So I wanted to share with everyone my experience at the Yamaha champs school! One of the biggest things I had heard was why go to a school if I’ve already been riding so long? Or will this really help? I also heard some people talking about how it sounds intimidating.
It was interesting to hear all the insights from various people and so I would like to address those questions as well!
It was interesting to hear all the insights from various people and so I would like to address those questions as well!
I’ve been riding for years. What more is there to learn?!? Everything!!! This is a sport / passion where you can continually improve and continue to learn new things or better way to go about and do things you already know about or know how to do.
You can always find a way to do things smoother, safer or faster! Being smooth around the track is important! Being safe is an important aspect on the tracks or on the streets!
Yes I came to the school and there was things I already knew and yes there were things that I learned. The biggest thing I have to say about that is for the things I already knew, I was able to get a visual and deeper understanding of why this happens or why we don’t just jab the brakes. Also the drills that they create really help put into practice these important aspects that they teach. From doing one drill with cones, it helped me with visual, thinking ahead, safely avoiding obstacles, and familiarizing myself with safely using my brakes.
Also with riding for a long time, you hear lots of advice and tips. But how do you know if these information tidbits are accurate?
That was one of my biggest concerns while coming to the school- how much of the information that I’ve acquired was in best practices?
Or riding on the track, am I really doing this correctly? When attending track days, coaches are available but they don’t always point out your flaws to work on. I have struggled with being smaller and on the bike for a while. I have addresses my issues and concerns with a lot of people along the way. I have gotten tons of misleading and some accurate advice of how to position myself on the bike.
One of my biggest struggles was my positioning when I went into a corner. With shorter legs, I never felt like I could hook into the tank and rely on my lower body to hold me through a corner. So this always was a big concern to me. I also would come in from a session and have pain in my ankles. I had tried different peg positions and it helped but did not solve the problem.
While I was at the Champ school, I addressed these issues and they gave me two pieces of advice that totally changed everything for me!
Make sure I sit back in the seat to allow my legs to move as they should, and have my foot on the outer part of the footpeg. Seems simple enough- yet no one in the 3 years of me riding track had ever addressed this with me. Once I applied these two pieces of advice on the track, it made a world of a difference! Not only was I smoother and more efficient, but I didn’t come into the pits hurting and feeling pain in my ankles!!!
So sometimes it’s little things that people assume we should know that aren’t always known. The champ school did a wonderful job to address this!
So yes I really believe that this school is beneficial for anyone at any skill set! I really appreciate that their teachings are applicable to the street and the track as well. So not only are they helping people be faster around the track but also safer and more prepared for the street!
The way they setup their visuals for learning and how they have you apply it on the track is wonderful to really sink in and understand what is happening with your bike, how to overcome obstacles and how to prepare yourself!
For those who have never been to a track and have felt overwhelmed or intimidated - this is THE perfect place to start! It is a safe environment with close one on one attention and best of all- you learn good habits from the start!!!! I cannot tell you how frustrating it is to brake old bad habits!
My first day was slightly frustrating once they pointed out one of my bad habits and I spent lap after lap trying to work on fixing it! Even though it was very frustrating to overcome I cannot say how thankful I am that they pointed it out and helped me better my riding! I’m very thankful for the second day since everything clicked and I continued to work on additional stuff!
The staff here is wonderful. Always willing to explain stuff - why is this happening? Why shouldn’t I do it this way? What happens if?
They create a great environment as well so there is no pressure and no intimidation. Groups are split off according to experience, so you can work closely with an instructor at your own pace! There were people who had never been on a track, people who had came back from an injury and were nervous to ride again, and racers! So a very wide array of students. Everyone was so kind. It felt like a family outing!
My biggest takeaways from my experience is being able to better trust my bike and its abilities, as well as working on my confidence and my own abilities, being able to think ahead and plan ahead better as well as my line of vision, being able to be more efficient and smooth while ok the bike, being more safe and controlled on the bike, ensuring I have the correct applications and knowledge!
I had always had in the back of my mind if the way I was doing things was correct or not. Sometimes things that should be common sense aren’t always known or aren’t always thought correctly. So it was very assuring to go through my concerns with the team!
All of these items are very beneficial for the track and the street! I am very thankful for enhancing my skills to further trust myself. So I definitely think this was a wonderful investment in myself, in my passion, and in my hobby!
You can always find a way to do things smoother, safer or faster! Being smooth around the track is important! Being safe is an important aspect on the tracks or on the streets!
Yes I came to the school and there was things I already knew and yes there were things that I learned. The biggest thing I have to say about that is for the things I already knew, I was able to get a visual and deeper understanding of why this happens or why we don’t just jab the brakes. Also the drills that they create really help put into practice these important aspects that they teach. From doing one drill with cones, it helped me with visual, thinking ahead, safely avoiding obstacles, and familiarizing myself with safely using my brakes.
Also with riding for a long time, you hear lots of advice and tips. But how do you know if these information tidbits are accurate?
That was one of my biggest concerns while coming to the school- how much of the information that I’ve acquired was in best practices?
Or riding on the track, am I really doing this correctly? When attending track days, coaches are available but they don’t always point out your flaws to work on. I have struggled with being smaller and on the bike for a while. I have addresses my issues and concerns with a lot of people along the way. I have gotten tons of misleading and some accurate advice of how to position myself on the bike.
One of my biggest struggles was my positioning when I went into a corner. With shorter legs, I never felt like I could hook into the tank and rely on my lower body to hold me through a corner. So this always was a big concern to me. I also would come in from a session and have pain in my ankles. I had tried different peg positions and it helped but did not solve the problem.
While I was at the Champ school, I addressed these issues and they gave me two pieces of advice that totally changed everything for me!
Make sure I sit back in the seat to allow my legs to move as they should, and have my foot on the outer part of the footpeg. Seems simple enough- yet no one in the 3 years of me riding track had ever addressed this with me. Once I applied these two pieces of advice on the track, it made a world of a difference! Not only was I smoother and more efficient, but I didn’t come into the pits hurting and feeling pain in my ankles!!!
So sometimes it’s little things that people assume we should know that aren’t always known. The champ school did a wonderful job to address this!
So yes I really believe that this school is beneficial for anyone at any skill set! I really appreciate that their teachings are applicable to the street and the track as well. So not only are they helping people be faster around the track but also safer and more prepared for the street!
The way they setup their visuals for learning and how they have you apply it on the track is wonderful to really sink in and understand what is happening with your bike, how to overcome obstacles and how to prepare yourself!
For those who have never been to a track and have felt overwhelmed or intimidated - this is THE perfect place to start! It is a safe environment with close one on one attention and best of all- you learn good habits from the start!!!! I cannot tell you how frustrating it is to brake old bad habits!
My first day was slightly frustrating once they pointed out one of my bad habits and I spent lap after lap trying to work on fixing it! Even though it was very frustrating to overcome I cannot say how thankful I am that they pointed it out and helped me better my riding! I’m very thankful for the second day since everything clicked and I continued to work on additional stuff!
The staff here is wonderful. Always willing to explain stuff - why is this happening? Why shouldn’t I do it this way? What happens if?
They create a great environment as well so there is no pressure and no intimidation. Groups are split off according to experience, so you can work closely with an instructor at your own pace! There were people who had never been on a track, people who had came back from an injury and were nervous to ride again, and racers! So a very wide array of students. Everyone was so kind. It felt like a family outing!
My biggest takeaways from my experience is being able to better trust my bike and its abilities, as well as working on my confidence and my own abilities, being able to think ahead and plan ahead better as well as my line of vision, being able to be more efficient and smooth while ok the bike, being more safe and controlled on the bike, ensuring I have the correct applications and knowledge!
I had always had in the back of my mind if the way I was doing things was correct or not. Sometimes things that should be common sense aren’t always known or aren’t always thought correctly. So it was very assuring to go through my concerns with the team!
All of these items are very beneficial for the track and the street! I am very thankful for enhancing my skills to further trust myself. So I definitely think this was a wonderful investment in myself, in my passion, and in my hobby!