# Progress



## Ryan_T (Oct 18, 2011)

I've had those moments. Our body knows what to do, but the mind doesn't like it and freaks out. It's tough to let go.


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## The111 (Jan 12, 2011)

Nice. In many action sports, the first time I've done something new has been both unconscious and sometimes even unwilling. Often times I am debating in my head whether or not I should try it (a new trick, whatever), and my body just goes ahead and does it, as if to tell my brain to shut up. Great feeling.


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## KIRKRIDER (Mar 18, 2008)

Exactly that. Body knows what to do while mind is still thinking *IF* doing it or not.


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## wrathfuldeity (Oct 5, 2007)

Nice...As you progress the mind becomes waaaay to slow to react....loose your mind and become one with the force.


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## KIRKRIDER (Mar 18, 2008)

wrathfuldeity said:


> Nice...As you progress the mind becomes waaaay to slow to react....loose your mind and become one with the force.


Thanks.

I climbed for a lot longer than I have been riding. It's different, climbing you have to be in control, if you let go, shit happens, usually bad shit and really fast, but I managed to climb (hard enough) for 25+ years without an injury. I am trying to do the same snowboarding, but there you have much less time to "think" since you move at speed, and I always avoided stuff that could hurt me, because I rather ride tomorrow again and hit that powder chute than hitting that jump today and risk to get hurt. A bit chicken I know...but pain hurts a lot more past 40. Trust me.

But now I know the trick...and I loved that feeling, I Ollie the rock, retracted gears, jumped it and landed it. But I don't know how to ollie! if I try on a skateboard you will see what I mean, granted with the board attached it's easier..but still..who told my  knees how to ollie? All those snowboard movies, watched in a semi-sleep state are starting to pay off then...lol

And that Arbor is just a snow spaceship...it just glides trough anything...the snow was too messy for really good carves....but I remember laying down my cheek last season...damn that was fun.


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## wrathfuldeity (Oct 5, 2007)

Use your head to scope lines and evaluate if you got the skills and endurance to drop it and to ride 50 yards further down the hill as to avoid disaster or look for a pow slash. But anything less than 10 yards in front "has already happened" by the time you think. I also ride to ride another day, being 53 year old geezer with only 10 seasons into the addiction...but that doesn't mean you can't have fun and shit yourself every once in awhile.


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## Donutz (May 12, 2010)

Think of your conscious mind as a supervisor and your hindbrain as the worker. The supervisor can show the worker how to do something new, but there's a lot of 'conversation' and it goes very slow. Once the worker learns how to do it, it goes a lot faster. But the worker has very very limited decision-making capability. In fact the hindbrain is only capable of making decision-tree type decisions -- nothing that involves memory. And if the worker has to stop to talk to the supervisor, things slow way way down. But if the worker is taking care of things, the supervisor is just observing the results after the fact.

This is a pretty simplistic analogy, but it captures the essence of it. You need to train the part of your brain that handles reflexive processing. Once you've done that, things happen _way_ too fast for you to think about.


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## KIRKRIDER (Mar 18, 2008)

Donutz said:


> Think of your conscious mind as a supervisor and your hindbrain as the worker. The supervisor can show the worker how to do something new, but there's a lot of 'conversation' and it goes very slow. Once the worker learns how to do it, it goes a lot faster. But the worker has very very limited decision-making capability. In fact the hindbrain is only capable of making decision-tree type decisions -- nothing that involves memory. And if the worker has to stop to talk to the supervisor, things slow way way down. But if the worker is taking care of things, the supervisor is just observing the results after the fact.
> 
> This is a pretty simplistic analogy, but it captures the essence of it. You need to train the part of your brain that handles reflexive processing. Once you've done that, things happen _way_ too fast for you to think about.




That's a really great analogy. I agree, a lot of talking back and forth those two, and I feel that could lead the conversation toward different...methods or substances you can use to reduce that dialog to a minimum.
There is one global controller always alert, the instinct. Ready to send a well placed shot of adrenaline up your arms and legs when you really need to do something quick.
Riding IS such an instinctive activity...I love that feeling of letting go, especially when you know the terrain, and just enjoy. SO addictive.


@wrathfuldeity:

Absolutely yes. One of the most unforgettable memories was riding down the wave during my first times at Kwood...there's a spot where it is almost vertical for maybe 30 feet,it's totally fine, but that day I didn't know it was there, and I just found myself on it in a fantastic deep day. my balls went up my throat for the sudden bomb dive of my board and then I was screaming of joy speeding off at the bottom of it. It's really hard to get hurt there, unless you hit a huge block of iced snow, and you can have a blast every time...without a scratch.


*Only* 10 season? Pretty good...I am in my 4th year with a season pass (30, 40, 26 and just 1 day for this season)


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## KIRKRIDER (Mar 18, 2008)

Snowolf said:


> You will find that this kind of thing happens more often the longer you ride. Whether you realize it or not, we are always learning. Mostly by watching and doing. Most of the time we already have intellectually reasoned out how to do something before we ever actually try it. I find myself doing things while riding aggressively that I have never actually done but have seen done or maybe even had the intent to do but never worked up the courage of actually doing. The ability still rests with mind though; just generally the subconscious mind and when called on. The subconscious can process information much faster than you conscious mind can and it "instructs" your body to do the required thing without you even being aware of it.
> 
> Ironically, there may be a whole lot more truth in your comment about watching this shred flicks half asleep than you realize. Your conscious mind may not have been able to process the information, but your subconscious mind did and has much better and quicker recall. There are case studies of people learning languages while sleeping in fact.
> 
> Enjoy it, the more you ride the more this kind of thing will happen. Still listen to the conscious mind though and listen when fear is trying to alert you to be prudent.


Damn I should be able to keep up with J Jones and XDLR then..I watched Deeper about 50 times! I agree with you, a bit like learning a foreign language in your sleep. I saw those sequences so many times my body probably knows how to react to the unexpected better than my conscious mind. And of course fear is always keeping you on the safe side, inside your comfort zone.

YOUR comfort zone has to be pretty big with all the BC riding you do Wolf. When you scope a line you take note of all the dangers connected to your paste experiences like potential tree wells or slope grade or else...and then pick your line? You always ride the same area and you know it really well or you explore more?


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## KIRKRIDER (Mar 18, 2008)

ANother AH-HA moment yesterday. Two actually. Landed successfully a mid (side country -no- kicker) jump 3 times, and dropped a cornice that always scared me a bit. Good day.


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