Wednesday How to Tip - Focus & Flow: The Zen of Motocross 
by Mike Fraser
28 April 2004

When people meet me they quickly learn two things about me. One, I love to ride motorbikes. Second, I love martial arts.




I have been training in martial arts since I was 9 years old. Any and all sports skills I have learned stem from my martial arts training. I now have the privilege of being able to teach others those same lessons every week. A few nights a week I teach Kenpo Karate at Twin Dragon Kenpo Karate in Bedford (next to ProTech Suspension), mainly to Halifax Police officers, but many other people from different walks of life as well.

"Yeah, that's nice Mike. What does this have to do with Motocross?"

Good question. Focus and Flow are at the heart of martial arts and just about every other sport imaginable. The lessons of total focus and flow are the same in motocross as well.

Focus is complete attention to the execution of a skill.

Flow is the state of being completely engrossed in the execution of a performance to the exclusion of everything else.

When you are in a state of flow, focusing intensely on the execution of skills, you will give your best performances. You enter a mental and physical state of in which emotion, distraction, and different stresses simply no longer distract you. You execute skills just as you have trained to execute them. In martial arts this is called Zen. It is total uninterrupted concentration with only one thing in your mind, total physical and mental immersion in your activity. Acting with "One Mind".

So how do you enter into this state of total concentration and achieve Zen like flow?

The simplest and quickest way is mental imagery. When I used to compete in tournaments starting the a few nights before an event I would take some time each night and close my eyes and imagine different situations and how I would react. Basically, rehearsing in my mind. I would do this each night and on the day of the tournament. This mental rehearsal, although it may sound unusual, would increase my reaction time and execution of techniques.

Did I always win? No, you can't "ALWAYS" win. Even Ricky Carmicheal loses once and a while. But I did perform much better than I would have had I not done this, and I did go on to win some of the competitions I entered.

This last Sunday, I woke early and went to our local practice track with a friend of mine; 10 time Canadian surfing champion and 21st world ranked surfer, and now beginner motocrosser JD Patterson. JD and I ride together quite a bit. This particular morning, JD unloaded his bike, started it up, and went right out on to the track. Within about 2 laps he swapped out, crashed, and lost his focus for the day. I say this not to discredit JD, he is a good rider and is as smooth in the dirt as he is out in the ocean. But he didn't stop to gather himself and get his mind focused on riding before jumping on the bike.

I, on the other hand, stopped and told myself to get focused. I did a bit of stretching and then I sat on the tail gate of the truck and closed my eyes for a few minutes . I spent the next 5 - 7 minutes getting my mind ready for what I was about to do...ride as hard as I could. I pictured myself hitting and landing each jump on the track. Reminding myself mentally of body position, braking, weighting the outside pegs, keeping my elbows up, and squeezing the bike with my knees. I imagined myself on the bike and in my mind riding the track the way I wanted to ride the track. Feeling the emotions of confidence, self- assurance, and single mental focus. Actually feeling what each jump, landing, and corner would feel like and how I wanted them to feel as I rode the track. I became, in my mind, totally immersed in riding.

Now I know this may sound like a waste of time and silly, but when I was done after about 5 - 7 minutes, I got on my YZ250F and began my routine slow practice lap. By the second lap I figuratively flipped the switch in my mind and went into game mode. I went around the track faster than I have ever done and hit every jump on the track, even the ones I was previously scared of. I was riding hard and was focused, without distraction from what I was doing. I was "in the zone".

I knew I was riding better but I didn’t know how much better. JD came over to me after about ½ an hour and asked if I took a magic motocross pill last night. I asked him what he meant. He said he had never seen me ride like that, it was like my riding improved over night. I laughed and thought to myself that was a cool comment to hear. It made me feel good and boosted my ego a bit (which I think we can all use from time to time). I didn’t tell him what I did, but I knew that those 5 - 7 minutes I took to get myself ready made all the difference in the world.

I am not telling you this story to impress you. I am far from being a pro level rider. I tell you this to impress upon you the importance of taking time to mentally prepare for riding. Taking time to collect your thoughts, discard mental distractions, and get focused on the activity you are about to embark upon. This simple little activity will assist you in riding more than just jumping on the bike and going for it with an unabated "gung ho" attitude.

Kingston is coming in 5 days. The first race of the season. Start practicing in your mind your ride. Get yourself into a mental state of confidence and focus. On race day, take a few minutes and get your mind ready for the race. Your bike will follow your body, your body will only follow the mind. If your not mentally ready, your riding will ultimately suffer.

Train your mind to get into the “Zen of Motocross”.


Good Luck!

Mike