acebobby Posted July 23, 2009 Report Share Posted July 23, 2009 Something I've been wondering about is the list of successful champions that have been trained by the CSS over the years, and how you guys do it, I know that you guys have to coach people from roadriders to national and international contenders and champions! I could imagine that getting me as a student would make quite a relaxing day for a CSS coach but what about when you get guys like Leon Camier, can you keep up to observe someone as fast as that? Do the racers use their racebikes when they come to school? Do you ever get a student that really makes you have to work hard to keep up? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bullet Posted July 23, 2009 Report Share Posted July 23, 2009 Something I've been wondering about is the list of successful champions that have been trained by the CSS over the years, and how you guys do it, I know that you guys have to coach people from roadriders to national and international contenders and champions! I could imagine that getting me as a student would make quite a relaxing day for a CSS coach but what about when you get guys like Leon Camier, can you keep up to observe someone as fast as that? Do the racers use their racebikes when they come to school?Do you ever get a student that really makes you have to work hard to keep up? Hi Bobby, A very interesting question indeed. Well, there are many champions as you're very well aware, our two latest out of the UK are Leon Camier, (Supersport and with luck soon to be BSB Champion), and Thomas Luthi (125 GP Champion). There are countless others that have been through the school but I'm not aware of who they all are. I'm not sure how student coach allocation is done in the US, but I suspect it's much the same as ours, when you complete your sign on questionaire, type of bike, number of trackdays, racing experience etc, that kind of allocates you to the right type of coach you get. Clearly you need someone that can keep up with you, and provide you with valuable feedback on how you're going. We do have a pecking list of speed of coaches, but that's only one part really, as clearly experience and coaching ability are equally if not more important, and so this becomes a cheif allocation decision also. We do get riders turning up on their race bikes, though when Leon comes for example, he usually leverages a School R6 as did Thomas. We do get club and national racers turning up on their full on race bikes, wets, etc, and it can be interesting sometimes trying to keep up, though of course, you must also remember that the odds are a little stacked on our side for much of the day, as you students can't use all gears and brakes where as we can. That said though, I've personally never had a student I couldn't interact succesfully with, though chasing club racers on wets when your on raod tyres can be very hard work I have to admit. If it did happen, you'd get moved onto a coach that could keep up with you and your abilities. I hope that helps answer your question my friend? Bullet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hubbard_28 Posted July 24, 2009 Report Share Posted July 24, 2009 Can I guess that it's like coaching football? The basics are still the same to make a player as proficient as possible in his position (in our case the same position)? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bullet Posted July 24, 2009 Report Share Posted July 24, 2009 Can I guess that it's like coaching football? The basics are still the same to make a player as proficient as possible in his position (in our case the same position)? Yeah definitely the case. And you'd be suprised at how many of the racers have really, really bad throttle control too! They're so keen to get back to it, they have very poor timing and application in many cases. Bullet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
acebobby Posted July 24, 2009 Author Report Share Posted July 24, 2009 Something I've been wondering about is the list of successful champions that have been trained by the CSS over the years, and how you guys do it, I know that you guys have to coach people from roadriders to national and international contenders and champions! I could imagine that getting me as a student would make quite a relaxing day for a CSS coach but what about when you get guys like Leon Camier, can you keep up to observe someone as fast as that? Do the racers use their racebikes when they come to school?Do you ever get a student that really makes you have to work hard to keep up? Hi Bobby, A very interesting question indeed. Well, there are many champions as you're very well aware, our two latest out of the UK are Leon Camier, (Supersport and with luck soon to be BSB Champion), and Thomas Luthi (125 GP Champion). There are countless others that have been through the school but I'm not aware of who they all are. I'm not sure how student coach allocation is done in the US, but I suspect it's much the same as ours, when you complete your sign on questionaire, type of bike, number of trackdays, racing experience etc, that kind of allocates you to the right type of coach you get. Clearly you need someone that can keep up with you, and provide you with valuable feedback on how you're going. We do have a pecking list of speed of coaches, but that's only one part really, as clearly experience and coaching ability are equally if not more important, and so this becomes a cheif allocation decision also. We do get riders turning up on their race bikes, though when Leon comes for example, he usually leverages a School R6 as did Thomas. We do get club and national racers turning up on their full on race bikes, wets, etc, and it can be interesting sometimes trying to keep up, though of course, you must also remember that the odds are a little stacked on our side for much of the day, as you students can't use all gears and brakes where as we can. That said though, I've personally never had a student I couldn't interact succesfully with, though chasing club racers on wets when your on raod tyres can be very hard work I have to admit. If it did happen, you'd get moved onto a coach that could keep up with you and your abilities. I hope that helps answer your question my friend? Bullet Thanks for that reply Bullet, I never thought about the no brakes and a few gears but of course that would give you coaches a little bit of an edge, its interesting to know that Leon Camier and Thomas Luthi use the schools R6s, It really just goes to show that when their at school they really are focusing on improving themselfs and their own techniques and the bike doesn't really matter, not that there's anything wrong with the R6s, but just that they would be used to far superior machines! It brings it into perspective that even the top guys are working on the same drills as us mere mortals! Thats pretty cool! I wonder as an instructor though do you start off only being able to coach level 1 and work your way through the levels or do you coach all the drills from all the levels from your first day instructing? Cheers Bobby Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bullet Posted July 24, 2009 Report Share Posted July 24, 2009 I wonder as an instructor though do you start off only being able to coach level 1 and work your way through the levels or do you coach all the drills from all the levels from your first day instructing? Cheers Bobby You do all levels from day 1 in the UK, though the "coach" may get given the chance to just coach levels 1 and 3 if it can be accomodated in the rota as they're slightly easier to coach than level 2. Bullet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cobie Fair Posted July 24, 2009 Report Share Posted July 24, 2009 Ace--the question has been more or less answered. A few years back for example, when Leon came over here, we had a few guys that can ride with him and watch what he's doing, and then also give him an example if applicable. He really liked it. Leon when here was an excellent student, really a pleasure to work with. Most of the really fast guys realize it's a school, and they treat it as such. At a certain level, just having a trained coach at the track that you can work with can be hugely helpful--in this case the coach doesn't even ride, just observes, and works with the rider. Recently, the young ones with there 150's and 125 GP bikes and there is no going with them in a corner if they go in full tilt. 150 lb bike, with a less than 100 pound rider, and you are on a 400 pound bike with 200 pound rider---not gonna work out. But the kids have done great with the coaching, like it and are doing very at the schools. CF Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adam06 Posted July 27, 2009 Report Share Posted July 27, 2009 "It brings it into perspective that even the top guys are working on the same drills as us mere mortals! Thats pretty cool!" Right on! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tgriff1222 Posted July 28, 2009 Report Share Posted July 28, 2009 "It brings it into perspective that even the top guys are working on the same drills as us mere mortals! Thats pretty cool!" Right on! In 2007 I watched the AMA races at mid O and then did the CSS the monday following. One of the guys in my group was Marty Cragill, who had just finished top 10 in fx the day before. And there he was doing slow, small circles working on BP with the rest of us. Pretty cool to talk with him throughout the day (even though he isn't very talkative.) Marty wasn't one of the superstars in AMA, but he was a great racer and to see him doing the same drills that I was doing really reinforced that I had made the right decsion in signing up for the school. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adam06 Posted July 28, 2009 Report Share Posted July 28, 2009 Yeah, Marty is a pretty cool, low-key type of guy. Great racer. You're right. Cobie I think can tell a great tale of when Marty did the steering drill in Level 1......... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darren sweetman Posted July 30, 2009 Report Share Posted July 30, 2009 I found that the more you coach, the more competent you get with your own riding and the quicker you get. As Bullett said, in the UK the students are graded to the coach based on their experience and as a coach it is a very satisfying feeling to know that you are moving up the pecking order of coaches and getting faster student. (I coached in the UK for 5 Years). As for students that make you work hard, I have had plenty but to be honest I think that just makes you a better coach as you need to work harder to get a positive result from the student. The worst case is when a student is using full wet tyres and we are on road tyres. No show of keeping up, but we have techniques for that as well Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bullet Posted July 30, 2009 Report Share Posted July 30, 2009 No show of keeping up, but we have techniques for that as well Shhhhhh, don't tell em that.. LOL....... They all thought I could ride a bit till you said that! Bullet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stuman Posted September 10, 2009 Report Share Posted September 10, 2009 Having coached guys like Leon, Josh Herrin, Chris Perris and a bunch of other fast guys I can tell you that there are times when I have had to coach guys that are faster them me. As long as I can stay behind them long enough to get a look at what they are doing I can typically offer them some observations and help them improve. I will say that this can be difficult. It is hard to ride that fast and still have enough free attention to check out what the other guy is doing in order to coach them. It can be even more difficult when it comes time to pass that rider and lead them around But being a coach I can always pull off, wait till the rider comes around again and then pull out in front and ask them to follow Most of the real fast guys I have worked with have been very good students and very open to being coached. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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