ATV Riding Technique: Heads Up

Look not where you are but rather where you want to be.

Have you ever watched an off-road race and marveled at the sheer speed and confidence a pro racer can attack a tricky woods section or found yourself in a group ride where you are continually lagging behind the pack?

When it comes to trail or woods riding, there is a technique that is very easy to learn that pays dividends in being able to traverse technical terrain with speed that can be implemented immediately – this is called heads up riding and while it sounds self explanatory, the science behind it is actually quite interesting.

It comes natural to us to want to fixate on the area immediately before our machine – to try and react to the terrain in the instant before we are atop it but this is precisely what you want to move away from. Why? Because by the time the front of our machine is about to drop into that divot, it’s probably too late to reposition yourself to react. Worse still, you are, in that moment, blind to the obstacles and obstructions further up ahead that you would still have time to react to.

This is why switching to a heads up riding position can make all of the difference. Rather than keeping your attention locked to the area directly ahead of your ATV, the idea is to keep your eyes and focus farther down the trail while allowing approaching terrain to fade into periphery before you actually hit it.

A strange thing happens with this technique in that you will adjust for the terrain without conscious thought while your attention remains on the ground further ahead.

Additionally, when we focus too heavy on a particular element we’re hoping to avoid, we often put ourselves right into it. This is a phenomena known as object fixation and it can be a tough habit to break. When we ride, we are increasing the speed at which we’re moving and decreasing the amount of time we have to react. When we stare at that boulder or rut or downed limb, we force our mind into examining all of the possible decisions: Do we speed up? Slow down? Lock up the brakes? Steer wildly to avoid? While mentally running down the checklist, we often have fractions of a second left before we’re on top of it.

This is why allowing ourselves as much time in advance can make all of the difference.

Fortunately the solution is a simple one – get into the practice of keeping your head up when you ride and make a conscious effort to focus farther ahead than what feels natural. In time, anything closer begins to feel unnatural and your subconscious mind will adapt to having additional precious seconds to prepare your body to react to what’s ahead.