Being a keen biker I am always looking to improve my skills and I did just this last summer by completing Stockton Borough Council's 'Handle It or Lose It' riding programme.
The programme is very professional and my particular instructor, Glen, is a real genius when it comes to teaching riding skills. I had wanted to complete an 'advanced riding course' for a year or so but had been put off by the fear of being instructed to 'mirror, signal and move' at an advanced level. I wanted something that suited my riding habits and, being an average rider, much the same as the majority of bikers in Stockton. The theory section was very professionally presented by another instructor and was fairly short. Glen's assessment of my riding was spot on, he has a canny knack of feeding back the positives of riders skills without knocking their confidence, subtly working on weaker areas and then giving comprehensive feedback from the assessment once the course is over.
The actual riding itself was perfect in my view, I had wanted to avoid a course where safety was the overriding issue forsaking real rider development. I was duped! I learned many things but the most important and effective being the skill of looking as far ahead as possible and using my peripheral vision, suddenly I'm riding with my brain and not my instincts. I'm a far safer rider now than I was on before the course. Glen is by far the best teacher I have met in any area I have had to learn in. He is a master rider and so alert and knowledgeable it is beyond my comprehension, I actually joked that he should have been a fighter pilot as he is able to do so many things at once. He is exceptionally approachable and makes sure you learn from any mistakes not allowing them to affect your confidence. I have learned more in this weekend than I have in the last 3 years riding!
I highly recommend this course to any rider, whatever your experience and ability. To find out more and to book yourself on to the course log on to the handle it website:
www.handleitorloseit.com
