Don’t Confuse an Advantage With a Requirement One of the things I’m always looking for in motocross is evidence that challenges the rules riders quietly start accepting. That matters because once a belief settles in, riders often stop questioning it. They don’t necessarily say, “This is impossible.” It usually sounds more reasonable than that. “I don’t have factory equipment.” “I don’t have the same support.” “I have to work.” “I don’t have the people around me.” All of those

“I want to become a professional motocross racer and make a living from the sport.” “There’s no money in motocross.” Put those two statements next to each other. One describes the future a rider says they want. The other describes what they believe about that future. There is a contradiction between them, and I think it matters far more than we sometimes realise. This is something I explored in Chapter 4 of The Inner Circuit, Breaking the Pattern: Belief Systems in Motocross.

WHAT LOOKS LIKE THE PROBLEM ISN’T ALWAYS THE PROBLEM I wanted to write this because I think there can sometimes be a misunderstanding around exactly what I do. Some people see the work I do around pressure, confidence, decision making and internal dialogue and assume I’m a mental performance coach. Others know me predominantly through my years of working trackside and think of me as a technique coach. I understand why, but I’ve never really separated the two. And this distinc

But Do Your Actions Agree? Almost every rider I’ve ever worked with has told me they want to succeed. They want to win races and championships, get a factory ride, race Grands Prix or eventually make a living from the sport. And when they tell me that, I believe them. I don’t think they’re lying about what they want. But there’s something I’ve noticed over many years of coaching that I think riders need to hear. Wanting the result and being willing to do everything required t

The Hardest Race at Loretta Lynn’s Isn’t on the Track When the Event Becomes Bigger Than the Race Every year, riders from across America arrive at Loretta Lynn’s carrying far more than a motorcycle and a set of riding gear. They arrive carrying years of sacrifice, countless hours of training, early mornings, late nights, family investment, long journeys, injuries, setbacks and the quiet belief that this week may become one of the defining moments of their career. By the time

There’s no shortage of effort in motocross. More riding More racing More training More investment Most families are already doing everything they believe is required to move forward. And yet, at some point, something starts to feel like it doesn’t quite add up. When that happens, the natural response is to do more. Train harder Add more sessions Push a little further Because effort is the easiest thing to control. It gives a sense of progress. It feels productive. It feels li

There is something I have been noticing for a long time. Riders today have access to more than any generation before them. Coaching. Technical insight. Performance understanding. Recovery. Nutrition. Structure. Everything is available. But access does not automatically lead to progress. What is often missing is not opportunity. It is how that opportunity is used. Many riders are training. They are riding regularly. They are surrounding themselves with the right environment. B

This article explains a common form of motocross performance inconsistency seen even at the highest level of the sport. Riders can display flawless speed and control one weekend, then make sudden unforced mistakes the next without any clear external reason.

There is a certain type of elite rider the sport struggles to explain. On paper, nothing is missing. The speed is unquestionable. Technique looks clean and repeatable. Preparation is thorough. On the right day, the performance appears effortless and controlled. Yet the same rider can suffer sudden unforced crashes that seem to arrive without warning, sometimes even with a clear track and a comfortable lead. What makes these moments difficult to understand is the absence of ob

Visual hierarchy, peripheral awareness, and why flow disappears under pressure One of the most common phrases heard in motocross coaching is “look further ahead” . It is well intentioned. It is simple. And at a surface level, it is correct. But at higher levels of the sport, this advice becomes incomplete. Many of the biggest mistakes seen at national and professional level do not come from riders failing to look far enough ahead. They come from riders losing visual organisat

Anaheim 1 is always one of the most anticipated races of the Supercross season. Not because it decides the championship. And not because it reliably tells us who the best rider is.

Burnout is not the real failure point in motocross. The real test comes later, inside professional environments built to select, not develop

Most capable motocross riders don’t suddenly lose speed on race day. What they lose is clarity, timing, and trust, usually under pressure. Commentators talk about it. Coaches talk about it. Riders feel it. “I didn’t feel like me out there.” “They’ve got the speed, but something happens when it counts.” What’s rarely explained is this: race day performance is not about character, confidence, or desire. It is the output of a system. And that system either holds… or it breaks. T

Why the Fastest Lap Won’t Win the Race – And What Haiden Deegan Is Quietly Teaching the Field We’re now into the U.S. Pro Nationals, and the opening round at Fox Raceway, California, didn’t disappoint. Both classes were stacked, but as always, I turn my real focus to the 250 class. Younger, less experienced riders fighting for podium honours. More heart. More chaos. More raw lessons. It’s the class where emotion and pressure collide — and where you can learn the most if you k

Photo: Samo Vidic (Redbull content pool) Let’s talk about pre-race rituals. Everyone’s got one—some small routine, a way of preparing...

Seth Hammaker just won the East Rutherford round of the 250 East Coast Supercross Championship. He now leads the series and is riding with a level of control and composure we’ve rarely seen from him before. But beneath the results is a story that most people will miss—and it perfectly exposes one of the biggest flaws in motocross development today. For the past four years, Hammaker’s career has been plagued by crashes and injuries. Not due to a lack of talent. Not because of

Why Riders With Bad Technique Can Still Be Fast And Why Real Technique Always Wins... in the End Rider: Liam Everts Photographer: Samo Vidic / Red Bull Content Pool One of the most frustrating things for serious motocross riders is this: “I’ve been working on my technique—and some guy with terrible form just beat me.” It can make you question everything: Does technique even matter? Is smooth really fast? What’s the point of putting in all this work? Am I doing th

Most people think coaching is just about running drills, giving encouragement, or correcting body position. But real coaching—...

I know what it’s like to be grateful for your parents’ sacrifices— But also feel trapped by their doubts. My dad gave me everything he...

We’re four rounds into both the AMA Supercross and Arenacross world tour season, and you’re seeing it happen—some riders look fast all week in practice, but when the gate drops, they can’t put it together in the main event. Sound familiar? This isn’t just a problem at the pro level—it’s the same reason so many amateur riders struggle to turn their practice speed into race results and one of the most common problems I see at the races. Here’s why it happens. Your Brain Works A