Getting the Guts

[Draco Rider]

Hello!
Heres the deal, over here we've built some gnarly ladders the only problem is I can't ride them. I have a powerful fear of heights and it looks damn scary.
Could you give me some tips on how to build up of confidence (cause theres a lack of it) nd get the guts to push urself?

Cheers:rocker:

[inshane]

So you pretty much want to get over the fear of heights then?
If just being on the ladder bridge is scarey why not just walk along it for awhile. Maybe sit on the edge and try to relax?

Start off riding on things not so high. Get used to the feeling. Work you way up to higher things as you get comfortable.


good luck :fro:

[corey@nsmb.com]

Yes, SHane has the money advice. Do as he says, get better you will.

[builttoride]

shane has got it dialed! do as he says!

I used to be shit scared of heights... still am very respectful of them, but I took up rock climbing, and nothing gets you over heights better than that! you just have to spend time getting comfortable at that height. try and relax, and you will be riding them in no time!:)
good luck!

[Draco Rider]

So y is shane the man then?

[builttoride]

well he certainly is not the woman:rolleyes:

well put it this way, when it comes to guts... shane has them! and then some! infact maybe he stole yours????:D

[Pennywise]

walk the bridges first to get used to that height. thats what i do sometimes...even when a drop is small enough i jump off of it just to get used to it before i drop it

[mtw]

Sometimes heights can be misleading. Example: last year was my first season of skiing and I accidentally went off a jump. I thought I was about fifteen feet in the air but it turned out to be only about five feet. When you fear something, your mind will probably exagerate the thing you're fearing because there could be a good reason to stay away.

Like Inshane said, start small and build up. The first day I went skiing, the easiest run felt really hard. Now I straight line it really fast and I feel comfortable on it. Another thing you can do to get over the fear is fall off a bridge sometimes (not intentionally and not on high bridges). If you don't hurt yourself much, maybe you'll realize that falling of a higher bridge won't be quite as bad. Just remember that there is a point where you don't want to do that.

But maybe you've reached your limit. Everyone has limits.

[Draco Rider]

I that case, DAMN!

[Big_Air_Smite]

You won't have reached your limit dood, just walk the ladders, its all about confidence really. Push yourself, but you need to know where to stop pushing or bad stuff will happen. And yea... listen to Shane!

Where abouts are you in England? (You are in England right?)

[Garris]

I have the same problem..and there are times when you can just suck it up and try..and times when your like NO WAY..

do what shane said..and Blaine gave me some good advice..make sure you breath.

[Draco Rider]

Originally posted by Big_Air_Smite
You won't have reached your limit dood, just walk the ladders, its all about confidence really. Push yourself, but you need to know where to stop pushing or bad stuff will happen. And yea... listen to Shane!

Where abouts are you in England? (You are in England right?)

Yup i'm in the SE. I'll try the stuff if I can. I just keep on thinkig about what will happen if i go wrong.

[corey@nsmb.com]

Hesitation is Devastation. Take your time and don't try it until you feel good about it, and you need to WANT it bad...Follow your gut and take the time to build up to it.

[builttoride]

yeah hesitation is a killer, if your going to go for it... GO FOR IT, don't hold back!:)

[KamaKazi]

take up rock climbing. i did that and it has really helped with my fear of hieghts(unless i have just fallen on my face off of a log ride) and then just ride what you feel comfortable with and then just a LITTLE bit more. i am totally comfortable on a log ride that is about 5 feet high. the highest i will go on one is about 8 feet.
shane's advice is good too. start small then work your way up. i remeber when something 1 foot high was scary to me. and the time when jumping off the 6 inch curb was huge. now 10 feet is high for a log ride and dropping anywhere from 5 to 20 feet is easy. just ride within (or just past) your limits and don't care what people think.

Tim Gadd

[ride24/7]

Take your time ... Like shane says walk it get used to it, but there is a time if your going to do it that you have to commit. When that time comes don't hesitate or be wishy washy about it or it will be ugly. If and when you decide to do it you relax, take a deep breath, visuallize what your going to do ( say some thing to yourself like my favorite " well the lord hates a coward " ) and just go for it. Remember until you start getting pretty high off the groung say 6' and up the likelyhood of getting hurt too bad is minimal. NOT non existant... but minimal. So even if you eat it you will probably bounce back up and laugh it off, and realize that it wasn't as bad as you thought.

[corey@nsmb.com]

^^^ Excellent advice.:thepimp:

[DropKing]

im no master at heights either dood. But i havent ever falling off a skinny (prolly cuz i dont ride them too often) so i keep running through my mind the best way to bail when its obvious you are gonna fall. Well, does anyone have any bailing advice when you know ur going down?

[JSinclair]

Originally posted by Draco Rider
So y is shane the man then?

Strong is the force in this one.

Listen to Shane you will. Ride Curbs you must. Use the force you will. Let it flow through you.

Shane hitting big stuump. This should answer your question quite well.
http://www.celticsonmedia.com/Bikepics/shanestump.jpg

[Draco Rider]

Err, wow. :banana: :lol:
*Bows*

Ride curbs all the time i do but fear of heights stops me from riding ladders it does.

[KamaKazi]

Originally posted by DropKing
im no master at heights either dood. But i havent ever falling off a skinny (prolly cuz i dont ride them too often) so i keep running through my mind the best way to bail when its obvious you are gonna fall. Well, does anyone have any bailing advice when you know ur going down?

i ride clipless so for me it is sidehop/wheelie drop off the side of the log then as soon as you make contact with the ground. hit your brakes

[sAFETY]

I find that the way to get over the mind games is to accept that you have to ride the skinny. Its not about getting the idea of riding the ladder in your head, it's about not letting the idea of falling in.

This may not make too much sense, but just try not to allow yourself to hesitate, that's what makes you fall. That's the reason that it's easy to ride a parking divider no problem, but WAY harder to ride somthing that's twice as wide but twice as high.

[Big_Air_Smite]

Originally posted by builttoride
yeah hesitation is a killer, if your going to go for it... GO FOR IT, don't hold back!:)

Bad Memories :( ;)

[Broken Fusion!]

Maybe if you get up there, you'll be so scared of falling off that you'll try your hardest to stay on, and become the master of high skinny stunts! :thepimp:

[Draco Rider]

Originally posted by Broken Fusion!
Maybe if you get up there, you'll be so scared of falling off that you'll try your hardest to stay on, and become the master of high skinny stunts! :thepimp:

Indeed.

Anyone see Drop In Nelson. Those were skinny skinnys, that sweet drop to tranny theat Kinrade did.-MOTHER!

[the bicycle boy]

or u cna use the good old standby, liquid courage.

[Keefer]

Work your way up to it.