** 60 Second Science ** Keeping it Simple isn't Stupid!
Hardly a day goes by without me opening up RU-vid to discover yet another 'what you learned was all wrong' video from a motorcycle 'influencer'. Or since I'm a motorcycle coach, the implication is "what you teach is all wrong". A great example is the current fad for videos that say: "forget braking in a straight line, learn to trail brake into corners instead".
Are these content creators right? Let's recall the "Keep It Simple, Stupid" principle, KISS. The acronym appears to have been coined by the US Navy, but the concept that most systems - designing a website, playing football, or riding a motorcycle - work best if they are kept simple has been around for centuries.
We all want to be better riders, but all to often we're told that 'more complex' equals 'more skillful'. The legendary Netherlands soccer player Johan Cruyff certainly didn't think so. He said: "playing football is very simple but playing simple football is the hardest thing there is". If you don't know who he was, search out some videos of him playing.
Here are some great reasons to master the basics - throttle and brake control, counter-steering and the ability to pick a line around a corner - before trying the tricky stuff.
First, getting the basics right is a huge confidence booster, and not just for beginning riders either. Struggling with over-complicated techniques can really knock the confidence of even an experienced biker - I've taken a number back to basics and they were amazed at how their riding improved.
Secondly, keeping it simple means we're less likely to make errors. Consider the results of losing traction when braking into a corner compared with a front wheel slide when upright. Modern ABS may save a crash, but it's a hell of a distraction when it kicks in.
Third, attention to complex riding techniques means focus we don't have for our riding environment. Too many riders are so keyed into what the bike's doing, they lose track of where it's going.
None of this is saying "don't try to get better". What I am saying is find the right balance between simple and complex. Think before believing everything on RU-vid. And don't fall into the trap that believing that the more complex is automatically more skillful. Remember Johann Cruyff, one of the world's greatest ever footballers.
=============================
ENJOYED THIS VIDEO?
NEW - SUPPORT ME ON PATREON patreon.com/SurvivalSkills837
Find the earlier videos in the 60 SECOND SAFETY series
#60secondsafety on my RU-vid channel at:
/ survivalskillsuk
Discover the TRAINING COURSES at
www.survivalskillsridertraining.co.uk
ONLINE COACHING available too
Get even more SUPPORTER & SUBSCRIBER CONTENT
in the archive at:
www.ko-fi.com/survivalskills
VIDEO CREDITS
PHOTO CREDITS
Photos by BPCraddock from Pixabay, Nasonov 13 on Goodfon.com
MUSIC CREDIT
King Around Here / Alex Grohl
==============================
15 сен 2024
