When is MTB sessioning practicing and when is it performing?

It’s important to know because it determines where you place your focus

In a recent issue of his Bulletproof Musician newsletter, Noa Kageyama mentioned that it’s essential to know where you place your attention during learning mode vs. where you place your attention during performance mode.

In other words, the things that are most helpful for you to focus on or think about when you’re practicing are not necessarily the same things that are most helpful for you to focus on or think about when you’re performing.

I dug deep on where to focus during MTB practice last March with a post titled, When should we pay attention to external vs. internal cues when learning or practicing MTB skills?

But I’ve never posted anything about performance mode in this Substack, including how to practice for performance. I’ve given it a low priority because I’ve had it in my head that most recreational mountain bikers don’t perform—we don’t usually race, and few of us compete in a skills competition, like a trial or slopestyle event.

But when I read Kageyama’s newsletter, the question occurred to me: when is sessioning practicing and when is it performing? I joined two riding buddies for sessioning last month (There are hidden benefits to a deliberate MTB sessioning group ride), so I have memories of that ride that are fresh:

Some random thoughts about performance during sessioning:

• Repeatedly trying an obstacle along the trail with one or more of your buddies to see who can clean it first or ride it best is performing. Likewise, seeing who can jump the highest, furthest, or with the best style is performing.

• Showing off in a parking lot, a bike park, or along a trail is performing.

• Mutually analyzing an obstacle, discussing techniques for riding it, giving each other feedback after attempts, etc., is practicing. But one’s mental state could override the practicing to where it becomes a performance. (“Jeez, my buddies have all cleaned that ledge at least once, but not me. I suck.”) (“I’m the only one who cleaned that sucker. I rock!”)

• Your attempts can vary. Your focus for one bunny hop attempt over a log could be feeling the changing pressure of your hands on the bars, something you’ve been working on during your driveway practice sessions. Your focus for a subsequent attempt could be to maintain relaxed concentration with a specific focal point as you try to put all the elements of the bunny hop motion together and prove to yourself and your buddies that you’re progressing.

• Performing requires an audience, but solo sessioning is a thing, too.

• Capturing a video during sessioning can be done as an aid for practice or for a performance to show others later.

Most of my sessioning rides with Pat and Travis last month were performance-oriented. (I can’t speak for them, but I’ll ask them to comment here.) I reasoned that my mindset was, “Let’s see if I can clean this,” and less often, “Hmmm, I need to problem-solve my technique on this.”

Knowing that sessioning with others is more of a performance challenge for me than a practice challenge is helpful. It means I need to improve my sports psychology skills, primarily breathing, muscle relaxation, and concentration. Time to get out my copy of the book Sports Psyching: Playing Your Best Game All of the Time and practice the drills: