[Editor's Note: This article originally appeared in the May 2012 issue of Grassroots Motorsports]
Racing is a passion that most of us cram into the gaps of our real lives. Family, work and daily chores leave precious little time for strapping into a race car and hitting the gas. If we get a dozen days of pure wheel-to-wheel competition in …
I know this article is 10yrs old but thought I'd comment as it was before my time here.
The main thing I like is it talked about being fast at whatever track you went to rather than that specific track. As an instructor / coach I try to teach that.
Something I think a lot of rookies undervalue is right seat instruction time after they've been marked "safe to solo". Of course, everyone in the "know" knows this already, but any chance I get for somebody to help me out is incredibly valuable.
One thing I think I struggle with is I feel I'm "not good enough" for professional coaching yet. I can improve and learn off the free resources still and don't feel like I've plateaued there. Maybe i'd learn faster or better with some dedicated paid for coaching.
Sort of related, but I just saw this on our FB:
I recently sent data and video to a pro coach and my next session out I was almost two seconds faster on a two mile track. At my home track. My laps were also way more consistent. I was pretty shocked, but driving on track is all about getting certain things into your muscle memory and sometimes the wrong stuff gets in there. A good coach is a fast enough driver to see the flaws, and a good enough communicator to tell you how to change. Not everyone who's fast is a good coach.
beatus said:Something I think a lot of rookies undervalue is right seat instruction time after they've been marked "safe to solo". Of course, everyone in the "know" knows this already, but any chance I get for somebody to help me out is incredibly valuable.
One thing I think I struggle with is I feel I'm "not good enough" for professional coaching yet. I can improve and learn off the free resources still and don't feel like I've plateaued there. Maybe i'd learn faster or better with some dedicated paid for coaching.
A lot of coaches won't do right-seat instruction for personal safety reasons, instead it's more about data and video. If you have an instrumented car, one thing that's super useful is to get the coach to drive your car, so that you can go back and compare yourself later.
As for "good enough", IMHO it's worth getting someone to review stuff if only to give you a set of things to go and work on by yourself.
ShinnyGroove (Forum Supporter) said:A good coach is a fast enough driver to see the flaws, and a good enough communicator to tell you how to change. Not everyone who's fast is a good coach.
I seen instrutors who are way faster than I could ever hope to be but they are terrible. It mainly is a communication issue but it also goes to being relatable.
I've mentioned many times, while I've done coaching and I routinely get people requesting me as an instructor, if I ever attempt to do the RunOffs I will be enlisting a driver coach.
Professional coaching is worth every penny.
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