Originally posted by katana28
Both the course and the experience are important, I think both are mandatory to become a good rider. It's true, practice and real life experience are really good training. But a course, whether you paid for it, got it from your father or whatever as long as a pro rider teaches you the right things, is where you benefit from the actual knowledge of what and why you do such and such. Of course you can look at what others do and somewhat imitate what they do and feel some improvement, but nothing is better than understanding what you are doing.
An example: I spoke with a guy the other day, he has been riding for 15 years with his friends. Neither him or his friends had taken any class.
We talked about cornering and he was still thinking what is commonly assumed by people about cornering, that he was hanging off to help lean the bike more... I tried to explain him that it was in fact to help the bike stay more upright but he would not listen to me "since he had been riding for 15 years...."
The thing is that in essence he was doing the proper thing, the hanging off and all... But with the wrong principle in mind, the wrong visualization of the maneuver. So I'm pretty sure that he could improve his cornering even more by realizing that and really trying to keep the bike more upright...
Every pros, they go to classes to get all what they need to learn to be the best and benefit from other's experiences.
So I would agree with you and just would make both experience and classes on the same level of importance. To me at least, It's more than just something that helps.
If you are at your best, you are safer for yourself I think.
I'm even considering taking advanced classes on the track, I found a place with pro trainers. They will certainly give me additional tricks that are very profitable.
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