
Can You Learn To Manual From A Podcast?
03/02/23 • 69 min
You asked, and we brought it to you: a manual episode!
Join us as we breakdown one of the raddest things you can do on a bike. Here, we separate a basic "puddle manual" from the "BMX manual" and focus on learning the simplest version first. In this episode we discuss:
- A bit of theory on stability and balance
- How skill development relates to stability and balance
- How this impacts our teaching
- Some pre-reqs for the manual
- Terrain choice
- Stretching
- Bike set up
- Goal setting
- Why we should know how to manual
- The basic steps
- How to practice
- Patience and being kind to yourself
- And of course, the donut of the day!
Let us know if this helps you with your pursuit of the manual!
DISCLAIMER
The views, thoughts and opinions expressed by Donuts & Bikes - The Mountain Bike Coaching Podcast are solely those of the authors, Kristian Jackson and Paul Howard and their guests, and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the PMBIA, or any other company, person or organization mentioned or included in the podcast. Any content provided by our guests or authors are of their opinion, and are not intended to malign any religion, ethic group, club, organization, company, individual, or anyone or anything.
THIS PODCAST & IT'S AUTHORS DISCLAIM ANY AND ALL LIABILITY OR RESPONSIBILITY FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL OR OTHER DAMAGES ARISING OUT OF ANY INDIVIDUAL'S USE OF, REFERENCE TO, RELIANCE ON, OR INABILITY TO USE, THIS PODCAST OR THE INFORMATION PRESENTED IN THIS PODCAST.
SUPPORT THE SHOW! Like what we’re doing? Support us on Patreon for just $3/month. Your help keeps us delivering high-quality, independent content for mountain bikers and coaches worldwide. You're fueling better riding, smarter coaching, and the sport’s growth.
👉 patreon.com/donutsandbikes
FIND US ON INSTAGRAM: Get the latest updates, episode drops, and behind-the-scenes content. Follow @donutsandbikes.
MTB COACH EDUCATION: Instructors and coaches—want to grow your skills or get certified? Explore the Global Syndicate of Mountain Bike Coaches at www.gsmbc.pro.
DISCLAIMER
The views and opinions on The Mountain Bike Coaching Podcast: Donuts & Bikes are those of Kristian Jackson, Paul Howard, and guests, and don’t necessarily reflect the views of GSMBC, PMBIA, or others mentioned. Guest content reflects personal opinions and is not intended to offend or misrepresent any person or group.
LIABILITY DISCLAIMER
This podcast and its authors disclaim all responsibility for any damages resulting from use of or reliance on the content.
You asked, and we brought it to you: a manual episode!
Join us as we breakdown one of the raddest things you can do on a bike. Here, we separate a basic "puddle manual" from the "BMX manual" and focus on learning the simplest version first. In this episode we discuss:
- A bit of theory on stability and balance
- How skill development relates to stability and balance
- How this impacts our teaching
- Some pre-reqs for the manual
- Terrain choice
- Stretching
- Bike set up
- Goal setting
- Why we should know how to manual
- The basic steps
- How to practice
- Patience and being kind to yourself
- And of course, the donut of the day!
Let us know if this helps you with your pursuit of the manual!
DISCLAIMER
The views, thoughts and opinions expressed by Donuts & Bikes - The Mountain Bike Coaching Podcast are solely those of the authors, Kristian Jackson and Paul Howard and their guests, and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the PMBIA, or any other company, person or organization mentioned or included in the podcast. Any content provided by our guests or authors are of their opinion, and are not intended to malign any religion, ethic group, club, organization, company, individual, or anyone or anything.
THIS PODCAST & IT'S AUTHORS DISCLAIM ANY AND ALL LIABILITY OR RESPONSIBILITY FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL OR OTHER DAMAGES ARISING OUT OF ANY INDIVIDUAL'S USE OF, REFERENCE TO, RELIANCE ON, OR INABILITY TO USE, THIS PODCAST OR THE INFORMATION PRESENTED IN THIS PODCAST.
SUPPORT THE SHOW! Like what we’re doing? Support us on Patreon for just $3/month. Your help keeps us delivering high-quality, independent content for mountain bikers and coaches worldwide. You're fueling better riding, smarter coaching, and the sport’s growth.
👉 patreon.com/donutsandbikes
FIND US ON INSTAGRAM: Get the latest updates, episode drops, and behind-the-scenes content. Follow @donutsandbikes.
MTB COACH EDUCATION: Instructors and coaches—want to grow your skills or get certified? Explore the Global Syndicate of Mountain Bike Coaches at www.gsmbc.pro.
DISCLAIMER
The views and opinions on The Mountain Bike Coaching Podcast: Donuts & Bikes are those of Kristian Jackson, Paul Howard, and guests, and don’t necessarily reflect the views of GSMBC, PMBIA, or others mentioned. Guest content reflects personal opinions and is not intended to offend or misrepresent any person or group.
LIABILITY DISCLAIMER
This podcast and its authors disclaim all responsibility for any damages resulting from use of or reliance on the content.
Previous Episode

Drops Part 1 - Techniques & Methods for Progression-based Learning
Learning to drop can be intimidating. Learning to teach drops can be even more fright-inducing. But it doesn't, and more importantly, shouldn't have to be that way.
In this episode, we how examine how good coaching is good risk management and that skills-based coaching is a powerful way to build purposeful progressions.
Drops come in all sizes, shapes, and configurations and as a result, there usually isn't a single "right way" to ride a drop. In this episode we focus in on the skills we can control to create optimal performance.
For our listeners who are riders, we discuss some of the key skills-components we used to understand how to perform on drops.
For our coaches out there, we present some details on designing progressions, understanding rider anxiety, and other important important nuggets for helping riders succeed.
This episode includes:
- Paul's highlights from his Downtime Podcast appearance
- Highlights from Cornering Part 1
- Common Myths about "doing" drops
- Limitation of a “prescriptive” approach to teaching and learning drops
- Risk Management as an element of teaching progressions
- Rider assessment and warm ups for drops
- Risk, Anxiety, and Empathy
- Sizes of drops for teaching
- The importance of a Point of Commitment
- The role of the press, absorb, poke in controlling the bike’s trajectory.
- The idea of being a driver not a survivor
- The goal of teaching drops is teaching adaptability
- Getting better on drops doesn’t automatically mean going to a bigger drop
- Teaching drops is really teaching skills
- Consistency, Correct Technique, and Confidence as measurement tools
- When is it time to move to a bigger drop?
- The importance of identifying Performance Affecting Factors
- Identifying student goals vs. instructor goals
- Don’t try to learn drop techniques on crappy drops!
- What makes a drop good for teaching?
- A preview of advanced drops
- Donut of the day!
DISCLAIMER
The views, thoughts and opinions expressed by Donuts & Bikes - The Mountain Bike Coaching Podcast are solely those of the authors, Kristian Jackson and Paul Howard and their guests, and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the PMBIA, or any other company, person or organization mentioned or included in the podcast. Any content provided by our guests or authors are of their opinion, and are not intended to malign any religion, ethic group, club, organization, company, individual, or anyone or anything.
THIS PODC
SUPPORT THE SHOW! Like what we’re doing? Support us on Patreon for just $3/month. Your help keeps us delivering high-quality, independent content for mountain bikers and coaches worldwide. You're fueling better riding, smarter coaching, and the sport’s growth.
👉 patreon.com/donutsandbikes
FIND US ON INSTAGRAM: Get the latest updates, episode drops, and behind-the-scenes content. Follow @donutsandbikes.
MTB COACH EDUCATION: Instructors and coaches—want to grow your skills or get certified? Explore the Global Syndicate of Mountain Bike Coaches at www.gsmbc.pro.
DISCLAIMER
The views and opinions on The Mountain Bike Coaching Podcast: Donuts & Bikes are those of Kristian Jackson, Paul Howard, and guests, and don’t necessarily reflect the views of GSMBC, PMBIA, or others mentioned. Guest content reflects personal opinions and is not intended to offend or misrepresent any person or group.
LIABILITY DISCLAIMER
This podcast and its authors disclaim all responsibility for any damages resulting from use of or reliance on the content.
Next Episode

Learning to Coach from a World Cup Racing Career - A Conversation with Claire Buchar
Becoming a World Cup Racer involves much more than learning to be a good rider. Coaching at the highest level is more than just teaching. Claire Buchar knows these things. She shreds harder post-World Cup, rides smoother than most, keeps it humble, and enjoys a good (vegan) donut.
We sat down with the Canadian mountain bike legend to discuss her formative experiences as a racer, and how she has translated those learnings into coaching, and, life in general.
Claire's resume runs deep and includes multiple National Championships and a World Champion Bronze Medal. Her unique journey has much to teach aspiring racers and coaches alike about the power being your authentic self.
In this episode we discuss:
- What inspired Claire to start mountain biking
- Her early years of racing
- Racing as a privateer
- How her racing shaped who she is
- Competition and ego
- Challenges of being a top athlete
- Transitioning from racing to coaching
- Learning to coach
- How racing experience influences coaching
- The power of skills based teaching
- The mental side of training
- Kids these days!
- Claire's favorite donut
DISCLAIMER
The views, thoughts and opinions expressed by Donuts & Bikes - The Mountain Bike Coaching Podcast are solely those of the authors, Kristian Jackson and Paul Howard and their guests, and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the PMBIA, or any other company, person or organization mentioned or included in the podcast. Any content provided by our guests or authors are of their opinion, and are not intended to malign any religion, ethic group, club, organization, company, individual, or anyone or anything.
THIS PODCAST & IT'S AUTHORS DISCLAIM ANY AND ALL LIABILITY OR RESPONSIBILITY FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL OR OTHER DAMAGES ARISING OUT OF ANY INDIVIDUAL'S USE OF, REFERENCE TO, RELIANCE ON, OR INABILITY TO USE, THIS PODCAST OR THE INFORMATION PRESENTED IN THIS PODCAST.
SUPPORT THE SHOW! Like what we’re doing? Support us on Patreon for just $3/month. Your help keeps us delivering high-quality, independent content for mountain bikers and coaches worldwide. You're fueling better riding, smarter coaching, and the sport’s growth.
👉 patreon.com/donutsandbikes
FIND US ON INSTAGRAM: Get the latest updates, episode drops, and behind-the-scenes content. Follow @donutsandbikes.
MTB COACH EDUCATION: Instructors and coaches—want to grow your skills or get certified? Explore the Global Syndicate of Mountain Bike Coaches at www.gsmbc.pro.
DISCLAIMER
The views and opinions on The Mountain Bike Coaching Podcast: Donuts & Bikes are those of Kristian Jackson, Paul Howard, and guests, and don’t necessarily reflect the views of GSMBC, PMBIA, or others mentioned. Guest content reflects personal opinions and is not intended to offend or misrepresent any person or group.
LIABILITY DISCLAIMER
This podcast and its authors disclaim all responsibility for any damages resulting from use of or reliance on the content.
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