Racer X Virtual Trainer

What is your opinion as to the value or lack thereof to a racer in watching MX crash videos. Do you think they are helpful or harmful when trying to prep mentally for practice/racing? I forgot to mention this racer is coming back from a broken shoulder which required 4 hours of surgery, pins and plates and was a season ender. Thought I should add context

Moosejoe,
Not sure if you are referring to your rider watching videos of him/herself crashing or watching "highlight films" of crashes. I strongly believe that watching actual video of the crash can help the rider determine the cause of the crash (i.e. false neutral, body-weight transition, etc.), "learn" from the mistake and not let it happen again. There is value in a rider seeing him/herself on the bike, because what they feel is going on is sometimes not the case. A mechanic or parent can tell the rider that the position is off, but the rider won't believe it until they see it on video. I think all practices and races should be recorded as often as possible for this reason - it becomes non-emotional for all parties involved who are only trying to get faster on the track.

Another factor to consider is if you are having the rider back on the same track with the same obstacle that took the rider down. In this case, it is beneficial to tape other riders hitting the obstacle smoothly, study it and then SLOWLY approach the obstacle until up to full speed. The body will "override" the bad experience with the visualization of completing the obstacle correctly, smoothly and ultimately up to race speed. The challenge here is that faster is usually easier due to the physics of racing; however, there is a fine line that you don't want to cross here.

Please post back here if I have missed the direction of your question or if you have any additional questions.
-Robb Beams

thanks for the reply.I was refering to the 'highlight videos'. To me it seems that watching others crash is simply planting negative images and psyching oneself out. I agree with you that video of practice etc. is very helpful. I have spent many hours with my eye stuck to a viewfinder!

I can see it going both ways. I guess it depends on the rider looking at the videos. No doubt studying footage of crashes (especially your own crash) can help. Not only can it help to make sure the same mistake is not made again (assuming it was a mistake which lead to the crash) but also it can help with confidence if something other than rider error was a factor (like if the bike broke, etc.). I'm not sure I see the benefit of watching crash videos for the sake of watching them. If the footage is good and the person looking at the scenario knows what to look for, I think looking at crash footage can be very educational. Otherwise its just "entertainment."

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Tim Crytser
Your Virtual Trainer
www.racerxVT.com