Mental Skills to Improve your MTB Skills

You decide the story you tell yourself.

Are your limiting beliefs the road block to your progress on the bike? If you’ve ever uttered any of these phrases:

• I’m not good at switchbacks

• I can’t ride drops

• I suck at berms

• I know I have the skill to ride that drop but I’m scared.

there’s a good chance it’s your mindset, NOT your skill set that is halting your mtb progress.

Tony Robbins defines limiting beliefs as “the stories we tell ourselves about who we are that hold us back from becoming who we are meant to be.” I like to think of limiting beliefs as the beliefs and stories we tell ourselves that prevent us from reaching our full potential. 

Limiting beliefs are often subconscious – we don’t even know that we have them until someone points them out to us! We take them as truth, and they typically have a negativity bias (we assume we can’t, rather than we can). Limiting beliefs keep us safe, we don’t have to get uncomfortable or push our boundaries if we continue to live by our limiting beliefs.

My job, as a coach, is to help you become a better version of yourself. So let’s dive into your own limiting beliefs, identify them, and figure out how to re-tell your own story in a positive rather than a negative light. 

The two most common types of limiting beliefs I encounter are time and but.

• I don’t have time…

• I could do that but…

For mountain biking it sounds like this:

• I don’t have time to practice my skills.

• I could ride that drop, but there’s a rock directly after the drop. Or I’d try that line, but all I can imagine is crashing.

I do this all the time with jumping. My internal dialogue sounds like this, “I’d hit that jump but it’s too windy or it’s too dry.” So I ride around the jump and I don’t improve and I continue to tell myself I’m not very good at jumping.

What’s a limiting belief you hold onto that you want to change? Write out the story you typically tell yourself. Do you see the negative feedback loop you create?

Success starts with the belief that you can, then take action! When you trust yourself to take action, you build your confidence! In this manner, you re-write your story and create a positive feedback loop (image above). Pay attention to your internal dialogue and recognize when you are perpetuating your own limiting beliefs. It may sound like this:

“I’d like to workout but I don’t have the time.” 

I’d like to ask for a raise or promotion but I know they will say no

I can’t ride switchbacks or drops or jumps.

Those are all examples of limiting beliefs. Let’s flip that script!

The key to changing your limiting belief is first to recognize it is a belief! An idea or story you have held onto for a long time and you have the power to change! Once you recognize you are not beholden to the same story you can create your own positive feedback loop. Start small. Be consistent, reward your efforts, not your results, and watch your positive feedback loop unfold! Looking to take the next step? Sign up for a MTB Skills Clinic or Strength Training Class!