It Wasn’t Bad Luck: The Seth Hammaker Reset

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 poor fitness.

But because of one brutally honest truth:

“My technique wasn’t great.

I would make mistakes, and they’d get amplified.

In the end, I’d end up on the ground—and that would result in injuries.”

– Seth Hammaker

That statement says it all.

At the elite level, the smallest flaws get magnified under pressure.

And if you haven’t built a strong foundation—physically, mentally, and technically—

you’re going to feel it in the worst way possible: through setbacks, surgery, and time off the bike.

The Reset No One Wants to Make

In an effort to turn his career around, Hammaker made the difficult decision to relocate across the country, restructure his program, and start again.

He’s now in Florida, training with new support, rebuilding from the ground up.

Not pushing harder.

Not adding more cardio.

Not just getting stronger.

But doing what should have been done in the beginning—fixing the core of his technique.

The results are already visible:

• He’s staying upright.

• He’s making saves.

• He’s racing with more consistency and control.

• He’s finally able to show the talent that was always there.

But here’s what most people don’t understand:

That kind of reset is brutally hard—especially when you’re already a pro.

When you’re on a top team, there’s pressure.

You’re expected to perform, not step back.

You’ve got a contract. Salary. Expectations.

Every decision feels like it could cost you your ride, your income, your future.

And the top teams?

They’re not there to develop you.

They’re there to give you the equipment, the structure, and the platform.

You’re expected to arrive ready—and deliver results.

If you don’t, you get passed up. Someone else is always waiting in line.

To admit that your technique needs rebuilding—

To take a step back in order to move forward—

Takes serious courage.

Unless you’re injured and forced to step away, most riders won’t even attempt it.

The risk feels too high.

But sometimes, it’s the only way to save your career.

The Myth of Bad Luck

For years, people might’ve looked at Seth’s career and just shrugged.

“He’s fast… just unlucky.”

“If he could just stay off the ground…”

“Injuries keep holding him back.”

But here’s the truth:

There’s no such thing as bad luck in motocross—not at this level.

Every crash has a cause.

Whether it’s:

• A momentary lapse of concentration,

• Poor posture under fatigue,

• A split-second technical error,

• Or an ingrained habit that’s never been corrected—

There’s always something that triggered it.

Yes, there are rare moments when another rider takes you out and it’s completely out of your control.

But the majority of crashes—especially over time—aren’t random.

They’re the result of human error, flawed habits, or overlooked weaknesses.

But because no one slows down to find the root cause, the symptoms keep repeating.

Crashes. Setbacks. Injuries.

And each one gets chalked up to “bad luck,” when in reality, it was just unseen or unfixed patterns.

Find the Root—Or Repeat the Cycle

What Seth is doing now—resetting mid-career, identifying the root causes, rebuilding from the inside out—

that’s what saves riders from disappearing completely.

And that’s the type of work most people don’t see—

The detailed, internal work that doesn’t look flashy, but changes everything.

Because if you only treat the symptom,

You’re just waiting for the next crash.

But if you find the root,

You break the cycle—and finally start building something that lasts.

This Could’ve Been Fixed Years Ago

Here’s the part that hits hardest:

None of this had to happen.

If the right technical foundations had been built before Seth turned pro—

If Seth had taken the time to slow down, correct the habits, and learn real positioning, control, and movement—

He could’ve avoided four years of setbacks, surgeries, and missed opportunities.

And this is where you, the rider or the parent, come in.

Because right now, you have a choice:

You can wait until your riding breaks down…

Until you hit the wall…

Until you’re forced to reset…

Or you can learn from Seth’s journey—without living it yourself.

What you build now determines how far you go later.

The riders who last at the top aren’t just the fastest.

They’re the ones with the strongest foundation.

If you’re serious about your future in this sport,

Don’t wait until you’re broken to start fixing what’s wrong.