Quote:
Originally Posted by Kowalski
Adouglas I’ve never seen anyone so crossed up they can’t make steering or brake inputs. Hell look at Mick Doohan. If you build a good foundation with proper foot and hip placement and timing you can make it work very well.
|
If that's the message you got then I didn't communicate clearly enough. What I said was that if your body is all torqued and tense, you're more likely to put UNWANTED inputs into the bike.
People point to Doohan as if his highly unusual crossed-up style somehow invalidates what everyone else does. There are always exceptions. That does not make the exception a best practice.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kowalski
If your lower positioning isnt right you’ll end up hanging on the bars too much or just exhausting yourself trying to stay balanced. You’ll cause more problems by trying aggressive head down motogp like positioning before you have built a good solid foundation. Good solid well timed lower body movements and positioning will always lead to more stability. Aggressive Márquez like upper body positioning will only work if you have a great foundation for it. Otherwise you’ll just create more problems.
|
Agreed.. Lower BP is essential but it's not ALL about that. Which is what I was responding to.
I would point out that if you're hanging your a$$ way off and struggling to keep your chest and head over the bike's centerline, you're going to be hanging off the bars too. That's my point.
Saying that stability is all in the lower body and the rest of it doesn't matter doesn't ring true to me. Saying that the lower body is a critical element of a larger whole is spot on IMHO.
When you look at current fast racers, you'll see that they're quite relaxed and almost hugging the bike. No tension in the arms, loose shoulders... and that means no undesirable bar inputs.
When I started riding track five years ago I struggled with tenseness, arm pump, all of that... so I went to school by really watching racers closely (love those super-slo-mo shots). It struck me that they weren't wrestling the bike into submission so much as hugging it. This mental image helped me relax. And when I relaxed, the bike was happier and everything got smoother.
If you're playing along at home go try something. Hop on your bike and get one butt cheek off. Grasp the bars and put your head and chest over the centerline of the bike... get crossed up. You'll feel tension in your torso because you have to contort yourself to get into that position. You'll probably also feel tension in your arms and hands because it's likely you're actually pulling on the bars to get yourself into that position.
Now try it this way: Get one butt cheek off. Lean forward onto the tank, drop your shoulder and relax your upper body. If your legs and core are supporting you properly you should be able to let go of the bars.
What position does your torso naturally take? Can you sit there without hanging onto the bars? Where's the tension in your body? Not in your shoulders and arms, right?
Bottom line: Lower body positioning is critical. Upper body positioning is also critical. Neither one exists in isolation.