Back in the late 90s at the height of his success, I was super fortunate to have Jeremy McGrath play a part in a movie I wrote and produced for The Disney Channel. One day while we were waiting around (as you do on film sets...endlessly) I asked him how he avoided injury so well while a lot of the other guys were getting hurt right and left. I'll never forget his answer, which I thought was really interesting. He said that he rides at 80% most of the time in Supercross. He was the man at the time, so he was able to do that and still win. He said if he needed to wick it up a little he would, but he hadn't really had to once he started crushing it all the time. I think this proves your point pretty well AJ. Here's the best guy on the planet at the time. And he's going 80%. You can't win anything if you're home on the couch playing video games. Isn't it better to ride at 80% of your ability and be able to stay out there all season long and not have to deal with surgery, recovery, aches and pains in the future? Anyway, just thought I would share. Thanks for all you do, guys. Love the channel. Love the Academy.
@@MotoXjunk Thank you bro.I really appreciate that! I'm actually really proud of that little movie. It was a chance to bring Moto to a whole new audience. I still watch it every once in a while. It's pretty cheesy but what movie wasn't at that time on the channel? LOL.
@douglassloan6831 kudos to you, that movie made my childhood. As a kid obsessed with dirt bikes but banned from them by my parents, that movie changed my life. Same with Johnny Tsunami as a kid whose family didn’t ski or snowboard.
@@WillGentry381 Bro you have no idea how great that is to hear. It's been decades but hearing that something I wrote meant something to you is so freaking awesome. I too was banned from dirt bikes as a kid. My parents were completely against them and as such, I never got to ride until I actually made that movie. The action director was a guy named David Barrett. He told me that if I wanted to understand what MX was about I needed to get out there and learn to ride. So in my late 30s I rode for the first time. I did one lap around the track in Palmdale, CA, pulled off and puked. No one knows how hard that stuff really is unless they've done it. There is NO sport on Earth like it. To this day, I never miss a race on TV. Thanks again, man. It means the world.
I learned this the hard way after only 10 weeks of riding, everything was going okay until something happened and i didnt have the experience to get my self out of the trouble
Love the analogy of "bumping up your ceiling from a distance" My local track has a family ride time (15min session) with no jumping allowed, It's great to go out on the main track with no pressure and just focus on fundamentals with out the local pros jumping over your head!
In the 70s, it was the common notion that if you're not crashing, you're not going fast enough, right...well I fractured my spine twice, broken both wrist, shattered, right ankle, broken every rib in my body, 5 left knee surgeries, multiple fingers, broken, multiple knockout concussions..... I just wasn't going fast enough.
Long time critic of AJ, but I really agree with him 98% of this video. Good work! I do believe you ought to train intensely 100% for short periods of time, a few times a year. This can actually make you a safer rider. Just being comfortable with that stress can go a long way. Also helps you learn to recover the bike when you do barcia laps.
Nailed it... As an old man who loves my 125s I don't have that switch in my brain to slow down, they are just too fun to ride wide open. I won't even ride a crotch rocket anymore. I ride a slow Harley nowadays...🤙
I left the sport as a 125A racer at age 16. I had some talent, but not the infrastructure to go further. I had gone the Gary Bailey Motorcross school and learned a ton from that at 15. Then David became paralyzed and I deceded to hang it up and didnt ride for 37 years.
I just had my first race ever the other day, been riding for 4 years. i went to do it for fun and got 8 place by riding at 70%.lol i saw people falling all over the place. I didn’t go down even once… by going as comfortable as my skill level allows
I’m 41, just ate it hard on a huge step up. Swapped out at the peak. I wasn’t over riding AT ALL. ITS A JUMP IVE DONE 100 times and just got kicked sideways. Concussion, busted ribs (possible break), and a bad hip bruise. But NO EXTREMITY BREAKS!! Thank God!!!!
For 90% of things on a bike I can teach a person to be very good on a bike and they will not get out of first gear during practice. I teach all the control usage to where they don’t have to think about it. Of course moto is different because of whoops and jumps but that’s actually the next 10%
It's amazing the things you start to feel on the bike when riding everyday or every other day. I try to practice at 70% ... get with some friends. That hits 85% half the time. Racing back to the truck.. 100%... a guy can feel death tugging at his sleeves. 😂 funny not so funny. Many times I've had my bars almost dragging the ground in the woods in a powerslide. 4th or 5th gear pinned. Yeah. Pretty stupid but also crazy fun. Till it ain't. Ride safe guys. Ride tons. My kx450 is lonely and jonesing for a trip down to Georgia. Great thoughts Men.
First 5x I raced beginner class I crash my brains out then when I rode with my friends I would rip. It took me a minute to rellise I knew I could beat my friends and tried way to hard to beat these guys at the race track, but o ce I did slow down I started to progress fast thinking about what to do on any obstacles or corner way before I got there was key
The idea of over riding has always been a factor, it is nothing new. I haven't rode in over 35 years but that is something that hasn't changed yet the injuries are more common and more severe. In my humble experience (from someone who began MX nearly 50 years ago) the biggest issue is the introduction of the 4 stroke. Everyone knows that they can be made to be faster and more powerful. This causes everyone to ride over their heads. Also the 4 stroke destroys the track which causes more narly crashes. They are also building tracks to be ever more technical. Two strokes are also much cheaper to operate and easier to maintain by the average rider. They MUST return to the 2 stroke's to save the sport. Anyone who grew uo in the 4 stroke era are clueless to the reality simpley because the never knew anything different.
As i read this it makes me wonder, could this be the dofference between making top 5 pro nats or finishing 25th. Theres only so many golden years before a rider is simply too old to hawk down top 5 pros. Its closer to 18 than it is 36
Example of other professional sport, golf. On average PGA pro swings at 80% not 100% every time. You can not consistently swing at 100% on every shot on every hole.
I feel today’s riders physiques are too frail. It doesn’t seem like anyone is weight training anymore more. Or not enough. When they hit the ground, they shatter like a glass doll.
AJ and guys - Loved everything you said here. I'm always so conscious about slowing everything down and correcting myself, it's a very slow progression. There are times where I do push it and feel myself overriding, I have to make a conscious effort to remind myself. But when I do, I'm thankful because I get so much more out of it. Hope to see you guys again soon, possibly with Pre-mixPaPa. possibly in Joliet! -Tommy
Back in the late 90s at the height of his success, I was super fortunate to have Jeremy McGrath play a part in a movie I wrote and produced for The Disney Channel. One day while we were waiting around (as you do on film sets...endlessly) I asked him how he avoided injury so well while a lot of the other guys were getting hurt right and left. I'll never forget his answer, which I thought was really interesting. He said that he rides at 80% most of the time in Supercross. He was the man at the time, so he was able to do that and still win. He said if he needed to wick it up a little he would, but he hadn't really had to once he started crushing it all the time. I think this proves your point pretty well AJ. Here's the best guy on the planet at the time. And he's going 80%. You can't win anything if you're home on the couch playing video games. Isn't it better to ride at 80% of your ability and be able to stay out there all season long and not have to deal with surgery, recovery, aches and pains in the future? Anyway, just thought I would share. Thanks for all you do, guys. Love the channel. Love the Academy.
Motocrossed? That movie was awesome btw
@@MotoXjunk Thank you bro.I really appreciate that! I'm actually really proud of that little movie. It was a chance to bring Moto to a whole new audience. I still watch it every once in a while. It's pretty cheesy but what movie wasn't at that time on the channel? LOL.
@douglassloan6831 kudos to you, that movie made my childhood. As a kid obsessed with dirt bikes but banned from them by my parents, that movie changed my life. Same with Johnny Tsunami as a kid whose family didn’t ski or snowboard.
@@WillGentry381 Bro you have no idea how great that is to hear. It's been decades but hearing that something I wrote meant something to you is so freaking awesome. I too was banned from dirt bikes as a kid. My parents were completely against them and as such, I never got to ride until I actually made that movie. The action director was a guy named David Barrett. He told me that if I wanted to understand what MX was about I needed to get out there and learn to ride. So in my late 30s I rode for the first time. I did one lap around the track in Palmdale, CA, pulled off and puked. No one knows how hard that stuff really is unless they've done it. There is NO sport on Earth like it. To this day, I never miss a race on TV. Thanks again, man. It means the world.
Amazing, I love that movie. Watched it not long ago, rings back so much nostalgia.
Being 31with 2 kids is a game changer. Always ride SMART over full speed any day. Intentional is a good word.
Totally understand this, as I’m now the old guy. 28 with my 2 year old. I miss racing and going WFO. Now I just think about getting hurt haha
At 40 it's my mantra ride slower for longer with less hurt
I learned this the hard way after only 10 weeks of riding, everything was going okay until something happened and i didnt have the experience to get my self out of the trouble
Love the analogy of "bumping up your ceiling from a distance" My local track has a family ride time (15min session) with no jumping allowed, It's great to go out on the main track with no pressure and just focus on fundamentals with out the local pros jumping over your head!
In the 70s, it was the common notion that if you're not crashing, you're not going fast enough, right...well I fractured my spine twice, broken both wrist, shattered, right ankle, broken every rib in my body, 5 left knee surgeries, multiple fingers, broken, multiple knockout concussions..... I just wasn't going fast enough.
Long time critic of AJ, but I really agree with him 98% of this video. Good work! I do believe you ought to train intensely 100% for short periods of time, a few times a year. This can actually make you a safer rider. Just being comfortable with that stress can go a long way. Also helps you learn to recover the bike when you do barcia laps.
Nailed it... As an old man who loves my 125s I don't have that switch in my brain to slow down, they are just too fun to ride wide open. I won't even ride a crotch rocket anymore. I ride a slow Harley nowadays...🤙
I left the sport as a 125A racer at age 16. I had some talent, but not the infrastructure to go further. I had gone the Gary Bailey Motorcross school and learned a ton from that at 15. Then David became paralyzed and I deceded to hang it up and didnt ride for 37 years.
I just had my first race ever the other day, been riding for 4 years. i went to do it for fun and got 8 place by riding at 70%.lol i saw people falling all over the place. I didn’t go down even once… by going as comfortable as my skill level allows
I’m 41, just ate it hard on a huge step up. Swapped out at the peak. I wasn’t over riding AT ALL. ITS A JUMP IVE DONE 100 times and just got kicked sideways. Concussion, busted ribs (possible break), and a bad hip bruise. But NO EXTREMITY BREAKS!! Thank God!!!!
Glad to hear you’re mostly ok!
For 90% of things on a bike I can teach a person to be very good on a bike and they will not get out of first gear during practice. I teach all the control usage to where they don’t have to think about it. Of course moto is different because of whoops and jumps but that’s actually the next 10%
It’s not fundamentals always. There’s freak accidents.
Definitely lots of things can happen!
Agree 100% with this thought.
It's amazing the things you start to feel on the bike when riding everyday or every other day.
I try to practice at 70% ... get with some friends. That hits 85% half the time. Racing back to the truck.. 100%... a guy can feel death tugging at his sleeves. 😂 funny not so funny. Many times I've had my bars almost dragging the ground in the woods in a powerslide. 4th or 5th gear pinned. Yeah. Pretty stupid but also crazy fun. Till it ain't.
Ride safe guys. Ride tons.
My kx450 is lonely and jonesing for a trip down to Georgia.
Great thoughts Men.
First 5x I raced beginner class I crash my brains out then when I rode with my friends I would rip. It took me a minute to rellise I knew I could beat my friends and tried way to hard to beat these guys at the race track, but o ce I did slow down I started to progress fast thinking about what to do on any obstacles or corner way before I got there was key
A distal radius break, plate and screws later…if I don’t feel it I just back it down. I ride for fun after all.
Made me a much more strategic rider.
nice content thanks
一直尝试在每次训练都投入95%的强度，作为一个38岁的中年人来说，无法短期内恢复体力，并且耗费了很多心力。我认同75%的骑行训练强度，但是这确实需要耐心，因为125 2strock太容易激发我的肾上腺素了，需要极度的念头控制！
The idea of over riding has always been a factor, it is nothing new. I haven't rode in over 35 years but that is something that hasn't changed yet the injuries are more common and more severe. In my humble experience (from someone who began MX nearly 50 years ago) the biggest issue is the introduction of the 4 stroke. Everyone knows that they can be made to be faster and more powerful. This causes everyone to ride over their heads. Also the 4 stroke destroys the track which causes more narly crashes. They are also building tracks to be ever more technical. Two strokes are also much cheaper to operate and easier to maintain by the average rider. They MUST return to the 2 stroke's to save the sport. Anyone who grew uo in the 4 stroke era are clueless to the reality simpley because the never knew anything different.
You can increase speed by improving skills, but you’ll never improve skills with more speed.
Fundamentals, and also other riders causing you to crash.
Plans on coming to Washougal MX or the Northwest any time?
Id love to do a class!
We need to get back to Washougal asap!
@@themotoacademypodcast Hell yeah! Please do!
I just signed up for the Spokane class today. It will definitely be worth the 5 hr drive!
I just hear all the f1 riders are trying to go faster thsn there angle 😅
Jett is the goat at doing that all things are the same u look like you aren’t trying when u master it
As i read this it makes me wonder, could this be the dofference between making top 5 pro nats or finishing 25th. Theres only so many golden years before a rider is simply too old to hawk down top 5 pros. Its closer to 18 than it is 36
Tomac barcia and Anderson are 30+ tho
Example of other professional sport, golf. On average PGA pro swings at 80% not 100% every time. You can not consistently swing at 100% on every shot on every hole.
I feel today’s riders physiques are too frail. It doesn’t seem like anyone is weight training anymore more. Or not enough.
When they hit the ground, they shatter like a glass doll.
I think we’re entering an era where the frail, cyclist build is going away a bit. If you look at Jett, Roczen, tomac, sexton they are built
Chilling with a broken leg agreeing...............
Heal up!
2 reasons. The 4 strokes and the track are way too fast.
Recently discovered the 85% rule. Work a lookinto
moto academy georga?!?!?!??!!
😂 not anymore
@@elliotb1616 that is what i thought lol
AJ and guys -
Loved everything you said here. I'm always so conscious about slowing everything down and correcting myself, it's a very slow progression. There are times where I do push it and feel myself overriding, I have to make a conscious effort to remind myself. But when I do, I'm thankful because I get so much more out of it. Hope to see you guys again soon, possibly with Pre-mixPaPa. possibly in Joliet! -Tommy
Hope to see you then, Tommy!