I would be lying to say that there isn’t an element of performance or showing off when we ride with others. However that’s not the primary reason I would ride with others. A big part of it for me is the socialization and seeing the skills others have on a bike. I know when I got done with that ride my take aways from a practice standpoint is I wanted to get better at hopping my bike to switch directions on the skinnie like Travis did and getting better with my rear wheel lifts. If someone I ride with does something cool and I think I can learn to do it, that gets me motivated to practice. I also know that I sometimes dial back some of the things I can do so I don’t appear to be an ass or to make others feel inadequate. I don’t want to be one of those guys.
I've only performed once in my life........actually on stage with a captive audience (they applauded, so it can't have been too bad).......and it seems that was pretty different. It involved a lot of practice ("rehearsal") and a definite effort to project into the audience.
I love seasoning because one can learn stuff and take the piss with one's buddies (maybe help them learn)........is that "performing".......or supportive social interaction?
Maybe "performance" is where you have a mastery of the skills and concentrate on their presentation, to entertain an audience and maybe "showing off' is a subset of that?
There's a lot of subtle (or overt) psychological processing going on with something like MTB, even when "recreating", and it will be challenging to isolate and develop these aspects.
I appreciate calling out the difference between practice and performance. We used to talk about this all the time in volleyball, and now I still separate the two approaches both on the guitar and on the bike. Thanks, Griff!
Interesting post. I think that any group session will include both performative and practice elements, and the mix will vary depending on your relationship with the other participants. But I think it could go further - if you are sessioning at a public skills park you may be there alone but other people may be around. So you could be introducing a performative element just because you are peripherally aware that you are being observed, and that others are expecting something of you.
Your observation on the different internal dialogue also matches gamification vs problem solving approaches - could gamification ('I want to clear that ledge twice') be effective in part because it triggers a performative response?
I would be lying to say that there isn’t an element of performance or showing off when we ride with others. However that’s not the primary reason I would ride with others. A big part of it for me is the socialization and seeing the skills others have on a bike. I know when I got done with that ride my take aways from a practice standpoint is I wanted to get better at hopping my bike to switch directions on the skinnie like Travis did and getting better with my rear wheel lifts. If someone I ride with does something cool and I think I can learn to do it, that gets me motivated to practice. I also know that I sometimes dial back some of the things I can do so I don’t appear to be an ass or to make others feel inadequate. I don’t want to be one of those guys.
I've only performed once in my life........actually on stage with a captive audience (they applauded, so it can't have been too bad).......and it seems that was pretty different. It involved a lot of practice ("rehearsal") and a definite effort to project into the audience.
I love seasoning because one can learn stuff and take the piss with one's buddies (maybe help them learn)........is that "performing".......or supportive social interaction?
Maybe "performance" is where you have a mastery of the skills and concentrate on their presentation, to entertain an audience and maybe "showing off' is a subset of that?
There's a lot of subtle (or overt) psychological processing going on with something like MTB, even when "recreating", and it will be challenging to isolate and develop these aspects.
Good Luck...........
I appreciate calling out the difference between practice and performance. We used to talk about this all the time in volleyball, and now I still separate the two approaches both on the guitar and on the bike. Thanks, Griff!
Interesting post. I think that any group session will include both performative and practice elements, and the mix will vary depending on your relationship with the other participants. But I think it could go further - if you are sessioning at a public skills park you may be there alone but other people may be around. So you could be introducing a performative element just because you are peripherally aware that you are being observed, and that others are expecting something of you.
Your observation on the different internal dialogue also matches gamification vs problem solving approaches - could gamification ('I want to clear that ledge twice') be effective in part because it triggers a performative response?