,
Thats my  number one rule :beer: :beer: :beer:
this is the best advice of all
« Last Edit: January 10, 2012, 06:34:55 PM by thestraw »

Offline Ken NJ

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Re: One tip for learning tricks
« Reply #27 on: January 10, 2012, 06:55:00 PM »
i have a tip:  figure out what you are willing to sacrifice to get what you want. 

sometimes it's time and effort.. sometimes its a shin or a nut.. but you gotta pay the cost to be the boss..
flat rules everything around me f.r.e.a.m.

Offline oldmanjoe

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Re: One tip for learning tricks
« Reply #28 on: January 10, 2012, 07:08:02 PM »
Let me clarify.
I grabbed onto the thought that if you aren't putting in 2 hours a ride, you won't progress. That is very disheartening to me, as I just don't have that time, or at least won't consistently have that time.

I've been riding almost a year, and if I hadn't improved in that time frame, I wouldn't still be doing it. I improve, just VERY slowly. But I'm 45, and just getting into the sport. I have been getting fatter and fatter over the last 15 years, and while I'm not obese, I believe I allowed my core muscles to go into a coma. So in my head, as I awaken these muscles, and the communication to them, I have expectations that things will get better. As most riders don't need a year to do a fork glide. So even as I wake my body back up, if I'm looking at this is the rate that I will learn things, that seems a bit discouraging to me.

I'm also hoping that as I get tricks down, the sessions will naturally last longer. My routine as of now is to start on things work with them until I can tell, I'm getting tired, or losing concentration and then move to something else. When I have a dozen something else's, I can see riding longer as I have more things to work on.

My real hope is that I can get more in tune with my body, and I think that is the key to my success.

Offline datisstom

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Re: One tip for learning tricks
« Reply #29 on: January 10, 2012, 08:03:11 PM »
it is f*cking insane that any progress with this 'sport' requires 2 hours a day. Its nog even a bit of a workout.