Yes. Whenever I see a rider, I can always tell how good of a rider they are by observing the way they use their Directional Control and vision. In Moto Gymkhana, the masters have incredible control over their head and eyes.
Zenzei! THANK YOU for the class! Today I just did my very first GYMKHANA practice of ongoing circles and number eight. Having a honda cgl 125 the turning circle its super fast and agile! Scary!! Checking on tires how much the bike drops. Lots to learn and practice on this highly intense motorsport which comes perfect for low budgets and without big accidents or fatalities! LOVING IT Cheers!!
Hello again!! Alex I've noticed you do some different head turns when performing 360° circles - it's like you move it from one side to another while doing the circles. Also, I regularly see gymkhana pros waiting to turn their heads, until they basically lean the bike in the turn. They're not quite looking ahead all the time. I hope this makes sense. Why's this and what benefits it may have? Thanks a lot!
Great observation. I also noticed the peculiar head turns when I started studying Moto Gymkhana. Takayoshi Sajkuta is especially skilled with these types of head turns. As far as I can tell, for me, the head turn timing has a lot to do with 1) Balance and 2) Dizziness. When approaching a turn, I like to delay the head turn until the bar starts to turn during "The Magic Moment". This helps me to feel more balanced as I begin to rotate around the turn. Because Directional Control is so powerful, if I turn my head too early, I feel like the bike turns too quickly and I feel unbalanced during the point of the turn at which I am at the deepest lean angle and the lowest speed. If I delay the head turn just a bit, it helps me to feel more stable and confident as I lean deeper into the turn. But I also try not to delay it too much because If I do, the turn widens and I lose time and speed around the corner. I was having issues with that before and now I have found a happy medium. Now, of course, this DOES NOT apply to all rider and bike combinations. Some excellent riders like Takashi Tominaga (the fastest on the planet) does not use this style of head turn and simply turns the head naturally and smoothly as he rounds the cone. Every rider is different and what works for Sakuta-San might not work for everyone. Study those two riders and see what works best for you. Also, the delayed head turns can help with dizziness during full rotation turns. This is an easy concept to understand if you check out videos on TH-cam about a ballet technique called "Spotting". Check this example out: th-cam.com/video/88bsYB9i6Mc/w-d-xo.html There are many instructional videos on TH-cam about this technique so check it out. The same principles apply. It's always great to draw ideas and concepts from other art forms and modify them for motorcycles :) I hope this answers your questions. Let me know if you have any others.
@@LexcoMotoGymkhana as always Alex, thank you for your detailed explanation. I'll definitely check those 2 riders you suggested. On the other hand, I do relate to Diziness here, as I've always suffered from it when performing self 360° rotations and similar movements which, of course includes U & tight turns in Moto Gymkhana. "Spotting" technique from ballet has been an eye-opener of an advice for me, so I thank you one more time for that, I am going to be trying it in my very next gymkhana session. I'll stay in touch - I'm a curious cat especially with what I love to do. One last question for the time being, Do you consider that Moto Gymkhana has helped you improve in the twisty roads with downhills, etc? Cheers,
Hey mate hope you are well. Thank you so much for your vids. Why is it alot of the top riders aren't "looking where they want to go" i see them keep their heads straight then turning their head mid or end of the turn? Thank you mate🤙
Thanks for your question. Head turn timing is a very personal thing and is all about personal preference. Some people turn their heads earlier and smoothly like Takashi Tominaga while others, like Takayoshi Sakuta, wait until what I call "The Magic Moment" to turn their heads and when they turn their heads, they do it in a sharp and quick motion. This is because certain riders feel more balanced mid corner if they delay their head turns until "The Magic Moment". If you are not familiar with what "The Magic Moment" is, my Level 2 videos explain the idea. Besides feeling a little more balanced mid corner, delaying the head turn also help sync up the movements between your head/shoulders and the handlebars. So it streamlines and unifies the movements of the body and the motorcycle, so you become one with the bike and can flow better around a turn. But it's totally up to you what style to use. I always suggest that you watch your favorite riders and try what they do. Stick with what feels right and balanced. You can always take certain elements from different riders and combine them into your own unique style and timing. "Be your own teacher" is what I always say. Hope this helps and thanks for watching :)
Hi Alexis, in some of your practice videos and in the gymkhana masters playlist, the rider does a 90 degree head turn 4 times when doing a circle around a cone. What are the benefits of this approach versus constant head turn looking ahead and around when riding the circle? Thanks.
Great question. I also noticed that when I first started learning Moto Gymkhana. My Favorite rider, Takayoshi Sakuta, does that head turn technique very well. I'm planning on doing a full video on this topic when I do Level 3 Techniques but I can give you some brief thoughts. To be fully honest, I still don't know 100% why the pro's do it, however, I have added this style of head turns to my own riding and have noticed a few things. 1: It helps with timing. Moto Gymkhana is very rhythmic and anything that you can do to develop your timing will help you to ride with consistency. This is why I always try to turn my head at the same, specific point in the turns. 2: It helps with balance and Directional Control. There is a moment in the tight U-Turn where you will feel like you are falling down to the ground as your centrifugal force begins to diminish. Right before this moment, your handlebars will turn into the direction you want to go (if you are using Self-Steering) and that moment of self steering is usually when I turn my head as I begin to fall towards the ground and smoothly begin to roll on the throttle. I know this sounds complicated but when I do the video on this topic, I will try to explain further. And reason 3: It just looks cool! Lol. Hope this answers your question a little bit :)
P.S. Many pro Gymkhana riders use the normal approach of just turning your head as you turn. Actually, the fastest rider in Japan, Takashi Tominaga, does it the normal way. I've seen many variations on head turns. So I just wanted to add that doing fancy head turns is totally not necessary but just personal preference. Do what feels right and what helps you ride better :)
Lexco Moto Gymkhana thank you. I will work on developing a rhythm first. Will stick to standard head turns, and work towards getting tighter turns around the cones as you explained in your video. As for self-steering I did not quite understand it from Mr. Kintaro’s video playlist, will need to rewatch it a couple of times. Is self-steering used a lot in moto gymkhana?
Yes, Self Steering is used a lot in Gymkhana, especially bikes with a sportier body position (Sport, Naked, Standard Bikes). Once you get to my Level 2 Series, I have 3 videos focusing on Self Steering. I get pretty in depth on how it works. You'll get there, Brotha! :)
this lesson be super useful, because it improves ones field of vision, it is hard to acquaint for beginners, but only veterans really master it.
Yes. Whenever I see a rider, I can always tell how good of a rider they are by observing the way they use their Directional Control and vision. In Moto Gymkhana, the masters have incredible control over their head and eyes.
Zenzei! THANK YOU for the class!
Today I just did my very first GYMKHANA practice of ongoing circles and number eight.
Having a honda cgl 125 the turning circle its super fast and agile!
Scary!! Checking on tires how much the bike drops.
Lots to learn and practice on this highly intense motorsport which comes perfect for low budgets and without big accidents or fatalities!
LOVING IT
Cheers!!
Domo Arigato!
Ah cool your the guy with the 300 ninja,i ride a cbr 250r.I love small bikes.
Me too! So light and easy to use. Lots of fun.
Fast Eddie sent me over.
Happy to have you!
Hello again!! Alex I've noticed you do some different head turns when performing 360° circles - it's like you move it from one side to another while doing the circles.
Also, I regularly see gymkhana pros waiting to turn their heads, until they basically lean the bike in the turn. They're not quite looking ahead all the time. I hope this makes sense. Why's this and what benefits it may have?
Thanks a lot!
Great observation. I also noticed the peculiar head turns when I started studying Moto Gymkhana. Takayoshi Sajkuta is especially skilled with these types of head turns. As far as I can tell, for me, the head turn timing has a lot to do with 1) Balance and 2) Dizziness.
When approaching a turn, I like to delay the head turn until the bar starts to turn during "The Magic Moment". This helps me to feel more balanced as I begin to rotate around the turn. Because Directional Control is so powerful, if I turn my head too early, I feel like the bike turns too quickly and I feel unbalanced during the point of the turn at which I am at the deepest lean angle and the lowest speed. If I delay the head turn just a bit, it helps me to feel more stable and confident as I lean deeper into the turn. But I also try not to delay it too much because If I do, the turn widens and I lose time and speed around the corner. I was having issues with that before and now I have found a happy medium. Now, of course, this DOES NOT apply to all rider and bike combinations. Some excellent riders like Takashi Tominaga (the fastest on the planet) does not use this style of head turn and simply turns the head naturally and smoothly as he rounds the cone. Every rider is different and what works for Sakuta-San might not work for everyone. Study those two riders and see what works best for you.
Also, the delayed head turns can help with dizziness during full rotation turns. This is an easy concept to understand if you check out videos on TH-cam about a ballet technique called "Spotting". Check this example out: th-cam.com/video/88bsYB9i6Mc/w-d-xo.html
There are many instructional videos on TH-cam about this technique so check it out. The same principles apply. It's always great to draw ideas and concepts from other art forms and modify them for motorcycles :)
I hope this answers your questions. Let me know if you have any others.
@@LexcoMotoGymkhana as always Alex, thank you for your detailed explanation. I'll definitely check those 2 riders you suggested.
On the other hand, I do relate to Diziness here, as I've always suffered from it when performing self 360° rotations and similar movements which, of course includes U & tight turns in Moto Gymkhana. "Spotting" technique from ballet has been an eye-opener of an advice for me, so I thank you one more time for that, I am going to be trying it in my very next gymkhana session.
I'll stay in touch - I'm a curious cat especially with what I love to do.
One last question for the time being,
Do you consider that Moto Gymkhana has helped you improve in the twisty roads with downhills, etc?
Cheers,
Hey mate hope you are well. Thank you so much for your vids.
Why is it alot of the top riders aren't "looking where they want to go" i see them keep their heads straight then turning their head mid or end of the turn?
Thank you mate🤙
Thanks for your question. Head turn timing is a very personal thing and is all about personal preference. Some people turn their heads earlier and smoothly like Takashi Tominaga while others, like Takayoshi Sakuta, wait until what I call "The Magic Moment" to turn their heads and when they turn their heads, they do it in a sharp and quick motion. This is because certain riders feel more balanced mid corner if they delay their head turns until "The Magic Moment". If you are not familiar with what "The Magic Moment" is, my Level 2 videos explain the idea.
Besides feeling a little more balanced mid corner, delaying the head turn also help sync up the movements between your head/shoulders and the handlebars. So it streamlines and unifies the movements of the body and the motorcycle, so you become one with the bike and can flow better around a turn. But it's totally up to you what style to use. I always suggest that you watch your favorite riders and try what they do. Stick with what feels right and balanced. You can always take certain elements from different riders and combine them into your own unique style and timing. "Be your own teacher" is what I always say.
Hope this helps and thanks for watching :)
@@LexcoMotoGymkhana thank you so much for the reply man! Appreciate all the information 🤙 be safe
So you're not using the clutch here?
Correct. No clutch.
Hi Alexis, in some of your practice videos and in the gymkhana masters playlist, the rider does a 90 degree head turn 4 times when doing a circle around a cone. What are the benefits of this approach versus constant head turn looking ahead and around when riding the circle? Thanks.
Great question. I also noticed that when I first started learning Moto Gymkhana. My Favorite rider, Takayoshi Sakuta, does that head turn technique very well. I'm planning on doing a full video on this topic when I do Level 3 Techniques but I can give you some brief thoughts. To be fully honest, I still don't know 100% why the pro's do it, however, I have added this style of head turns to my own riding and have noticed a few things. 1: It helps with timing. Moto Gymkhana is very rhythmic and anything that you can do to develop your timing will help you to ride with consistency. This is why I always try to turn my head at the same, specific point in the turns. 2: It helps with balance and Directional Control. There is a moment in the tight U-Turn where you will feel like you are falling down to the ground as your centrifugal force begins to diminish. Right before this moment, your handlebars will turn into the direction you want to go (if you are using Self-Steering) and that moment of self steering is usually when I turn my head as I begin to fall towards the ground and smoothly begin to roll on the throttle. I know this sounds complicated but when I do the video on this topic, I will try to explain further. And reason 3: It just looks cool! Lol. Hope this answers your question a little bit :)
P.S. Many pro Gymkhana riders use the normal approach of just turning your head as you turn. Actually, the fastest rider in Japan, Takashi Tominaga, does it the normal way. I've seen many variations on head turns. So I just wanted to add that doing fancy head turns is totally not necessary but just personal preference. Do what feels right and what helps you ride better :)
Lexco Moto Gymkhana thank you. I will work on developing a rhythm first. Will stick to standard head turns, and work towards getting tighter turns around the cones as you explained in your video. As for self-steering I did not quite understand it from Mr. Kintaro’s video playlist, will need to rewatch it a couple of times. Is self-steering used a lot in moto gymkhana?
Yes, Self Steering is used a lot in Gymkhana, especially bikes with a sportier body position (Sport, Naked, Standard Bikes). Once you get to my Level 2 Series, I have 3 videos focusing on Self Steering. I get pretty in depth on how it works. You'll get there, Brotha! :)
Lexco Moto Gymkhana Perfect!