Spirit Fingers: Want To Corner Like A Pro? Part 2

On 07/30/2023

Here is Part 2 of Brad Lowery’s article on SPIRIT FINGERS. This is a more detailed break down of the benefits and objectives of this drill for all you nerds out there!

Here is a link to Part 1 of this article in case you missed it.

Article:

If you’re familiar with the BetterRide curriculum then you’ll know the cornering cues can be broken down like this:

Vision: most important always, look through the corner to where you want to go
Body position: balanced and relaxed
1. 1. 1. All your weight on the pedals
    2. Hinge! Chest and back flat
    3. Elbows up and out
    4. Counter Pressure
    5. Stay above the bike (don’t lean with the bike)
BLLR:
1. 1. 1. BRAKE in a straight line before the corner,
    2. LOOK through the corner,
    3. LEAN* the bike (not your body) by counter-pressuring,
    4. RELEASE* the brake, and roll through

*Note: Lean and Release should happen at the same time. We don’t want to be braking to cut speed while leaning the bike.
When working on a cornering drill, even on flat ground with plenty of traction that can be a lot to keep up with.
You probably don’t realize how much your grip on the bars is interfering with your cornering, but it can really throw off your balance and your bike’s ability to corner the way it was designed to. And it only gets worse on the trail when things get rougher.

SPIRIT FINGERS to the rescue!

Let’s break down the benefits and objectives of this drill:

Primary Gains:
1. 1. 1. No death grip: hands will be nice and relaxed
    2. No weight in the hands: all your weight will be in balance on your outside pedal
    3. Feel it: You’ll really be able to feel and hear how your bike wants to lean and carve a turn rather than be steered
Secondary Gains:
1. 1. 1. Heels Dropped: Forces you to drop your heels which gets you locked in, low and stable
    2. Hinged: You will naturally hinge more to find balance which puts you in a strong position
    3. Outside Foot Dropped: No more mixing this up, you can ONLY do this with the outside foot dropped and you don’t have to think. It will happen automatically
    4. Weight OVER the bike (the goal of body/bike separation)
    5. Braking Done Early: Since you’ll be cornering without your fingers on the bars you won’t be able to brake in the corner.
      This will really ingrain the correct behavior of on the brakes BEFORE the corner and then off IN the corner

Let’s have a look: (color-coded)

How to Progress:

Even with the Spirit Fingers drill, you can still cheat a little bit by having too much weight in your palms. Once you’ve gotten comfortable with the previous drill from SPIRIT FINGERS Part 1, you can take it a step further by sliding your hands back off the bar so you’re resting on your proximal phalanges or the first bone in your fingers.Your fingers will be more sensitive to pressure and provide you with better feedback if you are “cheating”.
The goal here is to reduce pressure in your fingers from the handlebars to zero.
This position will still give you plenty of control on smooth surfaces to counter pressure while ensuring you will be in the most balanced position.

2. If you are really feeling comfortable with this and want to accentuate the feeling of weight in your outside foot, you can gently lift your inside foot above the pedal as you go through the corner.

The goal is to have no weight on the inside foot, BUT taking your foot off the pedal is unnecessary.

Hovering over it is fine to achieve this. If you can do this you will really FEEL the weight in the OUTSIDE pedal and the counter pressure in the handlebars. This will also make sure you are directly OVER the top of the bike.

This requires A LOT of balance so work up to it slowly. This will complete the feedback loop for the best cornering body position AND help you feel and hear the grip you’ve created in the tires as they carve up the ground.

3. Once you’ve got this nailed, find a hill with a mild pitch. Set up some cones like a slalom course and work through it with the BLLR steps + 1 extra in this order:

BRAKE hard before you start your turn
LOOK through the corner and the next few corners/cones
LEAN + RELEASE x 2: REMEMBER: these all happen at the same time. Here we are adding a second RELEASE which are your fingers gripping the bars. As soon as you have finished cutting speed braking, release the brake and open up your hand into the SPIRIT FINGER position.
Tip: Parking garage ramps work great for this and provide lots of traction!
4. If you are really feeling that extra grip you’re creating with this drill you can put it to work on some new terrain! I suggest starting with a flat gravel parking lot at first then working your way up from there. I like to practice this on flat and banked corners on my local trails, just make sure they are smooth so you don’t risk your handlebars getting knocked around.

Time to take it to the trail!

Before starting down any descent or technical section you may recall the tip to bounce a little in your feet to get centered and balanced. Spirit Fingers is a great compliment to this!

While bouncing slightly on the balls of your feet, pay attention to the weight/ pressure of your hands on the bars. Try to open (slightly) and relax your grip while doing this at the start of your descent.

If you do it often enough you’ll begin to notice immediately when you are out of balance. This is a great way to “reset” while on the trail and get yourself quickly back into balance.

When riding a trail I feel really comfortable on, especially flowy green and blue trails, I love to practice this.

While I rarely do full Spirit Hands on the trail in case the bars get knocked around, I do attempt to replicate the FEELING. By loosening your grip and resetting your balance before every corner or technical section, you can achieve the same results!

I recently tried this on one of my local trails with lots of corners and I realized something awesome. Not only did this little reset get me back in balance but it put me into the Flow State immediately! I was working with the bike and it was effortless. The grip I was able to create felt incredible. By the time I got to the end, I was hooting and hollering out loud because it just felt so good! Get out and give it a try!

Please share this article with anyone you think may benefit and feel free to call or e-mail with any questions.

Thanks and create your best ride yet,
Gene

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Rider Reviews

Thanks again, you were a great part of my succees for 2005. I had the best year of my life. Part of which at the age of 52, I entered numerous mtn bike races, podiumed 5 times and won the Texas Mountain Bike Racing Association series for my division.

Your instruction, professsionalism and emails went above and beyond all expectations.

Kent Wells
2016

Thanks Coach Gene for your time the last 2 days! Your coaching is spot on! I’m so lucky to have had the chance to spend this time learning from the most passionate mountain biker out there – one who cares about the sport and all the techniques that go into it! Total respect! That’s all I have to say! If anyone is questioning or “thinking” about signing up for his camp- DON’T , just do! Thank you Gene!!!!

Gretchen Wavro

This was by far the best use of both money and time in regards to my mountain bike training.
Its 3 days of my life I will never forget.

Jim, BetterRide Camper

The results are starting to trickle in as I have the time to ride some of my local rides that I track my times on. I’m astonished!

My descending time from the summit of Chimney Gulch to the Beaver Brook cross over dropped from a personal best of 6:51.0 to 5:46.0, for the bottom section it went from a personal best of 13:42.0 to 10:12.2. Considering that I really haven’t had enough time to practice a lot yet, I’m stunned at the improvement. I can also say that I felt more in control than I used to and I cleaned a section I’ve never had the balls to even try before.

Again Gene, I can’t thank you enough. The camp was great. Your ability to break skills down into digestible parts, watch riders and help them refine techniques, your humility and sense of humor make you a world class coach. I’ll be taking your next level two clinic this year and probably a refresher next year.”

Mark Forgy
Expert XC racer, Mountain Bike Fanatic

Just wanted to give you an update and let you know that I am starting to experience the delayed effects of your camp. I knew when the camp ended that I was leaving with some new skills that were helpful immediately. But I also knew there were other skills that were going to take more practice, patience and time. Well, I’m starting to see them.

I’ve been practicing descending the way you instructed us but until the last couple of weeks, I knew I was still faster descending the way I always had – I was just more comfortable that way. But in the last couple of weeks, it all kind of clicked.

I’m not winning any downhill races – yet – but all of a sudden (and it really did seem to happen pretty suddenly) your techniques took over and instead of just using them at low speeds only when I thought about it, I was using them all over the trails and feeling pretty comfortable. Now I find myself only reverting to my old techniques when I come into a corner already off balance. Anyway, thanks, it’s a great feeling – can’t wait to use them on race courses this year!

Sarah Kaufman
Top Pro Endurance Racer

I just wanted to let you know that I’ve had big improvements in my racing this year after taking the betteride course (about 10 minutes improvement from last year). I got 2nd place in the beginner category at Eldora, then placed 15th out of 35 in the Sport category at Winterpark in my first ‘sport race’. I passed people on the downhill for the first time in these two races, and am feeling much more confident on the downhills (I hit 31.5 mph max on a tight singletrack in the Eldora race).

Jonathan Jones

Tonight was the first night of practice cyclocross races. The cornering techniques I learned in you camp last weekend rock on the cross bike. I was able to carry speed through the corners and off cambers that I could only dream of last year!

I actually found myself cranking up the speed before the corners instead of braking. Nobody else is using this technique. I found my self keeping pace with stronger riders just on cornering skill alone. Imagine after I’ve a had a few weeks to practice.

I had best time of my life on a mountain bike at your camp, and look forward to doing another one next spring.

Chris Cornelison
September 24, 2010

I took your Neshaminy clinic in June. I wanted to fill you in on my race results. I raced all season in the Midatlantic Super Series in Women’s Sport. I won the overall championship! I am so happy that I won! I will be moving up to Elite next year.

I’ve been doing the drills you taught for 20 minutes, twice a week. I almost always preride my race courses. I work on hard sections to figure out the best lines. Since the clinic, I have noticed that my balance has improved tremendously.

So, Gene… thank you for the clinic. I still tell all my riding buddies about it. Especially how you break down the mechanics of everything that you teach. I let them know how you explain the physics behind the techniques. I tell them that the learning environment you provide is the perfect way to learn something, practice it, and really get it. I’d love to do a refresher course.

Angie Wallace
September 15, 2009

Attending Gene’s camp in Sedona was one of the best decisions that I’ve ever made. You can read skills articles and watch the youtube videos all day, but these will never engrain the skills needed to become a good mountain biker.

Gene’s course teaches you all of the primary skills, and then he drills them into you. You repeat these drills under his watchful eye until the become engrained. It’s been about 9 months since I attended the course and I still hear Gene correcting me if I’m going about an obstacle or turn in the wrong position.

I still make every ride a learning experience because of what he taught, and my riding has improved immensely as a result. Thanks Gene!

Steven Peyton
August, 2018

Just wanted to show you what your lessons made me do this past weekend! If you click on the photo or link to the photo album look through the album and on the 2nd page, bottom row, there’s a great shot of me doing what you taught me to do with my elbows-totally Brian Lopes style.

I was impressed to see myself doing that-a big change in my riding style and I know it’ll make me faster in the long run.

So thanks and I may have some time coming up where I can make it to one of your camps-I’ll let you know.

Amanda Riley, Kenda, Titus, Hayes Team
Winners of 2008, 24 hours of Old Pubelo

Thanks again for holding the camp last weekend. I was finally able to get out and ride yesterday on the falcon trail (loop that goes around the Air Force Academy). There are two sections that I have had problems with in the past. One is a tight turn with two drop offs that are oddly spaced and the landing slopes off into some bushes. I’ve ridden the trail a dozen times and walked that section most times. Once I tried it and endo‘ed into the bushes. When I rode it yesterday, I cleared it with confidence.

I kept repeating to myself “Do or Do Not – There Is No Try” I relaxed, saw the line I wanted to take, found my balance and went through the section very controlled – it was great!

The next section is a steep switchback climb with a ton of sand. I have never made that turn, although I have tried to every time I’ve ridden the trail. This time I approached the switchback using the techniques and strategy you taught us. The result – made it! No problem!

The last thing I noticed is that the whole ride was smoother. I focused primarily on the vision techniques – and body position skills. The ride felt slower than what I normally ride, but it was actually six minutes faster! Absolutely amazing!
Brad
Oct. 8, 2008 (5 days after his 3-day coaching session)

My son took your camp in winter park at age 14. He is 16 and just completed the Laramie Epic (30 miles) last weekend. He placed 2 in the age bracket 0-29. He continues to use your techniques and tips. Smooth is fast! Your worksheets are worn out and weathered from continued use! Worth it….you bet!!!

Sheila Palmer
July 2019

Your camp gave me the confidence to go out and try a few races this summer. My first race was in the beginner 40 to 45 age class in the “Point to Point” cross country race in Winter Park. While I certainly did not break any records – I at least had a respectable finish and more importantly had a total blast.

My second race was a Super D (much more my style in that there is MUCH less uphill cranking) at Winter Park where I got a second place finish in my age group. 3rd race was a Mountain States Cup Super D race in Copper where I came in tenth. Again no records but still having a total blast.

My friends the same age as me think I am crazy doing this stuff but I think they are crazy to be sitting on their arses. Again, thank you for giving me the confidence to go out there and try some racing and hopefully in the near future I will be in another one of your camps!

Will Edgington
September, 2009

Thanks for the e-mail. By the way, after completing your camp in Arizona, I dropped 5 minutes off my previous best lap time at the 12 hours of Temecula mountain bike race (59 to 54 minutes). Obviously, this was a significant breakthrough.

I’ve also noticed that by being a smoother and more efficient rider and by decoupling my body from the bike, I exert less energy and travel faster. “Looking to victory” works like a charm. Most importantly, the basic skills I was exposed to in your camp (and continue to develop) have made mountain biking more enjoyable.

Keith
January 2008

I’ve been wanting to pass on a personal success story. I participated in my first mountain bike race in Copper Harbor, MI. I placed 6th in my age group (over 6 min. behind 3rd place) on a very technical course. Considering the field, I was happy with the results.

My goal after the BetterRide camp was to be in the top 3 in the same race with a similar field. With my new found skills I placed 1st this time with 2nd place over 7 min. behind. I tore it up! Thanks, I’m always telling people that no matter how much they think they know how to ride a mountain bike, they owe it to themselves to attend one of your camps. A year later I still practice my skills every time I’m out.

BTW, a while back you suggested some reading material. I chose Body, Mind Mastery by Dan Millman. (in audio book form). Not only do I feel it helped my mountain bike skills with things like, how tension is counter productive and how the “opponent is not the enemy, but instead the teacher” it also helped me in my own personal life. Good recommendation!
Keep up the good job.

Rich Schmit
April 2011

Gene and fellow BetterRiders!
I have been smiling all day long today, thinking about our rad weekend together! I taught 4 of my kids how to do wheelies today and they thought I was super cool for a solid 5 minutes until they had it completely mastered and were smoking past my on their rear wheels.

Thank you forever, Gene, for sharing your passion and deciding to teach. An empowering, motivating, completely exhilarating weekend. I feel like a little kid on Christmas morning with my new toy. It was a total honor to cross paths with you all!

Currently standing on one leg while I brush my teeth and dictate this email…
Jen

Friends took the 3 day a while ago and really enjoyed it.

I didn’t think I was ready for that but I hired him privately for most of a day. Best experience going. It helped my skiing also. Eyes, eyes and balance via movement on the bike.

Steamboat in the rain…..

John Rostenbur

MTB Skills Camp in Fraser, CO. It was amazing. Phenomenal skills coach, Coach Gene Hamilton, literally broke down the fundamentals of mountain biking in 3 days. Super fun fellow campers. Enjoyed every bit.

Now I need to practice and strengthen some new neural circuits. If you want to improve your MTB skills, no matter your level, take a course from Better Ride.
Patricia George

Thank you, Gene! I thoroughly enjoyed your skills camp. One of the most effective learning environments I have experienced to date. Now it is all about due diligence!

I am interested in a “day with Gene in Moab” and future course offerings.

Ryan Bertram

Gene, The first thing I did was buy some cones. My drive way is pretty steep so can do switch backs there. My pedal wheelies are coming along. Yesterday I had a bit of a breakthrough ride with my vision. On a ride with some small drop offs I realized by using the vision technique I was more balanced, more comfortable and jumped further without trying.

That was the best clinic I have ever done. Thanks for the reading list. I’ve read a number of those books but I now have more to read.

Don Leet