Many riders head straight to steep and technical trails, only to wonder why their confidence and technique don’t progress. Especially when it comes to cornering. Mastering the ability to release the brakes at the right points is crucial for successfully navigating steep corners. To ride steep trails effectively, you must let your wheels roll smoothly at the right moments.
To progress, it’s essential to improve fundamental cornering skills in a low-risk environment before tackling steeper trails. Here’s a cornering progression I use with downhill, enduro, and cross-country mountain bikers to help build confidence and speed while descending.
Step 1: Rolling Through Turns Without Brakes
Find a hill with enough gradient to reach 20-30 mph if you ride straight down. Set up some wide turns and see if you can navigate them without heavy braking. Gradually work towards no braking at all.
Focus on wide lines and a centered body position (which might feel like forward). As your speed increases, you may need to pump through the turns for better control. Wide lines allow your wheels to travel further, giving you more grip and time to think about your body movements.
You dont overcomplicate the technique, like many online tutorials do. The technique points above are enough to make a lot of progress.
Step 2: Pumping Turns & Maximal Braking technique
Next, find a section of trail with more gradient and well-supported corners. Practice pumping through the turns. This technique helps you apply pressure at the right point in the turn, allowing for better direction control and smooth exit from the turn.
While you may have avoided braking in step 1, you’ll need to brake on steeper trails. Avoid dragging the brakes constantly, as hard braking can disrupt your flow. Instead, use maximal braking at key points where there is more support, then let your wheels roll through the turns.
Maximal breaking requires weight shift. So you need to do this on sections of trail where there is good support and space.
If you are not familiar with pumping & maximal braking technique have a look at my other videos.
Step 3: Navigating Steep & Technical Corners
Now it’s time to apply the skills learned in the previous steps. It might take several attempts to get it right, so keep these key technique cues in mind:
- Body centered over the bike
- Let the wheels roll through turns
- Pump turns for control
- Wide lines for better grip
Key Takeaways for Improving Your Cornering Skills
To effectively progress in cornering, practice in low-risk environments, gradually building up to steeper trails. Remember, cornering is a skill that takes time to develop, so be patient and keep practicing!
Ready to take your cornering skills to the next level?
Consider a MTB coaching session or course that can help you ride with confidence.