APPETITE FOR INSTRUCTION: THE ART OF KNOWING WHEN TO SEND IT

By Lee McCormack

Maybe you’re deciding whether to ride a certain jump, or join a group ride, or do a race, or ask for a raise at work.

When it comes to go/no-go decisions, we can use stoplight logic: red, yellow and green.

Hint: Red is good. Green is good. Yellow is bad. As much as we can, let’s be less yellow.

Red

Red is great! It’s a confident “no.” It’s often the smartest and safest option.
• I know I’m not ready for this yet.
• I know it’s not good for me.
• I don’t feel safe today, so I’m not going to take a chance.
• I don’t want to do this right now.
• I’m not doing it. I’m going to walk this section of trail.
• I have to be at work tomorrow, and I can’t hurt myself, so I’ll pass.
• I feel good about the decision.

Red is clear and powerful. If you don’t feel good about doing something, there’s a reason. Often, your lizard brain (aka your subconscious) knows something you don’t consciously know. Examples:
• You’re approaching a gap jump, and you’re not going fast enough. You know you will land short then get bucked over the bars (again).
• You’re approaching a steep downhill switchback with a drop in it, and your hamstrings are too tight and your core is too weak to maintain a low hinge. You know you don’t have enough arm range to handle the corner, descent and drop, and that you’ll likely get thrown over the bars (again).
• The last time you tried this move, it went poorly, and you allowed that trail trauma to stick with you.
• The anxiety you’re carrying from the fight you had with your co-worker or partner or yourself has you in a fight-or-flight state, and you’re likely to make a fear-based mistake (the classic is grabbing the brakes for no reason).
• You simply don’t know what you’re supposed to do in the upcoming situation, and you’re about to guess.
• You just don’t feel good at that moment. Maybe you’re tired or hungry.

The vast majority of your mental capacity (90 to 99.99999999% depending on who you ask) is subconscious. When you receive “no” signals from your body, honor them; the entire you knows way more than the conscious you.

In every decisive moment, you’re working with the total of all the stressors in your life. Distress might include workload, fatigue and trail trauma. Eustress might include a killer ride the day before, an exciting date that evening or a promotion at work. Whether you consider these to be good or bad things, they all put strain on your system. You might ride a certain drop every weekend. If you roll up to it and feel tired, should you go for it because you always do? Heck no.

Red is not a forever decision. You can feel light and easy about saying no, knowing you’ll have another chance when you are ready. Heck, you might enjoy an Oreo and a swig of water then hit it.

If you decide not to ride a section, do it proudly. Walking with impunity is more fun, less traumatic and faster than trying and failing. One year at the Sea Otter Classic, I was there to win the Cat 1 downhill. It was a very windy day, even by Otter standards. All of the cameras and spectators were gathered at the jumps near the top of the course. I knew those jumps well, but I didn’t want to risk my race to a gust. So, I decided to ride around the jumps then rely on my fitness. People were jeering, “I thought you wrote the book on jumping!” but I rode safely around the jumps then out-pedaled everyone to a resounding win. It’s way better to fully execute a “no thank you” plan than arbitrarily have a “let’s hope for the best” plan.
If your riding friends are the kind of people who honor your red decisions, they are the right kind of riding friends. You should honor their red decisions as well. If they give you a hard time about your “no” decisions, find more mature friends.

Both on and off the bike, choose people and situations that are positive and safe. Find people who support rather than pressure you—and who also make their own red decisions when appropriate.
Bonus: Choosing red when appropriate strengthens the mental habit of making informed decisions and then standing strong in your truth. This, of course, helps you everywhere you go.

Yellow

Yellow is not good. It feels uncomfortable because you’re at risk both physically and emotionally. Here are some common yellow thoughts:
• I feel like I should do this, or I’m being pressured into doing this.
• I’m not committing to it. I’m in an uncomfortable limbo.
• I don’t feel good about this.
• When I imagine doing this thing, or I imagine making the go/no-go decision, I feel uncomfortable tension in my body.
• I guess I’ll take a chance.
• I hope this will be okay.
• Let’s see what happens.
• This drop scares me, but I guess I’ll try. I hope this goes well.
• I have to do this so I can [hang with my friends, win a race or any other external goal].
• Any time you feel awkward or unsure.
• Any time the word “maybe” comes into play.

Yellow is unclear and weak. It is the realm of second guessing and unemphatic execution. This is where most crashes and negative outcomes are born—doing things half-heartedly or half-committed. Any time you’re not sure it’s going to go well, but you decide to try anyway, you’re in yellow.

If you allow it, the wrong social group will pull you into yellow states.

Some groups have a culture of “we’re just trying out here” and “no matter what we do, we suck.” I used to coach a group who called themselves Mere Mortals. That was the yellowest group of riders I’ve ever seen. They had the sense to be careful physically, but they were hurting themselves emotionally. My friends in the group were stuck until they moved on.

On the other end of the spectrum, some crews outwardly express confidence but don’t have the skills, fitness or self-efficacy to back it up. Way down inside they are as frail as the Mere Mortals, but they hide behind bravado. These people succeed in hurting themselves—and each other—both emotionally and physically.

Yellow feels like any flavor of tension, fear, despair, anxiety, apprehension or fear. It’s that heaviness you feel when “should” settles into your belly. Learn to recognize the sensations of being in yellow and shift to red or green. See below.

Anti-bonus: Operating in a yellow state strengthens the mental habit of doing things halfway and apologetically. That becomes your default mental state—and that’s no way to live or ride.

Green

Green is fantastic. Green is a “heck yes!”
• I know how to do this.
• I want to do this.
• I’m doing it without tension, doubt, or regret.
• I can’t wait to ride that part of the trail.
• I feel good about the decision.

Green is clear and powerful.

Green means 100 percent go. Green creates more fun, more safety, and more joy. This is where play and creativity happen. Growth happens here.

Bonus: When you operate in green states, you strengthen the habit of making informed decisions and then executing at your highest level. You bring your full power and ability with no apologies. This is a powerful skill both on and off the bike.

Try to stay out of yellow

Every time you do anything—carving a corner or taking a test—you build a habit into your nervous system that will subconsciously come out the next time you do that thing (or any thing that resembles that thing).

The habit you built includes every aspect of what you did with your body and your mind. This is one reason it’s important to practice good riding technique. It’s an even bigger reason to practice sureness. A hard no (red) is perfectly fine. A hard yes (green) is also perfectly fine. Any sort of maybe (yellow) is not fine. Not only will your physical execution be so-so, your mindset will be apologetic and full of self doubt. I don’t know anyone who needs more practice at self-doubt.

If you are scared and tense when you ride loose, flat corners, the next time you enter one, you’ll most likely bring a yellow mindset. This guarantees a result somewhere between mediocre and terrible. Any other result is luck. Whether or not you get lucky, you’re going to solidify that yellow mindset when you’re cornering.

That’s bad enough, but this is way worse:
Your inner emotional systems don’t know the difference between cornering, taking tests, asking for a raise, or approaching someone you want to meet. If you’ve practiced a yellow mindset on the bike, under very high stress, guess what will pop up when you’re off the bike, under very high stress?
Yep. Yellow.

And, everything you do in your life will end up with results between mediocre and terrible.
Bonus: This works both ways. The more you practice red and green mindsets off the bike, the more likely they will appear on your bike. If something isn’t a “heck yes!,” it’s a “no.” All maybes round to no—full no or full go.

Editor’s note: Lee McCormack is a world-renowned mountain bike skills instructor, personal performance coach and motivational speaker. His books, articles, videos, and classes have helped millions of people ride and live better. You can learn with Lee via his Lee Likes Bikes MTB School, in a live class and in a Zoom lesson. Learn more at www.leelikesbikes.com. Follow Lee Likes Bikes on YouTube and Instagram.

Be sure to check out the rest of Lee’s Appetite for Instruction stories on the Hinge, the essentials of cornering parts one, two, three and how to properly brake on a mountain bike.