Reddit mentions: The best extreme sports books

These are numbered by what questions have been answered!

1. if you mean 20,000 a month like lump sum, id take the first month and just pay off the rest of my student loans, id have about 2/3 k left over and go buy my family members and I some nice things as its been a rough year. But if given as a weekly check over 4 weeks to equal 20,000 id do that exact same just have to budget it so it all works out.
   
   
2. Oh this is something ive been wanting to do for my bed room, I would say for the house but my mom wouldnt know how to work these buuuuutttttttt I want to spruce up my lighting situation with Philips Color Hue lights. Have one in my ceiling fan light, with one behind my tv, and control them due to a smart device such as iphone/siri, or amazon echo/alexa, google home ect... You can set moods and if youre playing a scary game you can set the lights to like blood red and just say " hey siri set the lights to scary time " and youll watch the lights change from your basic white to a blood red almost, or if youre in a romantic movie night with a lover have it be a nice not to bright pink and so on and so forth im sure you get the idea. heres a link for a nice starter bundle! NOTE Im not exactly sure how to set up the moods to where you tell a home assistant to do so cause i down own any yet but my friend has it and its amazing.
   
   
3. Id reccomend James Patterson tbh. Imsure youve heard of him, but he has great reads I think. One series of his thats great is Maximum Ride!
   
   
4. /u/freakishkittie tbh shes been a great new friend and is always tagging me on here even though Im newish here. she still talks to me even though I forget to respond to her kik messages cause i fall asleep or too tied up in my video games like a damn loser.
   
   This contest was great tbh. Id liked looking at your list and other such stuff to do this. not too hard but still involving. nice work!

Hello there, I'm relatively new as well but I can hopefully help! Firstly, on the sidebar is a very helpful book, Mastering Mountain Bike Skills This is the second edition, the first one is cheaper, I'm not sure how much has changed but it has a ton of helpful things, such as a few answers to your questions. They recommend deadlifts as a great exercise to build strength, I can imagine that would help a lot. Conditioning is also a big part of it, long rides focusing on pedal stroke and perfecting form to make sure there is no wasted effort.

As far as a trail bike, depends on how rough the trails are. I'm currently riding 2014 Giant Talon 4 and it's holding up fine on easy-moderate trails without too many large bumps or big rocks, I've done some pretty rough accidental off-roads and nothing has broken yet, so I'd say for your price range a hardtail would be the way to go, though for rougher trail a full suspension bike is recommended, though good ones of those start around $1600-$2000 range.

Also for what it's worth, I'm 220 pounds and ride with a 8-10ish pound backpack so I imagine you'd be a lot easier on the bike in that regard

Ok, Sociology, Feminism and constructed nature of gender, you finally come in handy. Apologies in advance for a massive post.

First Point:

Gender ≠ sex ≠ sexuality

First, the simplest one, sex. Sex is what parts you have. people are born either male or female. It is extremely rare for people to be in between unless they are undergoing gender re-alignment.

Sexuality, this one's a bit harder, but you're still probably familiar with it. This is who you are attracted to. There is no correlation between what sex you are, and who you are attracted to. you can be gay, straight or somewhere in between. to some extent The Jury is still out on whether sexuality is innate, but really it shouldn't matter.

Last, and most difficult is gender. the first thing to get your head around is that gender is constructed by society. Society determines what it means to be masculine or feminine, and it can change over time. (heroes in the Illiad cry a lot, for instance, and in fact they can't be a hero without crying). We act out masculine and feminine traits that we see in the world to construct an identity. very few people, if any, perform just masculine traits or just feminine traits. The shades of grey between hypermasculinity and hyperfemininity are one of the things that give us personality.

It is very rare for anyone to perfectly live up to the "model of a straight man" because it's just that, an ideal. Those that do tend to only exist in media such as movies and video games, who don't face the compromises associated with the real world. Characters who meet the ideal are also very boring, like Sir Galahad in the Arthur cycles, Conan the Barbarian or Marcus Fenix, because there's no complexity to them.

The problem comes because masculine qualities tend to be privileged or valued over feminine traits. This pressures men to think that by adopting feminine traits they are 'diminishing themselves'. consider traditional masculine traits such as dominance, strength, honour, physical toughness. These can be contrasted with traditional feminine traits such as submissiveness, innocence, prettiness, delicateness or squeamishness. Men are made to feel that by being feminine they are somehow 'less of a man', or that women are 'less than men'. Yay, Feminism, Patriarchy. I'm sure you can think of examples of women who embody the masculine traits (female soldiers, athletes etc.) and men who embody the feminine traits (artists, actors 'sensitive types' etc).

For some cool reading on alternative masculinities I've just read a really interesting book Everyday Masculinities and Extreme Sport: Male Identity and Rock Climbing which looks at how extreme sports reject a lot of the hyper-masculinity of contact team sports.

You might also like to look into some feminist theory focused on Masculinity (yes that's a thing), and deffinitely read this article, especially this section.

Tl:DR It takes all kinds to make the world. Just don't make the mistake that your gender, sexuality and sex have to be linked, or that they are all that is important about you.

I have a 2008 Gary Fisher Marlin Disc, which is similar to your bike in a number of ways, though most of your components are higher-end. Though I got the bike 6 or 7 years ago, I didn't really start riding much until recently. So I'm still a noob, but I'll let you know the handful of changes I've made, and why, in case it helps. I do XC riding in the PNW for what it's worth.

Pedals - the platforms that came with my bike were not great. Trek's specs for both bikes list "alloy pedals" so I assume they're the same. I recently switched to clipless pedals (SPD) and it made a huge difference for me since I'm not sliding all over the place. Better platforms and good shoes are a good choice too.

Tires - Trek's site says we have the same tires, assuming you haven't changed them. I'm still rocking the original tires since they do the job, but they don't get good traction in wet and muddy conditions. Others online say similar things (http://www.mtbr.com/cat/tires-and-wheels/tire/bontrager/jones-xr/prd_416565_151crx.aspx). So picking up a set of new tires that match your riding style and trail conditions may be good. I will probably do this when mine wear out (soon).

Drivetrain - All I've done is dump my largest chainring, since I never use it, and put a bash guard in its place to protect my legs and help roll over logs and such more easily.

edit: you know what, I may have misinterpreted your question. If you're looking more for how to improve your skills I found this to be very helpful: https://www.amazon.com/Mastering-Mountain-Bike-Skills-2nd/dp/0736083715. The tips in the threads toomuchdolphin linked are great resources as well.

there is tons of stuff that a new rider should know, too much to list generally, but if you search for older new rider threads and browse through them, you'll pick up a ton of info from people who have been in your exact position.

beyond that, the best investment you can make is in this book:

http://www.amazon.com/Mastering-Mountain-Bike-Skills-Edition/dp/0736083715

it's huge but you don't have to read it all at once, just look up the relevant section when you start to wonder how you can do something specific better

also, this video is a bit long but it was and is still very helpful to me when it comes to basics

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PiQGFX_RlW4

your brakes probably are a bit weak, as they were made to be that way so a beginner rider wouldn't fly over the handlebars if they braked too hard, but i wouldn't worry about them right now. at some point you may want to upgrade them, but i would focus on the basics for now.

your shifter might not be calibrated correctly which is causing the clicking- if you bought the bike at a shop, you could have them look at it.

as far as money to spend right now, assuming you already have a helmet (that's numbers 1 through 10 in priority) upgrade your contact points, the things that connect you to the bike-

better pedals like, say, these:

http://www.jensonusa.com/Deity-Compound-Pedals

and better grips like these:

http://www.jensonusa.com/ODI-Yeti-Lock-On-Grips

and gloves. i'm partial to these:

http://www.specialized.com/us/en/ftr/gloves/long-finger-gloves/enduro

and better shoes like fiveten mountain bike shoes

all these things will allow you to stick to the bike and spend less effort staying that way, which means more ability to just focus on the trail

There's a really good section on climbing in that stupid book I keep recommending.

Your height to weight ratio is fine, so don't worry about that. If you're a flabby 98, just keep riding and your body will get to where it needs to be. Don't worry about.

As for the climb, a couple things to remember are:

• Keep your weight over your bottom bracket
  
• If your rear wheel loses traction, try sitting down; the extra weight focused on your back wheel will keep it from spinning out.
  
• Pedal like a hummingbird: for really steep climbs, stay seated, shift to a low gear, lean forward (weight over the bottom bracket), and pedal with a fast, consistent cadence.
  
• Don't stop until you fall. I have friends who struggled with steep sections of trails for months, only to make them the first time I rode behind them and kept on them to not give up until they fell over.
  
  As for SPD (clipless) pedals, I love them, but it's mostly rider preference. Professional XC racers use them, and professional downhill racers don't, so you can use that as your guide. For me (XC racing with some freeride), I love riding clipless; you never have to worry about your foot position (which is great for climbs and rooty/rocky downhill sections), so all of your pedaling energy is focused where it should be.
  
  Of course, if you're a DH or DJ rider, clipping in will probably result in a broken collar bone. It really depends on how you ride.
  
  One quick note on terminology: "Clips" are the basket things you put your foot into. (It's short for "toe clip.") The pedals that attach to your specially made shoes don't have the basket (clip), so they're called "clipless," even though you clip into them. (So yes, you clip in to clipless pedals.) It's confusing if you don't know the history behind the terms, but pretty easy to remember once you do.
  
  Good luck!

Thanks for the Kind words. Been only climbing for about 2 1/2 years. I am pretty sure you will get some v6s done in the future aswell :)

​

edit: watched some of the videos you posted. You seem to be pretty strong but i assume you just started climbing recently?


I recommend you buy this book from john kettle "Rock climbing technique"
https://www.amazon.de/Rock-Climbing-Technique-Practical-Movement/dp/1999654404/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1BK1T74RFEGBP&keywords=rock+climbing+technique+the+practical+guide+to+movement+mastery&qid=1563630779&s=gateway&sprefix=rock+climbing+tech%2Caps%2C1120&sr=8-1


spend some time on climbing problems as efficient as possible and get down every move super clean. don´t rush it. be aware of every foot and hand position and try to make every move as perfect and stable as possible. bouldering is not speed climbing :)

That's terrific! Comfort her and be patient. Let her cry and be there for her. Sometimes it just has to get out. It sounds like you are already doing just what you should be.

Can I give you some advice for you and your girlfriend? Sorry but I'm long-winded :)

1. I can't tell you how many times I broke down crying on a hill. 100? 1,000? I remember the first "hill" I tried to tackle. It was pavement and at the time it was the steepest thing in the world to me. Today I'm up it effortlessly with two strong pedal strokes. I ran that damn hill for HOURS, for days, for weeks. I blew every shift. I would downshift too much and lose my pedals as they started to spin. I wouldn't downshift enough and I would fall over. I ran out of any strength or stamina halfway up the hill. It was humiliating, frustrating, dejecting, the whole nine. But I kept at it despite being at a point where I would rather die than even try it one more time. When I got up the hill the first time, it was a feeling I can't even describe. I had worked SO HARD for this, and I DID it. Keep at it. Keep trying. You will get there. It is a certainty.
   
   
2. Every ride is valuable. That ride where you failed every single thing you attempted? You fell over 15 times, ate shit coming down a hill, whatever? During that ride, if you come away still not having mastered whatever you were trying, you learned 10 approaches that didn't work. You have an opportunity to identify some of the things you are doing wrong, and that is a victory. You won't make the same mistakes again.
   
   
3. Celebrate all of the victories. Yesterday, I had to stop for a break at that tree over there. Today, I made it 50 yards farther. Two weeks ago, I had to stop 3 times on this trail for a break. Today, I only had to stop twice. Last time, I lifted my bike over that rock. Today, I got over it...or, just TRYING to get over it instead of lifting is a success. For you, as her mentor - enthusiastically point out the things she is doing right, no matter how basic. Her attack position just looked killer coming down that hill? Shout it out to her. She picked a perfect line? Tell her so. My boyfriend often calls out to me something as simple as "you look so comfortable on that bike right now." Even that makes me feel great.
   
   
4. For you - run drills with her. Not every outing has to be a ride. Find something she's struggling with, find somewhere perfect to practice it, and run it over and over. There was a point where I was terrified of going down even a relatively small decline or drop if it was rocky or otherwise not really flat. We found an area that had a great example, and I just practiced going down it for hours. By the end of that first outing, I had figured out where my weight needed to be on the bike, how far back my butt should be, etc. I never had any trouble at all with that again.
   
   
5. Teach her how to fall properly. It is so important that she understands to get away from the bike the millisecond she realizes there's no recovering from this. Tell her I said not to be afraid to fall. It's going to happen. The end. I usually consider it a good thing, in a way...every fall reminds me that falling isn't usually THAT bad, I've always managed to walk away from it, and keeping that in mind helps give me confidence when approaching something that makes me nervous. How many times have I eaten shit? What's one more? Teaching her how to do this will also reinforce the idea that EVERYONE FALLS. Everyone falls so much that there is an actual technique to doing it as safely as possible. A fall is not something to be embarrassed by, and I personally love my scrapes, cuts, and bruises. They remind me how strong and badass I am. My legs were never terribly pretty to begin with, but boy are they scarred up now. I rock that shit with pride - I earned every one of those scars by doing something difficult.
   
   
6. nakfoor's girlfriend...here are my #1 tips, the lessons that were the hardest and most valuable for me:
   
   -Speed is almost always your friend. Your instinct is to hit those brakes when you come up on something scary. Your bike WANTS to keep going. Your bike is literally designed to make it over that obstacle. If you hit it at speed, you've got a good chance of clearing it. If you run smack into it with nothing behind you, you're not gonna make it over. When in doubt...remember a high-speed crash is almost always preferable to a low-speed one.
   
   -Breaks are important. It took me so long (like, as in about 10 months ago) to get that in my brain. I always felt like stopping indicated I was weak, my boyfriend must be so bored stopping all the time, the objective is to complete the ride, etc. If you are tired, stop. Catch your breath. One of my favorite trails has two mega bitches of hills essentially right before a rock garden. I always wanted to keep going, and by the time I hit that rock garden, I was so tired my technique was sloppy and I struggled. If you stop ahead of that rock garden, hydrate and breathe, you'll hit it fresh and be much more successful.
   
   -You're gonna have days when it's just not happening. The most basic stuff you know how to do...you'll just blow it every time for some reason. Everything is gonna be a fail. It's okay. Everyone has those days, and it's completely normal and no reflection on you. Pack it up, have a beer, get over it, and look forward to next time.
   
   -Do not give up. Just don't do it. That moment you feel like you've got absolutely nothing left? Hang on for 2 more minutes and make sure it isn't your mind lying about your body. 99% of the time for me, that's my head giving out before my lungs and legs do. You're maxed out and have nowhere else to downshift going up that hill? When that happens to me, I reach deep inside and tell myself, "Your bike has gotten you this far. The rest is up to you." Then I hit it and every time I would downshift if I could, I press the shifter anyway and translate it to "I just shifted my own legs into that gear and I'm gonna get it."
   
   -Talk to yourself. You might feel stupid, but I promise it helps. When I've almost crested that hill and I'm about to lose it, I shout, "GET IT! YOU'VE GOT THIS! HIT IT!" When I'm dying trying to get over something, I'll just primal scream if I have to get that struggle out. It feels great and it is often that boost I need.
   
   One last thing...get this book. Mastering Mountain Bike Skills. This has been one of my best resources. Explanations are clear and concise, tons of pictures that help you see how you should be positioned, and covers every topic you could imagine. Best investment I made in my riding, and it was under 20 bucks.
   
   I hope you guys have a great experience together. Keep up what you're doing today and you will give her everything she needs :)
   
   
   
   

You could also consider Xian. https://www.xiangoh.com/


I haven't had a session with her but if I paid for coaching again in London I think it would be with her. Friends have had sessions with her learned tonnes.

I've had sessions with Louis and a number of the other Catalyst team and honestly the quality of the coaching really varies. Louis is great, I've climbed with him in London and on a week long trip to Sardinia, and I got some great insights from him both times. You could probably learn a bit from him. I was much more beginner when I went to him (around 1 year climbing at the time). But the real benefit from climbing is going to be regular exposure to the coach so you can continue to work on your weakpoints.


Also buy and read John Kettle's book. It's the best written resource on climbing technique I've found. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Rock-Climbing-Technique-Practical-Movement/dp/1999654404

Rock Climbing Technique: The Practical Guide to Movement Mastery https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07C68HLRK/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_Cd97Cb0H5H0VG

Get a copy of that and start working on your technique. Your fingers will develop naturally while you do technique drills.

Technique is the biggest thing to improve but the most vaguely talked about. This book at least gives you specifics to work on. I found it pretty easy to understand. Changed my climbing pretty quickly.

It's sort of like this: if you train finger strength, say, then you can hold on to smaller holds with a large % of body weight on your hands. Technique is designed to take weight off of your hands. So by getting stronger or by getting better, you get a similar result in terms of going up the grades.

However, if you have less weight on your fingers in the first place, you're going to be less prone to injury, which is a huge plus. Injury shuts down progress longer and more absolutely than anything.

If you were to climb outside a lot, especially if you went out with experienced people, you'd get the technique from them.

In your case, having a high base level of fitness from lifting means that you won't see the gains weaklings like me did after a few weeks of core training. But your biggest quick fixes and long term gains will come from skill based practice.

As far as position goes, you typically want to go "long and low" or "short and high." You can change your stem out for something longer/shorter and more/less rise, or you can swap out bars for something wider/narrower or more/less rise.

I'm pulling the following numbers and information from this book: If you're more XC and like to climb, you may want to go long (90-120mm) and low (0-10 degrees rise), but if you're more into descending and jumping, short (40-70mm) and high (10-15 degrees) may be better for you.

In addition to the stem, you can get a bar with rise if you'd like. For "long and low" XC, flat or 1" rise is good. For "short and high," 1.5" to 2.5" is better.

As far as bar width goes, it really depends on your build. If you have wide shoulders, you'll probably need wider bars. Basically, it should feel comfortable.

Since you say your frame is small, you'll probably need to go to the edges of the ranges above (e.g. if you like "long and low," you might try a 120mm stem rather than 90mm). I don't know enough to give you specifics for your bike, but it does sound a little small for you. Your LBS probably has hundreds of different stems in a drawer and could fit you pretty well.

Glad to be able to share.

If you find the story of Moitessier's race interesting, Robin Knox-Johnston provides a really interesting counterpoint with "A world of my own"

He is the British stalwart plucky "stiff upper-lip" counterpoint to the frenchman's "I go because i must and the rest will happen"

"A Voyage for Madmen" is a great summary of all the viewpoints in that race, which includes a lot of great info from Nigel Tetley, and Donald Crowhurst (subject of the Deep Water documentary) whose books I haven't yet collected.

Another great collection I have surround the Vendee Globe race of 96-97 include "Godforsaken Sea" as a good overall coverage of the race which included the death of a competitor, and miraculous rescue of another by his fellow racer Pete Goss, whose "Close to the wind" is another plucky british tale of plugging on against all odds.

I'd love to see what you finally submit, so if you want to throw it up somewhere when you're done, pass along a link.

Sucks to hear about your broken arm. I go crazy when I'm hurt and can't get out to do things. You've definitely got the heart and drive to progress on a bike. Best advice I can give you is:

1- don't give up! Mountain bikes really are fun a great way to exercise once you get a little fitness and skill built up.

2- You just jumped right into, maybe not the deep end, but at least the end of the mtb pool where your feet can't touch. Riding off even small drop takes practice and technical skills take a while to learn. While you're recovering check out Mastering Mountain Bike Skills by Brian Lopes and Lee McCormack. By far the best break down of how to learn technical bike skills out there.

3- Even the best of the best still crash. It's a good idea to work on learning to "tuck and roll grandma!". I think I'd have way more broken bones than I do now if I hadn't learned how to fall. I took some entry level judo classes when I was young that taught me, but there's plenty of info online on how to break your fall properly. In the words of Wade Simmons:
>I’ve always said this, you’ve gotta be a better crasher to be a better rider.

At the expense of feeling your pain over-and-over, I watched that sequence a few times to look for what you did wrong. I can't really see the jump from the quality/angle, but in terms of posture, your elbows looked pretty stiff as you went into that launch. As a result of this, I think you ended up distributing too much of your weight forward (putting weight on the bars, it looks like), which caused your front wheel to hit the ground at a non-preferential angle.

I'd suggest starting small: Find roots, moguls, dips, hell, even curbs. Manhole covers can also make a good small starting spot, but roots tend to be the best -- generally things that are only a few inches high.

Get yourself used to riding up to them and popping over them. Once that's comfortable, start learning how to launch off of them. Don't pull too hard on your bars, it should come fairly naturally once you're used to it -- you'll sort of loosen up your elbows, position yourself in 'attack position,' then naturally glide over the roots and get a few inches of air. It should feel reaaally natural once you're used to it, which is why I'm having a hard time explaining proper positioning. I'm sure someone can jump in with more technical advice.

As for how fast to go... that's a call that you'll have to make when there. It should sort of feel right when you're going a good speed - I can't really tell what the configuration of that huck is from the angle, though.

I learned everything I know from getting hurt ... a lot, but someone bought me this book last year and it taught me a lot. It's nothing revolutionary, but the book is loaded with timelapse photos that show exactly how a rider is positioned during corners, drops, hucks, jumps, etc. and should help you get started! Hope that helps!

Where was this, by the way?

Edit: I asked about 'how to fall' in this subreddit a while back. I found this video to be helpful, albeit tougher to do in a real scenario.

There are a couple different levels to this question.

1. Do you need a new bike, or is it just your technique holding you back? If your bike is similar to this one, you should be ok. Just work on your technique - GMBN on youtube is a good place to start, as well as this book. If it's more like this one, then you're on the right track looking for something new for off-road riding.
   
   
2. Should you get a fat bike? Personally, I'm not a huge fan. They're on the heavy side, the tires act as undamped suspension (meaning that you bounce a lot), they accelerate very slowly, and they require constant effort to keep moving (i.e. they don't coast well at all). However, I ride with a few guys that love them. The main benefit is traction. Because you have so much tire in contact with the ground and the tire is run at such a low pressure (often under 10 psi), you can ride up stuff that an ordinary 2.0-2.4" tire would slip out on. You can also ride on surfaces like sand and snow that are unrideable on skinnier tires - some of my fatbiking friends have ridden between towns by following the river and staying on the sandbars. In general, they seem to be popular among riders who are into mountain biking for the adventure aspect rather than the go-fast aspect. If that sounds like you, then a fat bike might be just what you need.
   
   
3. Should you get a mid-fat/plus bike? I don't have a ton of experience with them personally, but the few rides that I've had have been positive. They offer more traction than a standard tire without the weight penalty and less of the rolling resistance penalty of a fat bike tire. Currently, most plus tires are a little on the thin side, which makes them more prone to sidewall tears and pinch flats than a standard tire, especially when riding in very sharp rocks, and they can feel a bit vague under heavy cornering load (mostly an issue for very fast/aggressive riders), but I think they strike a nice balance for a beginner rider between rideability and capability.
   
   I would lean away from getting a full suspension given your budget, and would STRONGLY recommend riding several different options before buying. If your shop doesn't offer trail demos/rentals, look for factory demo tours from Trek, Specialized, Giant, etc. They're usually going around the US this time of year offering free bike demos at trails all over the country. You may not get to ride the exact bike you're looking at, but it should give you at least an idea of what to expect.

It's a question that will have widely varying answers depending upon the specific 50k.

1. Train for the course you will run. Easy road one? Great. Do marathon training plus a bit more, call it a day. On trails? You better run some trails (ideally on the course in question or ones that are similarly difficult in hilliness and technicality), get used to spending more time on your feet.
   
   
2. Assuming trail: figure out what fueling you need for something like 1.5 * marathon worth of running (gels, solid food, water, etc.). Some people are fine with just more of the same, some people will want to avail themselves of the goodies at the aid stations. Just practice and see what works for you.
   
   
3. Training...just find a plan that works for you. Many will have people start doing back-to-back runs on the weekend to boost mileage, harden your will, and get you familiar with running even when tired and cranky.
   
   Best single item of advice I can give someone taking that leap is go buy Relentless Forward Progress. RFP is a rock solid book with lots of great information on most every facet of ultra-running, including solid training plans.

Here is what I do. I try to focus on the sports/rules specific differences and train in a way that improves my training the most.

In Judo, since the pace is a lot faster, you'll need to apply techniques (guard passing, sweeps, transitions) quickly and avoid positions where you are likely to get stuck in like closed guard, half guard, etc. The open guards like spider and butterfly are good. For passing, I favor toreando style and leg drag passing with a slight modification since you can't do standing passes. When sweeping, emphasize sweeps that get you to mount so you don't have to pass. Also since the Judo rules reward pins, practice your control from dominant positions and work on your pressure.

I try to grapple with strengths of the likely opponent in mind as well. In Judo, opponents have really good back defense (from all the turtling they do) so practice turning over the turtle and master your bow/arrow choke. Also, spend some time your transitions to newaza following a throw. This is one of the best aspects of the Judo game.

Dave Camarillo's Guerilla Jiu Jitsu book goes into length about how to mix bjj and judo.

http://www.amazon.com/Guerrilla-Jiu-Jitsu-Revolutionizing-Brazilian/dp/0977731588/

In the end, you'll end up with good throws and an explosive and dynamic bjj game.

Good effort on this one. If you want to do a long run like that you pretty much need to train by running. Not fast running, just getting out and logging miles. Hiking (i.e., walking) is good, too, but if it's intended as training for ultras you want to keep your heart rate up there quite a bit, which you can do while hiking up ("power hiking"), but not really if you're just hiking on flat or downhill. Plus you have to get your body used to the pounding of running; it's much higher impact than hiking and you need to slowly build your running body up, otherwise you'll get overuse injuries.

There are good resources out there on how to train, e.g.,:

http://www.irunfar.com/2007/10/training-for-your-first-ultra.html

and some good books:

https://www.amazon.com/Running-Your-First-Ultra-Customizable-ebook/dp/B00VE731IG

https://www.amazon.com/Relentless-Forward-Progress-Running-Ultramarathons-ebook/dp/B004WE78IC

https://www.amazon.com/Koerners-Field-Guide-Ultrarunning-Ultramarathon-ebook/dp/B00MYEQGFI

There are some plans in the following two books:

1. Relentless Forward Progress
   
   
2. Hal Koerner's Field Guide to Ultrarunning
   
   I personally didn't follow any plan but made sure for the training to be specific - on trails similar to what I expected in the race and with similar elevation gain per mile. I focused on back to back long runs on weekends, a lot of climbing, and less on the distance. I don't think I ever did more than may be 45-50 miles per week for any of my 50 milers or 100K races but made sure to hit close to 8,000-10,000 ft of gain per week on my peak weeks.

Don't feel bad if you'd feel more confident riding flat pedals rather then clipless. I used to be a clipless snob but ride flat now. Its worth considering.

You might want to get off your bike and scope out the line you want to take before hand. You can also session the obstacle to get more practice.

When riding a step down slowly its important to keep your wheels rolling, especially your front wheel. Do the majority of your breaking before the drop.

When you near the drop, get off the front break entirely. You can feather the back break but don't lock it up. Higher end brakes modulate better.

You want to get your butt behind the seat and down. I recommend you get a dropper seat post. It will make these types of moves so much easier. Keep in mind that the further back you get your weight, the more likely your front wheel is to get light and possibly move around on you. You'll need to experiment with how far back you need to get on your bike. Start with too far back since you tend to go over the bars.

If you can seek out in person training from a coach with a good rep that will help.

Here's a book to consider.

https://www.amazon.com/Mastering-Mountain-Bike-Skills-2nd/dp/0736083715

^ This.

Upgrade the contact points to where you feel most comfortable. I will add handlebar and stem to the list. The contact points will give you the best value, IMO.

Although this last one isn't a bike part, I believe it's equally as important (if not more) than a component: Mastering Mountain Bike Skills book by Brian Lopes and Lee McCormack

http://www.amazon.com/Mastering-Mountain-Bike-Skills-Edition/dp/0736083715

TONS of very useful information in there packed with pretty pictures and diagrams, which is a big plus for visual learners.

Not the person you're replying to, but I think one of the best things I did to improve my climbing was learn to salsa dance - no joke. We even use a lot of the same language when talking about movement, control and energy generation. Be on your feet, drive through your toes, connect with your core, be aware of the position of your hips over your feet, etc...

Barring picking up another hobby, I also recommend Rock Climbing Technique by John Kettle.

Ok, I'll be the first.. Obviously you need to devote a large amount of your training to learning skill and technique. The new-ish John Kettle book is mentioned regularly on this sub and I can vouch for it—it's a no-nonsense list of highly effective technique drills and accompanying videos. Kris Hampton of the Power Company climbing has a series of movement skill youtube videos. Practice practice practice. Try and find someone with better skills that you can climb with and learn from. You have a head start with your strength, now you've gotta relax that grip and learn how to use your feet and hips and engage body tension.

​

As far as synovitis goes, that sucks. There's advice on this sub which you can search for. Crimp avoidance is almost mandatory, taping can help, as can finger curls for some ppl. Progressive loading on the hangboard is a good idea.

Yeah double weekend days should be like 3-4 hours and 1.5-2 hours, not 5+ and 3-4. Maybe you do like one harder weekend a month to push things, but you take an easy week afterwards to recover. Buy a book like Relentless Forward Progress for more on how ultra training works. $5 used https://www.amazon.com/dp/1891369903/ref=olp_product_details?_encoding=UTF8&me=

Luckily indeed. This is the first weekend it's getting about 50F. The ground has been frozen up until now. You'll definitely have a lot of time to improve. You'll find yourself getting better and better the more you ride. Also, if you want to look for more material on riding techniques I would check out: http://www.amazon.com/Mastering-Mountain-Bike-Skills-2nd/dp/0736083715/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1395620576&sr=1-1&keywords=mountain+biking

Hal Koerner's Field Guide to Ultrarunning is a really useful reference. Hal won Western States and Hardrock despite never having "elite" athletic ability. His race day execution is legendary.

Relentless Forward Progress by Bryon Powell is another good one. Bryon is a front-of-the-mid-pack runner and editor of irunfar (which is another good reference). His knowledge of ultrarunning is encyclopedic.

Only you can be the judge if you’re being overzealous or not. Running a 50K Ultra is only ~5 mi longer than a marathon. If you’re going longer you need to be both mentally and physically prepared. I picked up Bryon Powell’s book Relentless Forward Progress to help me get prepared for my Ultras. Good luck.

Edit: Progress

Just ordered my brand new Rocky Mountain Altitude 730. Il should have it in the next week. Thanks everyone for your help.

And I ordered Mastering Mountain Bike Skills to improve my technique and Magellan Echo Fit to see my progress via Runkeeper.

I'm ready for this summer!

You might be leaning forward and putting more weight on the front than the back. It's one of those things that your brain tells you to do, but is opposite of what you need to do. You want to keep yourself centered over the cranks and your weight on the pedals.

It sometimes helps you get out of the saddle in corners, put most of your weight on the outside pedal with it at the 6 o'clock position, and lean the bike while keeping yourself vertical.

Going downhill you want to keep most of your weight centered over both pedals only using the handlebars and seat as control points. Depending on the steepness of the trail your butt might be just over the back of the seat or completely behind it.

This book by Lee McCormack and Brian Lopes is a good read and they do a good job explaining the techniques. The point they constantly talk about is heavy feet, light hands.

Well funny you would say that, because Bryon has written a fantastic book on how to train for an ultra called "Relentless Forward Progress". You can go out and spend all you free time running and training, but that is not the only way to be a successful runner.

I highly recommend Mastering Mountain Bike Skills (2e) by Lopes. This book will make you a better, faster, safer, more confident mountain biker.

http://www.amazon.com/Mastering-Mountain-Bike-Skills-Edition/dp/0736083715/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1334897564&sr=1-1

Ultimate: The Greatest Sport Ever Invented By Man is pretty funny

I'm sure you can get great advice here and there is always costly clinics. But I would definitely check out this book. Really well written, for anybody to understand.

http://www.amazon.com/Mastering-Mountain-Bike-Skills-2nd/dp/0736083715

look at ken whiting book "whitewater kayaking" https://www.amazon.ca/Whitewater-Kayaking-Ultimate-Ken-Whiting/dp/1896980309/ref=dp_ob_image_bk

for river rescue this book is really good https://www.amazon.ca/Whitewater-Safety-Rescue-Essential-Knowledge/dp/0762750871/ref=pd_sim_14_6?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=MHFWX122X998Y99609AN Its a good book. I had it reccomended to me and I reccomend it to others

for video channel check out calgary aquabatics channel https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLrLrUmPL86mZsfO_4q120nDDZ5HmMXChK

or Ken when whitings paddling.com

I am just learning myself. I read a couple books. This one is great and may be worth a read. You probably won't be able to learn too much actual technique with it, but it is great to learn some of the terminology you will hear used. Then I found a gym near by and have started practicing there.

As I have done 95% of my Parkour in a gym, I can't really comment on shoes.

There is a book by Dave Camarillo called "Guerilla Jiu Jitsu"

He's a world class judoka that also has a black belt in BJJ. The book is all about the transition from throwing to the ground. Full disclosure: I have never trained Judo, only BJJ, but I lurk on the judo subreddit b/c I think judo is awesome. One day... but first have to stop sucking at BJJ. The book is quite good and has good reviews, but just a warning that he comes off a bit petulant in the book. I think it was written when he was younger and bit angrier at the world. If you watch any of his videos and interviews now, he's super chill.

http://www.amazon.com/Guerrilla-Jiu-Jitsu-Revolutionizing-Brazilian/dp/0977731588

Okay, pulling it up since I haven't read it in years. First off, it was a Marine manual, not Army. I misquoted it anyway - it says you are "foolish" to drink urine, but the reasoning was correct.

The manual said that this is bad because your body will just need more water to get rid of the junk you just drank. It also ruled out blood, since your body treats that like "food" and will need water to digest it. This part stuck with me, for some reason.

It said you HAVE to prepare water, since everything else will dehydrate. This is a winter guide, so the obvious is snow/ice (melted snow is safer than ice), and you have to boil or use a halogen (chlorine, iodine, etc.) to disinfect it. Animals can help you find a source. If you're dying of thirst, doing the Bear Grylls thing doesn't sound right.

Then again, this manual is significantly older and possibly outdated, so... ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Buy John Kettle's new book and get a head start on all your friends ;-)

Feet. Focus on precise foot placement and pushing from your lower body rather than pulling with your upper body. "Silent feet" is an often recommended exercise, where the point isn't the silence as such; the point is that in order to be silent you have to be focused & precise.

(Full disclosure: I am not John Kettle. My only connection with him is as a satisfied customer of his coaching business)

Nowhere Near First I thoroughly enjoyed this one. He's a bit goofy, but so am I so it was a good read. Plus I will never finish in the top 10 of a trail race, unless the trail race only has 9 entrants and he seems to be similar to that.

This book. Only $14 Kindle version. Written very well by professional mtb riders(Brian Lopes, anyone?). It will teach you from the beginning the basic and more advanced riding skills, so you can enjoy your rides even more. I'm reading it right now after 5 years of regular mtb'ing and still find a lot of new and insightful info.

Ride more, and work on body positioning. Get the Mastering Mountain Bike Skills book and read it to learn a bunch of proper technique. Then, ride even more and practice.

One trick I like is to take a flat, easy piece of trail, and ride it without brakes. No matter how slow you have to go, ride it without brakes. This will give you a good feel for controlling the bike. Then you can bring the speed up more and more... Then eventually start using your brakes where it's really needed, which'll be far less than before.

Go on your own. Have fun. And read this at your own pace. https://www.amazon.com/Mastering-Mountain-Bike-Skills-3rd/dp/1492544493 Great book for all skill levels.

Relentless Forward Progress has good advice and several different training programs.

Running Through the Wall has lots of personal accounts by "ordinary" ultrarunners telling their stories. It's inspiring and gives a real sense for what it's like to run a 100 miler.

Attack Position

When I first started riding, my friends kept giving that same tidbit about get your weight back as far as possible. No matter what. Drop? Weight back. Steep descent? Weight back. Rock garden? Weight back. I think it's one of those good intention mantras for mountain biking. But I prefer showing someone the proper attack position along with "heavy feet, light hands."

I picked up this book and quickly became one of the better riders in my group. A couple of them might climb faster than me, but they all let me go first on the descents. Highly recommend it.

Buy this. Get an older/used copy to save money if needed because this really does have a lot of useful info: Mastering Mountain Bike Skills 3rd Edition https://www.amazon.com/dp/1492544493/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_cnyKzb0K9MYZ1

My two favorite resources to learn better technique and habits that you can study while off the bike:

There is a really good skills video by Fabien Barel that is geared towards all mountain riding but really applies to any and all riding. Not sure the best place to download a new copy, I believe it was originally on a DVD that came with a magazine

The book "Mastering Mountain Biking Skills" by Brians Lopes and Lee McCormack.

A skills clinic can be expensive esp if you don't leave too close to a good one, but that is a quick way to learn a lot and get personalized coaching. It's probably on every mountain biker's wishlist

I really like the plans in Relentless Forward Progress. Different options for distance and weekly mileage. All around great read.

"They say" you should only increase your distance by 10% per week. That puts you at about 17 weeks to go from 15 to 60 miles. That doesn't include rest weeks every 4th or 5th week, which is smart. So add another 3 or 4 rest weeks in there that you're not upping your mileage. Let's say 21 weeks, total. Which is within the 30-31 weeks you have alloted. It doesn't account for injury.

Read "Relentless Forward Progress". It has some Ultra training plans in there. http://www.amazon.com/Relentless-Forward-Progress-Running-Ultramarathons/dp/1891369903

Here are a few good tutorial vids to shape up your technique:

How to climb

Techniques for drops

A lesson on riding downhill

And the always popular book, Mastering Mountain Bike Skills. I don't have this book personally, but I really want to get it. I can attest to its greatness because there was a sample on google book previews recently that featured 15 pages or so. Great stuff.

I strongly recommend the training plans and other info in Relentless Forward Progress. Only $11 on Amazon!

This is an excellent book-lots of folks here recommended it. I'm reading it now and it's helped me a lot.

https://www.amazon.com/Mastering-Mountain-Bike-Skills-3rd/dp/1492544493

Buy Lee McCormack/Brian Lopes' "Mastering Mountain Bike Skills". http://www.amazon.com/Mastering-Mountain-Bike-Skills-2nd/dp/0736083715

Seriously. It's a GREAT book. Get it. Read it. Ride it.

Buy him my book: http://www.amazon.com/Paintball-Warrior-Tactics-Secrets-bushball/dp/1442125438/ If he is a woodsball player or a team-player - its a great coffee-table book.

I'm also a big fan of ko uchi, and transitioning straight into a knee cut pass before they can establish half guard.

Edit: Also Dave Camarillo's stuff (I think he posts on here occasionally) is well worth a look if you're thinking about this. https://www.amazon.co.uk/d/Books/Guerrilla-Jiu-Jitsu-Revolutionizing-Brazilian/0977731588

So... you may have depression, and/or you may be in a rut. It's worth looking into the depression angle. Just saying.

I think three things help with ruts:

1. Exercise - your body will trick your mind into feeling happier when it's swimming with endolphins! /r/EOOD
   
2. Working for other people's happiness. Even a couple hours of volunteering a week can break you out of your bubble.
   
3. Remembering you don't fucking HAVE to do anything. You have incredible choice, even though you happen to have been doing the same things every day. The other day I stumbled on this nonsense, and it was hilariously inspirational. Why am I ever bored, ever? I could be getting elaborately excited about fucking plates attached to the bottoms of my shoes. If you don't like what you do every day, do something else. Even if you're tired. Just go do and try new things until something sticks.

surprised no one has posted this yet.

http://www.amazon.com/Mastering-Mountain-Bike-Skills-Edition/dp/0736083715/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1395719768&sr=8-1&keywords=mastering+mtb

Great book, has helped me lot.

if you were to categorize any one group of majors for playing a lot of ultimate, it's more likely to be engineers. no one knows why.

source: Leonardo, Pasquale, and Cade Beaulieu. Ultimate: The Greatest Sport Ever Invented by Man. Hallcottsville, NY: Breakaway, 2007. Print.

Hi. I highly recommend you to check out "Rook Climbing Technique". It covers skill exercises to do during your warm up (or throughout your session) to develop precisely what you're asking. The book comes with a YouTube channel with examples on how to correctly do each exercise.

Just keep climbing and try to focus on technique. I bought this kindle ebook and its drills are useful for me even though Ive been climbing for a while. If I had started these when I began climbing Id probably be leading 12s right now! They are not training, they are technique drills and you find yourself slowly incorporating the movements while you climb and finding new ways to read routes and before you know it you are not even thinking about it.

https://www.amazon.com/Rock-Climbing-Technique-Practical-Movement-ebook/dp/B07C68HLRK/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1562084256&sr=8-2

Just make a list to make sure you do not forget anything, those are unusual things you will be packing in ;).

​

If you mean physical preparation, I would look at those

​

https://www.amazon.com/Dry-Training-Freediving-Umberto-Pelizzari/dp/1928649467/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1549303675&sr=1-2

https://www.amazon.com/Manual-Freediving-Underwater-Single-Breath/dp/1928649483/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1549303675&sr=1-1

You gotta learn how to position your body so that you can drive your hips into the wall. Pulling power at this point is going to make you learn how to climb far worse and much less efficient. Our limit in climbing comes back to fingers, whether it's pumping out on sport routes or crimping 4mm micro edges on a boulder, the less strain you have to put on your hands for a given move the more likely you are to complete the route/problem. Learn how to do everything you can through your body positioning and core tension.

For reference the last time I checked pull ups I did 8 narrow and 7 with a wide grip and I can climb significantly higher grades. Your pull strength isn't the weakness, it's technique.

I'd recommend picking this up and going through the drills: https://www.amazon.com/Rock-Climbing-Technique-Practical-Movement/dp/1999654404

Look into getting a guidebook. Some good ones for the area are Bay Area Rock, Rock Climbing the San Francisco Bay Area, and Bay Area Bouldering. All of them have a lot of information about bouldering in the region.

Here are some links for the product in the above comment for different countries:

Amazon Smile Link: http://smile.amazon.com/Mastering-Mountain-Bike-Skills-Edition/dp/0736083715/ref=sr_1_1


|Country|Link|
|:-----------|:------------|
|UK|amazon.co.uk|
|Spain|amazon.es|
|France|amazon.fr|
|Germany|amazon.de|
|Japan|amazon.co.jp|
|Canada|amazon.ca|
|Italy|amazon.it|
|China|amazon.cn|




This bot is currently in testing so let me know what you think by voting (or commenting). The thread for feature requests can be found here.

Also, since you are new to dirt - I recommend reading this.
http://www.amazon.com/Mastering-Mountain-Bike-Skills-2nd/dp/0736083715

Hopefully it will keep you from all the stupid mistakes I made. I am still not a very good rider, but I am better than where I started at due to that book.

I am incredibly jealous that you live so close to work. I live 35 miles away from my office and I would love to ride to work every day.

Relentless Forward Progress by Bryon Powell. All you need.

https://www.amazon.com/Relentless-Forward-Progress-Running-Ultramarathons/dp/1891369903

Here's my list:

First Aid Kit - just handy: http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B001MEY964?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00

Some sort of sunglasses / windglasses: http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B000W4CSU4?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00

Bike maintenance book: http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/097655304X?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00

Mastering mountain bike skills book: http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0736083715?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s00

Arse saver pants: http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00CWVP9YC?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o06_s00

Cheap lights: http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00B77SGEC?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00

Tool kit: http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B009VYB87A?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00

Shorts: http://www.tenn-outdoors.co.uk/protean-waterproof-mtb-shorts-blackcyan-medium

Also:

Inner tubes,
Spare chain,
Chain tool,
Gloves,
Helmet,
Water bottle and cage,
Decent pedals (AND shoes)(http://www.reddit.com/r/MTB/comments/10hc9h/clipless_vs_platforms/c6dugvi),
Strava App,
Decent bag, maybe a camelback one or one with spine protection?

And lastly: A willingness to get muddy regularly. With that in mind, keep your bike clean! No pressure washing, just a hose and a brush, and some stuff. I got this kit free with my LBS membership: http://www.leisurelakesbikes.com/p/8332/vip-membership-with-free-kit

That's it. All you really need is your bike!

when i was starting i found this to be useful:
https://www.amazon.com/Mastering-Mountain-Skills-Brian-Lopes/dp/1492544493/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=mountain+bike+book&qid=1563503608&s=gateway&sr=8-1

https://www.amazon.com/Koerners-Field-Guide-Ultrarunning-Ultramarathon-ebook/dp/B00MYEQGFI

​

​

https://www.amazon.com/Relentless-Forward-Progress-Running-Ultramarathons-ebook/dp/B004WE78IC

​

​

Both books come highly recommended. Also search for the science of ultra podcast.

​

​

​

Read Relentless Forward Progress. There are training plans and lots of useful information.
Or just lurk in /r/ultramarathon and /r/ultrarunning a lot and piece together your own training.

this book from the sidebar is highly recommended.

https://www.amazon.com/Mastering-Mountain-Bike-Skills-3rd/dp/1492544493

there's a lot to it, but you can read further and further as you get more advanced, there's no need to read more than the first couple of chapters right away

It's just a moto-turn. Kinda like this: https://dirtbikeplanet.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/how-to-corner.jpg

Basically shifting your weight forward and low, keeping weight on your front wheel so it tracks while the back does what it wants. They talk about it in Mastering Mountain Bike Skills: https://www.amazon.com/Mastering-Mountain-Bike-Skills-2nd/dp/0736083715/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1504874397&sr=1-2&keywords=mastering+mountain+bike+skills

Light hands, heavy feet. Mastering Mountain Bike Skills - 2nd Edition (not sure why the sidebar has the original 2005 edition linked..) has a great section on this.

Otherwise google attack position.

http://www.mtbtechniques.co.uk/FundamentalsAttack.html

As for the back pain, I get lower back issues a bit when i'm doing a big ride. I find focusing on my posture when I'm not riding can make a big difference. Maybe see a physio?

Is this the one?

Relentless Forward Progress Byron Powell

If you think so highly about this book, you really need to link to where the authors can get paid for their work. Amazon

You haven't really discussed what your training base is (weekly mileage, how long you've been running). Have you read Relentless Forward Progress?

Here you go: https://www.amazon.com/Bay-Area-Bouldering-1-Supertopo/dp/0976523531

Mastering Mountain Bike Skills

Bite the bullet and get mastering mtb skills

Maximum Ride - The Angel Experiment?

This one?

Read this book! http://www.amazon.de/gp/aw/d/0736083715?cache=589159075a3a945c3b72b683f971c1f1&pi=SY200_QL40&qid=1411687266&sr=8-1#ref=mp_s_a_1_1

You can always pick up a copy of the first book on ultimate I ever read.

Start off by reading this book:

http://amzn.com/0736083715

Just think, 20 years ago people were riding harsher trails on rigid 26'ers. Simply run what ya brung. As for jumps and drops, find smaller easy ones and do them over and over and over until you hate them then do them some more. Get super confident on the small stuff so you can get familiar with how your bike (and your self!) handles jumps and landings. Gradually work up to bigger air and harder hits. Your bike can handle a lot more abuse than you might expect, so long as you don't case it.

Also, consider reading this:
Mastering Mountain Bike Skills

http://www.amazon.com/Mastering-Mountain-Bike-Skills-2nd/dp/0736083715/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1464551973&sr=8-1&keywords=mastering+mountain+bike

that book is an incredible resource. if you dont want to drop the cash, google 'mountain bike attack position', then work on bike/body separation, then look up GMBN on youtube, they have tons of video tutorials. droppers are useful but not necesarry. your seat does need to be low enough to let you bounce on your legs a bit

Find a group of guys faster than you and ride with them. Lose weight if you want. Look for group rides on MTBR. Don't keep riding with them if they're jerks about you not being as fast. DO keep riding with them if they wait patiently at trail intersections and offer encouragement. Get a big fat light and ride at night. Ride on the weekends. Ride to work. Ride for fun.

Speaking from experience, all of those things helped my stamina. Next weekend I'm riding with a big group of MTBers, 21 miles, 3500 feet of climbing, starting and ending at 6000 feet elevation. I did it last year too, finished in 5 hours after 4 months of MTBing. This year I hope to do it in 4 hours.

Take a skills class in your area. Buy a skills book. Learn the basics. Practice them. Don't assume mountain biking will just come to you, there's a lot to it that's not intuitive.

My favorite trick of the trade - on downhills or techie sections get your butt off the seat. Bend your elbows at 90 degrees and point your elbows out to your sides. Get your torso low. Shift your weight back until you feel your body balanced perfectly on the cranks, belly button over your feet, should be no weight on your hands or wrists. GET YOUR TORSO LOWER. Loosen up, shake your arms a bit, bend your legs at the knees. Keep your weight at that point where there's no weight on your hands. Going down? move your weight back a bit. Going up? Move your weight forward. Braking? Move your weight back again, keep that balance. Keep your arms loose. Now, when there's a drop (12-18 inches), push the front end down into the drop. Since your arms are bent, your torso doesn't get yanked down with the bike. Your arms move the bike down, and your head stays flowing smoothly along its path. Your bike may have 3, 4, 6, 8" of suspension? Your arms have 18" of suspension. Use them.

Rock? Suck that front end up, pick up that front wheel so you're not just smashing into it, move the wheel over it. Big stairstep waterbar thing? Throw your torso up and back, use that momentum to pick up the front wheel and place it on top of the stairstep. QUICK throw your torso forward! Suck your legs up so your rear wheel doesn't smash into the waterbar and rob you of your precious momentum you've worked so hard to collect.

Move your body and your bike around the trail, don't let the trail work you, it'll steal your precious momentum and buck your head around. Stay loose, stay low, keep those arms bent and unweighted.

Look farther down the trail. FARTHER THAN THAT! The higher you keep your eyes the more time you have to react to the trail and process the best route.

On climbs? Just do them a lot. All this skills stuff goes out the window when you're exhausted.

not a shill for Lee, I just read his book and took his class and got a lot from the experience