It’s easy to assume that if you just keep riding, you’ll keep improving. But at a certain point, that stops being true. Without deliberate focus, you risk reinforcing bad habits rather than refining your technique. I learned this the hard way.
In this article, which I originally wrote for the Mountain Tactical Institute, I share how riding with pro-MTB racers exposed major gaps in my own skills, in a surprising way—and how targeted practice on the fundamentals made an immediate difference. The key takeaway for you? Progress isn’t automatic. If your riding has plateaued, maybe it’s time to approach improvement differently. That could mean drilling fundamentals like the pros do—or it could mean stepping off the bike to address physical limitations. Strength, mobility, and power all influence how well you execute technique. If your body isn’t capable of moving the way you need it to, skill work alone won’t cut it.
If that sounds familiar, working with a strength coach might be your next step. Let’s get into it.
MTB Pros Drill Fundamental Skills to Improve – I Had to Do the Same
By Alex Ackerly, MTI Athlete Team, S&C Coach
As a strength and conditioning coach specializing in mountain biking, I’ve spent years helping riders build the physical capabilities to ride harder, longer, and with more resilience. I understand biomechanics, the demands of the sport, and how to develop strength, endurance, and durability off the bike. But skill development? That’s a different animal. Unlike S&C, which is rooted in principles of physiology and biomechanics, MTB skills coaching is about feel, reps, and experience in the field.
Riding More. Not Improving.
I’ve been an avid rider for years, and after moving to Squamish, I rode constantly. The steep learning curve of my early years was exhilarating—features that once seemed impossible became routine. But then, progress slowed. I could ride harder trails, but I wasn’t riding them better. I was making the same mistakes over and over, just at higher speeds.
I had assumed that riding more was the solution. But just like lifting weights without proper technique, I was reinforcing inefficient movement patterns. The deeper I went into the sport, the more I realized I wasn’t improving—I was just compensating.
That changed when I got the chance to ride with world-class enduro and downhill racers, alongside their coach, Joel Harwood of Blueprint Athlete Development. I expected to be thrown into advanced drills—jumping, line choice, technical descents—but instead, the focus was on fundamental skills. And I quickly learned that my fundamentals weren’t nearly as solid as I had thought.
Joel had us repping repetitive timed drills on a simple grassy slope, cutting in a trail as we went and videotaping our reps. The focus? Body position, braking, and front-wheel manipulation to find support and traction. I couldn’t believe how much speed the pros were generating on such a basic drill, and how hard it was for me to match their precision.
It was eye-opening. These pros weren’t “advanced” because they had mastered fancy tricks—they were advanced because they had mastered the details of the fundamentals. And I hadn’t.
The biggest revelation was seeing myself on video. I thought I was nailing my body position—until I watched the footage. My weight wasn’t nearly as forward as I had assumed. My braking was sloppier than it felt. My cornering lacked precision.
Video doesn’t lie, and having a coach break it down for me was invaluable. It’s incredibly hard to self-coach because what you feel and what is actually happening are often two different things. Seeing my mistakes in real-time allowed me to make meaningful corrections instead of just guessing.
The Specific Fixes:
Body Position – Getting My Chin Over the Stem
What I thought I was doing: Staying centered and low, keeping weight balanced.
What I was actually doing: Sitting too far back, in a squat rather than a hinge, relying too much on the rear wheel for control, and limiting my ability to manipulate the bike.
The fix: Getting my chin over the stem, lowering my center of gravity while keeping mobility in my arms and legs. This should allow me to stay dynamic and responsive instead of passive.
Brake Control – More Than Just Timing
What I thought I was doing: Braking in the right spots, before and throughout corners.
What I was actually doing: Braking reactively, sometimes mid-corner, which robbed me of traction and control.
The fix: Braking hard before the turn while still travelling in a straight line. Understanding that rolling wheels have better traction than locked ones. Learning how to manipulate front and rear braking pressure to manage traction dynamically.
Cornering – Support and Pressure Through the Front Wheel
What I thought I was doing: Leaning my bike and getting my weight low.
What I was actually doing: Not applying enough pressure through the front wheel, even worse favouring my inside hand, leading to understeering and sliding.
The fix: Practicing cornering on gently sloping tarmac roads where traction is predictable, focusing on head and elbow position as well as outside hand pressure to dictate front-wheel grip. Timing my pressure at the right moment in the parabola of the turn to find grip.
Bike-Body Separation – Letting the Bike Move Under Me
What I thought I was doing: Staying loose and reactive.
What I was actually doing: Still too stiff, limiting my ability to let the bike move freely.
The fix: Actively practicing exaggerated bike-body separation, especially in simple terrain where I have the confidence to play around. Softening my hands so my arms can absorb impacts and push in to holes rather than relying on my suspension to do it all for me.
Lessons Learned
Now, every ride, I dedicate time to deliberate practice—drilling body position, braking, and cornering like a grom at bike camp. And the results? Strava tells me I’m still getting faster every year, but more importantly, I see a rider who finally understands just how much there is to improve.
Early on, I thought I was a great rider. I could handle double blacks, and I assumed my hesitation on certain features was just me getting older and losing my risk tolerance. The truth? I never had the fundamentals. I was muscling my way through trails, relying on strength and athleticism rather than actual skill. Tagging along with pros made that painfully obvious.
This is the Dunning-Kruger effect in action—I used to think I was way better than I was, simply because I didn’t know what I didn’t know. Now, with a clearer picture of what true technical skill looks like, I realize just how much work I have ahead of me. And strangely, that’s more motivating than ever.
Instead of feeling discouraged, I’m more fascinated by the sport than I’ve ever been. Every ride feels like an opportunity to improve, and I get excited about refining the smallest details. The ceiling is so much higher than I ever imagined, and that means the journey ahead is going to be even more rewarding.
If you think that Strength or Fitness might be holding your riding back, Book a free no-strings call with me and let's find out if I can help you unlock that next level.
Comments