Cornering: From Confusion To Confidence

Ahh, cornering - the one skill we all want to improve, no matter our riding ability.

Maybe you’ve taken a Cornering 101 lesson or watched a handful of YouTube videos. Yet here you are, still struggling to put all the pieces together. Sound familiar?

I hear it all the time from riders. They know there are 101 things you 'should' be doing - dropping a pedal, leaning the bike, twisting the hips, looking ahead - but when they're hurtling into the berm, none of it comes together.

They fly in with positive intentions, only to over-brake, and roll out of the corner exclaiming, 'Gees... what happened? Where’d all my speed go?'

So, naturally, they try harder. They run through a braking technique or 10 from that group clinic, force their body into the 'right' position, and repeat every mantra about confidence and commitment. And still... it feels off. So, Why Does Cornering Feel So Hard?

The truth is, simply knowing what to do and actually embodying those skill sets are two different things. Understanding a skill intellectually doesn’t mean your body knows how to perform it under pressure.

The Fix: Simplify and Focus.

Instead of throwing yourself into a corner trying to do all the things, all at once, pause. Ask yourself:

'Which one technique or strategy will be most helpful for the specific type of corner I’m about to ride?'

Once you choose your focus, let go of the expectation that everything else will be perfect.

If you’re working on body position, don’t worry if your line choice isn’t flawless. If you’re dialling in timing your braking, it’s okay if your hip-hinge movement isn’t textbook. The goal is to refine one layer at a time.

Why This Works: The Path to Unconscious Competence

This process - focusing on one skill at a time - accelerates your transition from conscious competence (thinking about what you’re doing) to unconscious competence (performing it instinctively).

The more intentional your practice, the faster each movement becomes automatic. That’s when cornering starts feeling fluid and effortless.

And once a skill becomes second nature, you can move to the next layer - the next key adjustment - without feeling overwhelmed. It’s what the trendy coaches are now calling ‘habit stacking,’ and it’s an incredibly effective approach.

Build from the Ground Up

Here’s one thing to keep in mind - this process works best when you take a bottom-up approach.

Even expert riders benefit from revisiting foundational skills. If your body position or braking technique isn’t razor sharp, there's no point trying to start 'pushing into the corners' or implementing advanced imagery strategies. It’s like building a penthouse on shaky foundations. Sooner or later, it’s coming down, and it's taking you with it!

Focus on the essential ingredients for Stability, Adjustability, and Grip first. Then, once those are solid, layer on more advanced techniques.

Not sure where to start?

Or which cornering ingredients are relevant to you and the corners you're trying to ride?

Getting an expert eye to watch you, analyze your technique, and provide specific feedback, could just be the missing piece to your cornering puzzle!

The golden question to answer is: 'Does how I think I'm riding, match how I'm actually riding?'

This is exactly what we do consistently, throughout the CX4 Coaching Program. With personalized feedback, we’ll break down your technique, identify exactly what’s holding you back, and guide you through the step-by-step process to ride corners with more confidence, control, and flow.

And as usual, if you've got technique-specific questions, we've got an online MTB community where we love geeking out with fellow mountain bikers about topics just like this. It's free to join and we'd love to have you in there!