How I Coach Myself to Ride Steep Trails Faster
As a mountain bike coach, I’m always guiding others through the process of improving their technique. But when it comes to my own riding, I try to walk the same path I ask my clients to follow — applying the same tools, mindset, and learning process to keep pushing my limits.
1. Observation: Get an Objective View of Your Riding
Progress starts with awareness. And when you’re the rider and the coach, video becomes your best friend. Watching footage of myself lets me step back and analyze things like body position, line choice, and timing. I’ll often compare my footage with elite riders — like those from Redbull Mountainbike — to spot the subtle differences that separate ‘good’ from ‘great’.
In this video, I’m working on steep turns. I focused on where my body was positioned, the lines I was taking, and even used timing to get a feel for how fast I was moving through the section.
If you’re new to video analysis, check out Pink Bike How to Bike to learn how to film yourself riding.
2. Experiment: Try Different Techniques
Mountain biking isn’t always black and white — there’s rarely a single “right” way to do something. Sometimes what works best comes down to feel, terrain, or even your own riding style. That’s why I spend a lot of time trying different techniques and seeing what clicks.
In this session, I tested two ways of setting up for a tight turn:
- Leading the turn with my hips in the previous corner helped me position earlier and make the tighter turn smoother.
- Applying pressure at the apex of the tight turn gave me more control and boosted my exit speed. But to do that well, I had to really focus on getting into the right position beforehand.
Curious about pressure and bike-body separation? Lee McCormack’s site is a great resource for deeper technique dives.
3. Push the Edge: Step Outside Your Comfort Zone
Improving always means doing something unfamiliar — and at first, it usually feels awkward. That could be trying a new technique or simply riding faster into a section where the margin for error feels razor-thin.
For me, that discomfort in this session came from trusting that extra bit of speed through the turn — having confidence the bike would hold its line and not send me into the trees lining either side of the trail.
Want more on mental game? Check out my article on building confidence on technical trails.
Final Thoughts
Coaching yourself isn’t always easy, but it’s absolutely doable. Stay curious, stay observant, and don’t be afraid to try something new — even if it feels weird at first. That awkwardness? It’s usually where the growth lives.
Got your own way of self-coaching or breaking through on steep trails? Drop a comment below — I’d love to hear what works for you.
And if you want a more structured way to improve, check out our 1-on-1 coaching options or join our next MTB skills clinic.