[Sirref]

Disclaimer: this is track focused, though much, if not all, of it can apply to street riding as well.

Some of the most critical skills with riding aren't the concrete physical techniques like body positioning, quick turn, throttle control, braking and all the little tricks we do to try to gain tenths here and there. I've noticed a distinct lack of conversation about the effects of vision and focus in recent memory. As it is something I am constantly attempting to improve myself, I figured it deserves a thread.

Vision is the single most important aspect of riding a motorcycle in a controlled and consistent manner. It is also one of, if not the, most difficult tools to master. There is only one rule of thumb, to look where you want to go. Beyond that one rule it is up to each of use to decide exactly where to look, our vision affects everything we do and how we do it. However, within the landscape of the track ahead of us there are many things to see, this is where the next point comes into play.

While we see many things on the road ahead we need to choose what we wish to turn our focus towards, in it's purest form this is the goal of weeding out all of our distractions. But what is left when you remove all distractions from your vision with your focus? Your reference points are left. In an ideal world riding track is riding from point to point to point, each point having it's own set of reference points that allows for riding in a controlled and predictable manner between and through each point. Braking points, tip in points, apexes, throttle roll on points, and exit points are all included in this.

This thread is meant for a discussion of improving visual skills and ways to train focus. There is little more confidence inspiring than being able to hold your line and increase pace little by little to find the limits, visual skills are the key to achieving this.