Coaching With Intrinsic Flow

Clinics officially start for the 2024 season on March, 16th!

We offer a full range of clinics to cover both trails skills (wheels on the ground stuff) and more advanced skills such as Jumping, Drops and even Wheelies and Manuals. We suggest starting with trail skills (clinics with names that are CAPITALIZED) and then moving on to Jumping 1, Drops 1 and the like.

We really want you to succeed! Because of that, we offer inexpensive ($50) optional practice clinics for Jumping 1 and Drops 1 as well as on-mountain group rides for Jumping 2 and Drops 2 students. Both are invite only, so take one or more of the clinics below and watch that email! There’s no excuse for not mastering the skills here we have lots of inexpensive follow up practice clinics and rides to get you there. And we guarantee results! Scroll to the bottom of the page for our clinic guarantee.

Sessions Level Clinics available during off-season

Warming Up to Catching Air

Wether you're dropping off small roots or launching huge doubles, you're going to need to be proficient with explosive movement on the bike. What do we mean by explosive movement? Moving your body rapidly enough to make you and your bike as heavy as possible, in order to subsequently get off the ground. First, we'll discuss some basic adjustments and work with body position on the bike. Then, we'll experiment with loading the suspension aggressively, and once we've got that, we'll work on getting the bike off the ground. Finally, we'll use what we've learned to "jump" an obstacle by bumping into it, using the obstacle itself as a ramp to aid with getting off the ground. This clinic is meant as a primer to our Jumping 1 and Drops 1 clinics. If you struggle with getting your bike in the air on flat ground OR your feet tend to come off the pedals when you do, we highly recommend that you take this clinic first. It's also a great option, if you've recently switched to flats from clipless.

Drops 1

In this clinic, learn 2 methods for drops and one for rolls. We'll briefly touch on some basics such as body position and bike/body separation, then we'll break down the movements for doing roll-downs (drop-offs that can be rolled), then dropping (airing off of features that can't be rolled.) We'll work with drop-offs and rolls that range from 6 to 18 inches for the majority of our time, but for those who have the consistency and confidence, we'll raising the drop up to 3 feet for the last 30 minutes. This will be an optional part of the clinic. This is an excellent clinic for riders new to doing drops, as well as more experienced riders struggling with landing off-axis or front/rear wheel heavy.

Jumping 1

Learn to air man made jumps in this 2 and a half hour clinic. Jumping 1 is taught in two parts with the first half being focused on body mechanics and popping (explosively standing into the pedals) and the second half being guided instruction (practice with instructor feedback) working on consistency. We’ll wrap with The Rules, Mike’s guide to learning to jump while avoiding injury. 6 student max. If you're new to jumping or struggle to keep your feet on the pedals when getting off the ground, consider signing up for Warming Up To Catching Air first.

Wheelies and Manuals

In this clinic, we'll learn the skills required to successfully wheelie or ride with your front wheel in the air and maintain it while pedaling in a seated position. Also, get an introduction to manualing (basically standing wheelie). Why would you need to do this on the trails? For one, pedaling over multiple small obstacles while seated is typically easier in a wheelie (or manual). Also, if you accidentally end up with your front wheel in the air by accident - such as landing a jump rear wheel first - it won't be quiet so scary. You'll have the awareness to not panic and the skill to bring it down. And if all that ain't enough, you'll totally score cool points with the kids in the neighborhood.

Clinics available during regular operating season (March - Mid-October)

Drops 2

We'll do a short explanation of the techniques we've previously talked about in Drops 1 and then do some drops and rolls with the drop set at a good height for warming up (about 1 foot high). After some time spent working with the drop at this height and getting comfortable, we'll discuss assessing a drop and the "point of no return." Then, we'll raise the height slightly to get used to the sensation of a committed drop (one that can't be rolled). Once comfortable at this height we'll adjust again and so on. We'll be working with downslope landings and flat landings as well as man-made and natural rolls. Expect natural rolls located in the park to range from 4 to 8 feet. You will be challenged. This an invite only clinic. You must first take Drops 1 and successfully display skills from that clinic to be invited to Drops 2.

Jumping 2

How to build the confidence to ride gap jumps. It's quite the mental barrier, right? The clinic will begin with us meeting at the new Intrinsic Flow Training Area (tabletop jump track) located between Ewok Village and lower Grasshopper Trail on Galbraith Mountain. We'll officially start the day by doing a warm-up and a refresher on what we learned in Jumping 1. After that, we'll transition to a moveable ramp and a dirt landing. The gap will start small (less than a bike lengh) and then get bigger as our comfort level increases. Once comfortable with a moderate size (about 6 foot), we’ll then begin working with intentionally casing. When all students are casing with the correct technique, we'll continue pulling the take-off back, resume jumping it and repeat the process. Finally, we'll end with applying what we've learned to one or more jumps on the mountain.Expect jumps we work with in this clinic to be approximately 2' tall or less. Distance? Well, that’s up to you, but we’ll be starting with a 3 foot gap. We've had the gap distance increase to as long as 14 feet in this clinic. Believe me, once we go through the process, it’s not as hard as it sounds. This clinic will be limited to just 4, so as to provide the best possible experience for everyone involved.

Jumping, Drops and Wheelies/Manuals Practice Clinics

Have you taken Jumping 1 with me previously and need a brush up or feedback for a persistent problem? I do practice days with the guided instruction portion of Jumping 1 for students that have taken Jumping with me before, Cost is less than half the cost of a Jumping 1 clinic. If you’ve taken a jumping lesson or clinic with us and you’re interested in taking Jumping Practice send me a message through the contact tab above and we’ll put you on the list for the next available. If you’ve taken a lesson or clinic this season, you should receive an email invite when next practice becomes available.

Trail Skills Clinics (Wheels on the ground)

ESSENTIALS

As the name implies, these skills are absolutely essential. In this clinic we’ll be focusing on body position, bike/body separation and braking - especially with using the front brake. Though we recommend this clinic for riders that are brand new to the sport, it’s recommended to verteran riders as well. We often hear from riders interested in coaching, that body position and braking are basic skills and they feel that they are beyond. If this sounds like you, consider a few questions: Do you struggle to keep the back wheel from skidding on steeper terrain? Have you plateaued in your jumping or drops skills? Do you go over the bars periodically (or frequently!) and not know why? If the answer is yes to any of these questions, definitely take this clinic.

TURNS

Learn to effectively turn on flat and off-camber turns without steering with the bars at high speed. Learn how and when to use your brake to set up for turns. Get tips for riding berm turns and using bike body separation in berm turns that are less than ideal. We'll start with getting used to the necessary body position changes on open ground, then work our way up to doing slalom turns.

CLIMBING SKILLS

At it’s core, climbing is a energy conservation game. There are many obstacles in your path and without the right skills, it’s easy to be exhausted before you even make it to the top of that first climb! Learn to get over logs, roots, rocks and other obstacles with the least amount of energy possible. We’ll start this clinic by working on some basic techniques in a clearing and then transition to applying them to the trails.

INTRO to STEEPS

In this clinic, we'll be focusing on skills for riding steep terrain including tracking a straight line, switchback turns, riding roll overs, dodging obstacles and turning on steep uneven terrain. We consider this our ultimate Fundamentals level clinic. Students that take this clinic are encouraged to take ESSENTIALS and TURNS at a minimum before taking this clinic.

Sessions Clinics

Women’s Jumping 1- Coming soon!

We’ve got some big changes for out Women’s Jumping 1 for the 2020 season. Women often have different needs and struggles when it comes to jumping. Challenges with achieving explosive movement on the bike being one of them. This season you’ll see the biggest changes yet to our women’s program to address this. Don’t think this is a struggle for you? Sign up for our co-ed Jumping 1 clinic above. But if this sounds familiar, keep an eye on the sessions page for more info. Or better yet! Sign up for our email newsletter and hear about it as soon as registration goes live.

Jumping 2 - Mind the Gap

You say you’ve been jumping for awhile, but you’re still struggling with gaps? In this class we’ll build skills for assessing gaps including how to accurately measure jump length, how to determine if a jump is likely to buck and how to line up a jump for the first time. There is a lot of highly useful information here, so if you're starting to push yourself doing gaps, you won't want to miss this! This 3. hour clinic will be taught at Galbraith Mountain. Jumping 3 will be limited to 6 people. Please note, you must take Jumping 1 and pass before taking this clinic. If you feel that you have the skills, a private lesson can be a good way to accelerate this process. Registration isn’t done on the website. Please contact us at 360.386.5550 or email for more info. 

Jumping 2 Requirements:

• Must first take Jumping 1 to be considered eligible for Jumping 2: Mind the Gap.

• Demonstrate the ability to "pop" with legs without rotating from side to side, forward (endo) or back (loop out).

• Demonstrate the ability to “hold’ until the orientation of the bars (not move relative to hips) and knees (locked out) on take-off

• Demonstrate minimal forward/back head movement on take-off

• Be consistent with timing the pop 9 out of 10 times with minimal error.

• If you've taken Jumping 1 and you're still not sure if you qualify. No worries. Consider taking Jumping Practice. (Send us a message via the contact tab above for more info.

Jumping Practice

We’ve talked about it, but it will be happing regularly in the 2020 season. Have you taken Jumping 1 with me previously and need a brush up or feedback for a persistent problem? I do practice days with the guided instruction portion of Jumping 1 for students that have taken Jumping with me before, Cost is less than half the cost of a Jumping 1 clinic. If you’ve taken a jumping lesson or clinic with us and you’re interested in taking Jumping Practice send me a message through the contact tab above and we’ll put you on the list for the next available. If you’ve taken a lesson or clinic this season, you should receive an email invite when next practice becomes available. ($50/ session)

Drops 2 - Full Commitment Drops

We'll be starting where we left off with Drops 1. I'll do a short explanation of the techniques we talked about and then we'll do some drops and rolls using those techniques with the drop set at a good height for warming up (less than 1 foot). After some time spent working with the drop at this height and getting comfortable, we'll discuss assessing a drop and the "point of no return." Then we'll raise the height slightly to get used the sensation of a committed drop. Once comfortable at this height we'll adjust again and so on. This 3.5 hour clinic is limited to 6 people. Please note, you must take Drops 1 and pass before taking this clinic. If you feel that you have the skills, a private lesson can be a good way to accelerate this process. Registration isn’t done on the website. Feel free to call at 360.386.5550 or use the contact tab for more for questions.

Drops Practice

In this practice clinic we work on the skills for rolls and for airing drops that we introduced in Drops 1. We’ll definitely be bringing the 3 foot riser for the drop. This practice clinic makes an excellent segway into Drops 2. Get the practice you need to go higher with more confidence. If you’ve taken a lesson or clinic this season, you should receive an email invite when next practice becomes available. ($50/ session)

Wheelies & Manuals

If you ever envied that kid in the neighborhood that could wheelie for days but you felt that doing it yourself was out of reach - then we're here to tell you - your day has come. In this clinic, we'll be delving deep into the dark art that is riding with your front wheel in the air. We'll talk briefly about bike set-up and bike geometry and how this affects the bike. Then, we'll practice skills that will give you the confidence to initiate and maintain control when riding on 1 wheel. Most of this time will be spent working on Wheelies (seated while balancing by pedaling) with an Intro to Manualing (standing while balancing with the hips). This clinic is not to be missed. Be there, or hate yourself every time that 12 year-old neighbor kid passes by your house. This is 2 hour intermediate/advanced level clinic and is limited to 6 people.

Not seeing what you're looking for? I am in process adding new clinics all the time, including more women's specific clinics. Or, if you just can't wait, send me a message! I love feedback. Write me an email and let me know!

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