The MTB Skills Clinics are the biggest skills based coaching company in the Southern Hemisphere and for good reason. It really works.
The MTB Skills Clinics curriculum is based on physics, basically you can’t argue with it, and it has proved itself time and time again. Where skill based coaching for mountainbiking has gone astray is that it is based in experience, and what we experience mentally is often quite different to what is actually happening. For example when a rider puts weight on the front wheel when cornering, it is considered that it will wash out, yet it is weight on our tyres that gives us grip, steering, braking, traction and control. What we have found is that humans have an innate sense of balance and are continually trying to find it, but it is maintaining that balance in an unpredictable environment that is the trick.
A beginner is continually searching for balance everywhere.
An experienced rider is in control 95% of their ride, but it is the remaining 5% that needs work, learning to find that balance in areas where a skilled rider is challenged. Do you know how? |
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| Contact us |
If you cannot find the answer below please contact us via e-mail or call Gabby on;
021 86 5454
Main office
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| Private coaching |
In Rotorua, Wellington and Christchurch we offer private coaching. Please email us to book or choose dates.
One on one
$175 One on one
Two or more standard rates
Private coaching contact main office
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| Will the MTB Skills Clinics Curriculum help me? |
Have you ever wanted to know more about;
Concrete facts about bike dynamics
Cornering
Braking more aggressively, smoother, and at the correct time
Descending steep terrain
Drops and steps
Rough and bumpy terrain
Jumps
Roots
Off-camber
Ruts
Mud, sand, loose surfaces, gravel etc
How to improve the grip on your tyres
Personal bike sizing and set up
Suspension function and set up
Mountain bike specific bike tuning
Overcoming fear
Do the Phundamentals.
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| Do I have to do the Phundamentals first? |
Yes you do. We require every rider to complete the Phundamentals, even if you have been racing downhill for ten years. The longer a rider has been mountainbiking the more relevance the Phundamentals has to their riding.
All of the MTB Skills Clinics are based on maintaining balance over the bike in all situations and the Trailmaster Series is a continuation of the concepts introduced in the Phundamentals. Doing the Trailmaster Series on its own would be like trying to writing a thesis without first learning the alphabet.
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| I am a really good rider, should I do a “one on one” instead of a group Phundamentals? |
No, we have found that “one one one” clinics work much better in the Trailmaster Series. You will learn much more in the group Phundamentals than by yourself as you will be able to observe others and practice without being eye-balled.
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| Am I too good? Is there any thing you can teach me? |
We still both learn something every time we take a course and we have been riding at the highest level for decades. Dodzy has personally coached over 5000 people ranging from nationally ranked racers to recreational riders and every one of them has come away from the course with a new way of looking at their riding.
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| How many people will there be on the clinic, will I get enough attention? |
We limit the numbers to seven per instructor which we have found to be the ideal group size. Usually there are two instructors running clinics so the total group will be split into beginners and advanced. We have structured the clinics so that there is group theory and then riding drills. There is plenty of time allocated for individual instruction during the drills.
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| I am a really good rider, will i be stuck with beginners? |
No, we split the groups in half with the aim of keeping like together.
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| I am an absolute beginner, will i be stuck with advanced riders? |
No, we split the groups in half with the aim of keeping like together.
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| I have never rode off-road before, will I be OK/learn anything? |
It is a good idea to do the Phundamentals as soon as possible to save yourself learning bad habits from the start. We have had many people do the Phundamentals with great success having not rode a bike since childhood.
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| I hate learning in front of others, will it be scary in a group? |
At no stage will you be paraded down a track in front of everyone else. We begin the day with theory and drills in basic bike handling (very enlightening) and everyone is doing the same simple drills so you won’t be asked to “show us your riding” or put on the spot. In fact, usually it is the beginners who have the least to “unlearn” and shine in the drills.
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| Why choose MTB Skills Clinics above another coaching company? |
The MTB Skills Clinics developed out of Dodzy’s fascination with physics and bike dynamics, especially in regard to his own downhill racing. Single handedly he has broken down every aspect of bike handling into the physical aspects that govern the bike and its rider. Gabby is particularly perceptive at understanding how to translate these physical aspects into easy to understand guidelines for the average person who isn’t well versed in physics. Between them they have developed what is now a ground breaking and unique curriculum of skills which cannot be found anywhere else in the world.
Because mountainbiking is such a young sport it is still finding its way amongst its cycling brothers being road and BMX. It is still developing its own set-up criteria for handling rather than spinning on a flat sealed road, and fighting its way out of the “old school theories” that it acquired in its fledgling years when the bike designs were first developing. Now that bike manufacturers are semi agreed on what is a standard head angle and bottom bracket height etc, the old theories on bike handling can be erased too and replaced with alternative techniques that control the bike the way it is now designed to be used.
These techniques have been developed by Dodzy and Gabby via their hands on experience in the field and not plagiarized from books/DVD’s written by other skills instructors. This is the real deal and you don’t need to travel out of NZ to get it. We come to you.
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| I think my skills are pretty good, why would I bother to improve them? |
I think almost every person who has ever attended one of our clinics had that thought at some point before they became acquainted with “light hands”. We like to think of it this way, mountainbiking is fun and if you can make it even more fun by learning how to make your bike work for you and feel as if you are floating down the track then it is worth checking out. Every single day out on the trails we see hundreds of people ride past who with one simple change could ride so much safer and more relaxed, it really is astounding to us.
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| Will doing the Phundamentals help me with racing Cross Country? |
Of course it will. The more relaxed you can remain on downhill sections, and speed you can gain for nothing, the faster your overall time. We have loads of pro cross country racers on the books, you might be surprised how many are well acquainted with our techniques if you ask around.
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| Will doing the Phundamentals help me with racing Downhill? |
That one is absolutely true. In downhill racing where every second counts, understanding how to push that extra 10% without losing control is a big win. We prefer downhill racers to start on the standard Phundamentals (held on the flat tracks) rather than jumping straight into a downhill clinic as it is very hard to learn the techniques on technical terrain. What you learn on the flat is instantly applicable to downhill tracks, but trying to think about five different things whilst bouncing at 50 km's isn’t recommended, for us or your learning process.
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| I don’t really care about going fast or doing corners, I just want to do jumps better. |
This is a common question and the only answer we have is trust us, you can’t run until you learn to stand up. Jumping is a very complex application of balance and dynamic movements. The rider needs to be balanced front to back, side to side and up/down before leaving the ground and throughout the movement whilst applying a dynamic weight transfer through their feet. This isn’t something you can learn in one sitting, but the Phundamentals will improve your jumping ten fold by addressing your front to back and side to side balance.
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| Is the Phundamentals boring? |
Good question. We find it fascinating, and considering we have been teaching it for nearly five years in a row it can’t be too bad! Many people will find the drills very easy, but the theory behind the drills and the subtle changes are incredibly effective which most people find thrilling.
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| Is the Phundamentals suitable for kids? |
Depends on the child, under 13 we require they be accompanied by an adult. The techniques taught are entirely valid for kids and will set them up from early on to be safe and controlled riders. But, because the day is aimed at adults there is quite a bit of theory. Some kids love listening and others don’t.
If your child is particularly fidgety it is better for them to be accompanied. The Phundamentals techniques are also quite easy to pass onto children as they don’t require all of the background info that adults need. If you ride with your child you could consider doing the course on your own and teaching them over a period of time as they require the help.
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| What will you want to change on my bike in bike set up? I have already had my bike set up. |
We are well aware that there are a lot of people doing a great job of bike set up out there. In the bike set-up section of the course we will look at making a handful of changes only if you need it, these changes aim to make you more balanced, stable, and comfortable on your bike.
We do two things different than everyone else.
First we actually watch you ride your bike so we know we are not setting your bike up on a theory, we can see first hand what needs to be changed.
Secondly most people look at a seated static riding position which is great for road cycling, but when it comes to mountain biking it’s not that simple. Over the period of a one hour ride on a mountainbike you will change your position hundreds of times and you will need to deal with many different types of riding; technical descents, technical climbs (up to 15 degrees), jumps, bumps and everything in-between. If you were to set your bike up for one specific type of riding, i.e. a flat road, your bike performance would suffer on the other type of trails you ride. We look at an overall mountainbike set-up depending on the riding you do most and your weaknesses. This will mean you have the most fun out on your bike possible.
Indicators of balance issues on your riding which are fixed by Phundamentals techniques.
Riding into a fast corner and halfway through your bike starts drifting to the outside of the turn Very common in the mud, loose gravel descents, steep terrain.
You are riding a bumpy descent and your arms are tight and getting tired from arm pump (very common on downhill tracks). This is entirely a balance issue and is easily fixed.
Ever feel like when you attempt to use the front brake you get pushed forward and feel as if you going to end up going over the bars, especially when riding steeper terrain. We will teach you how to ride as slowly (or fast) as you like down steep chutes without skidding.
Do you ever feel that no matter how much you try to muscle the bike around in ruts, steep terrain and difficult trails that the bike won’t respond, you just end up going where the bike takes you?
On some tracks do you feel every little bump, root and undulation that the bike passes over? Your head should always be still with clear vision. If everything looks blurry give us a call.
Are you constantly looking for better tyres that will help you get through corners better and give you more control in the wet? We’ll save you the cash and teach you how to use your body to get traction.
Does your ride some times feel like a procession of stops and starts, do you find yourself continually pedaling back up to speed out of corners?
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Clinic layout
Will I get tired riding all day? |
The Phundamentals is made up of theory and short, easy drills. Although it is a full day out and about, it is by no means a full day riding. We have never found a lack of fitness to be a problem and will encourage everyone to take breaks anyway, whether to catch their breath, observe others practicing or relax for a moment to regather thoughts.
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| What time is lunch? |
Lunch can be any time from noon to 12:30. We usually take about half an hour unless it is raining whereby we take lunch with us and keep moving.
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Fitness
I am incredibly unfit, will I be holding the group up? |
No, we ride to a location and tend to stay there for big blocks of time doing drills. If you are unfit you can skip the odd drill and catch your breath while others practice. The techniques you learn will be your best chance of keeping up with your friends until you do get fit!
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| Costs |
We have a range of payment options. See the V.I.P Pass for multi clinic specials. Otherwise clinics cost between $115 and $149.
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| Times |
All clinics start at 10 am unless otherwise specified. The Phundamentals can finish as early as 2:30 if the group size is small, but never later than 4 p.m..
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Trailmaster Series
Why should I do the whole the Trailmaster series? |
We see thousands of people come through our Phundamentals courses every year and we also see a fair few of them out on the trails in the weeks after the course. We can give you all the information in the world but you won’t change Rome in a day. After you have attended a course you will still need to remember to do all the good things you learnt when you need them out on the trails.
We regularly see people a couple a weeks after a course and they look great and can’t believe how much difference it all makes but then we see them six months down the track and their good habits have often faded. After completing the Series you will have replaced your reactionary habits with good ones that are there to stay. We see guys and girls out in the forest all the time that have completed the Trailmaster Series and they are different riders and they will ride like that for the rest of their lives.
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| I just want to get a bit better and don’t care about doing jumps etc. |
In that case start with the V.I.P Pass "A" which allows you to do the Phundamentals and Trailmaster 1 clinics. Those two clinics are what will sort out your general riding and cement the good habits in place. The last three clinics are focussed on the trickier things like drops, corners and pumping which may not interest you so much.
You can always change your mind later too.
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| How long should I leave between clinics? |
This is a hard question as it depends on what you want. If you ride twice a week we would recommend a two month break between each clinic.
If you do all of your clinics close together (e.g, a month apart) the content will be fresh in your mind and easy to link together, but you may find it hard to get enough practice in.
If you leave it too long between clinics (say six months) you can tend to forget the info. We find that it does come flooding back quickly and this is probably preferable in that you will have had a really good chance to practice in-between.
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