Originally Posted by
batto
This is very good Ray. I thought I was the only one that does this sort of thing. In essence what I think happens by using this as a training technique it makes your driving become 2nd nature so things begin to happen on the track for you with out you actually realising your thinking about it. If this makes sense. Like you said concentrate on the now ie each corner at a time then all of a sudden it feels like you have more time to do things on the track. When I go to bed at night I think about driving the track and I gotta say it really helps. Also another thing that I do is watch videos on youtube of races that have been held on the track in this case I run at Brendale. So I have watched the worlds many times for the 1/10. Im currently watching any thing that I can find on Moorebank because of the nats in a few weeks and also the Ray Wood dvd's are good. All of the above helps me on an ongoing basis. John Hamon of Trackside rc is a very experienced rc racer and he would back all of the above to the hilt. Great post Ray.
Noel
Hey Noel,
Thanks mate. I agree with all your points. When I was younger I used to stay up at night doing this same 'mental programming' - I didnt really know what I was doing but it helped. I know most people are busy know but if you can spend 10 minutes a day or night it really does help.
When you get it right, your driving can become so automatic that you feel remote from yourself. I remember 'watching myself' at the 2008 Nats and it was a surreal experience!! Your mind then becomes much freer for the conscious stuff: race strategy, setup thoughts etc.
Another thing to consider: you get used to certain inputs to help you drive. With nitro in particular, when you practice you can hear the engine which gives you a good sensation of speed. When you are in a race, the engine can be drowned out, affecting your ability to drive the same lines. Try using earplugs in practice to see how you have to sense the car using your vision rather than your hearing. (Note: I havent raced nitro, but the same applies to an extent with EP).
If you really want to get fancy, there are also techniques to help your left and right brain communicate better if anyone is interested....
Cool subject !!
Ray