❓ WHAT IS THE 'IMPROVE YOUR RIDING IN EIGHT WEEKS' COURSE: My original two-day 'Survival: SKILLS' course focuses on all aspects of riding. It was introduced in 1997 when I launched my advanced rider training school in response to an increasing demand from recreational riders wanting to improve their riding. For many years it's been one of my most popular courses.

Offering a mix of theory and practical exercises, it's designed to equip you with a toolkit of essential cornering skills backed by a framework of knowledge ready for riding twisty roads.

With a focus on identifying hazards and managing the risks of riding, rather than simply developing the technical skills to 'make progress', it has been a huge hit with riders from all levels from newly-qualified to highly-experienced, including many with advanced training from other sources. I've even had police riders on the course.

Like all my other Survival Skills training, the course has been carefully researched and developed to offer a unique blend of ideas and concepts. I've taken traditional defensive riding principles, added the very best of thinking from overseas training and coaching programmes, brought in new ideas from sports psychology and research into rider training, and blended that all with my own extensive riding experience.

Just a few of the sources I have worked into my training include (but not limited to) 'Motorcycle Roadcraft - the police rider's manual', Keith Code's 'Twist of the Wrist' books, the work of US experts Pat Hahn and David Hough, and the Australian safety programme 'Ride On'.

THIS EIGHT WEEK ONLINE COURSE IS BASED
ON MY TWO-DAY 'SURVIVAL: SKILLS' COURSE

❓ WHAT'S DIFFERENT ABOUT SURVIVAL SKILLS: When I introduced my Survival Skills course back in 1997, almost all 'advanced ' training (and there wasn't much available) was based on the concepts to be found in the police manual 'Motorcycle Roadcraft'. The version of that book available then, aside from colour pictures, had barely changed since the 'Blue Book' version of Roadcraft of the 1960s first opened up the concepts behind police rider training to the public.

Instead of simply 'doing what everyone else does' I went back to first principles to identify just what skills and knowledge were required to ride well on modern roads. I also looked beyond the UK to look at the best ideas from around the world, and to see how motorcycle training is conducted in different countries. That helped me identify the strengths and weakness of Roadcraft. In particular, Roadcraft - just like the DVSA's basic training - had little to say about cornering, so I looked towards US rider coach Keith Code to help develop my own approach to riding twisty roads, developing a system that remains unique to Survival Skills.

I've also looked to see how coaching is applied outside rider safety. I've investigated sports psychology and introduced well-proven techniques such as 'reflective thinking' and 'visualisation / imagery' to motorcyclists.

And the courses haven't stayed still either. Over the years, they have been constantly updated to match new issues (our potholed roads, for example) and new technology (ABS, riding modes, traction control etc). You can be sure that the Survival Skills approach offers an excellent fit for the real-world problems modern riders face on two wheels in the 21st century.

❓ DOES E-LEARNING WORK: Absolutely YES! E-learning is an accepted way of delivering skills in many fields, and has been for quite a few years. Because motorcycling is seen as a hands-on skill, it's easy to under-estimate just how much of what we learn about riding is theoretical, and fairly obviously any theory content CAN be delivered remotely - I'm sure you'd agree you can read a book or watch a video, and learn from it. What may not be so obvious is that we CAN learn practical skills too so each section of the course has some simple-to-try practical exercises which allow you to go out and directly try out the theory, just like my paperback DIY guide to better riding 'Survival SKILL'. And that's had a lot of positive feedback.

❓ WILL I LEARN ANYTHING NEW: I have no doubt you will. Wherever you sit on the ladder of personal development - including those of you with existing post-test training experience - this course will add to what you already know about riding motorcycles. You'll see new ways of thinking about riding, new ways of identifying the threats, new ways of dealing with them. And each week there will be an introduction to a new concept you probably haven't heard of previously. When it comes to developing riding skills and offering new approaches to rider training, expect to have an experience that's unique to Survival Skills.

❓ SURVIVAL SKILLS AND INSIGHT TRAINING: In particular, Survival Skills courses have evolved to adopt the ultra-modern educational and coaching concept known as 'insight training'. This approach goes beyond encyclopaedic knowledge and mastery of technical skills. Insight seeks to deliver an understanding of the complex workings of the roads as a 'system'; that is, a set of interconnected and interdependent components that work together to achieve a common goal. My coaching involves helping discover a deeper understanding of 'cause and effect', how we can use that awareness for more effective problem-solving, and how that benefits us by increasing not just our safety but also our riding enjoyment.

Insight is, in effect, the 'glue' that pulls together our technical abilities and our knowledge with the essential awareness that we do not use the roads in isolation and we cannot rely on others to do precisely as we'd want them to. Instead insight develops the necessary understanding of the relationships between ourselves as riders, the motivations of other people as they use the road, and the constraints that are forced upon us by roads themselves.

Survival Skills - a fresh look at the problems
modern riders face on two wheels in the 21st century

❓ CAN MOTORCYCLE TRAINING TRANSFER TO DISTANCE LEARNING: Not surprisingly, since motorcycling is a very practical activity, there is some scepticism about just how realistic it is to deliver a course of online learning, so it's good to ask the question. But the fact is that distance learning generally, and e-learning in particularly are well-established. You can get online qualifications in many fields - I've an NVQ myself which was gained online. And I've successfully delivered online training to bikers in the past.

If you are still not convinced, have a think about this too; if you have ever watched a video, read an article on better riding in a book or a magazine or even followed my Facebook page online and thought "that's a good idea, I'll use that in my riding", then you have ALREADY taken advantage of distance learning for yourself!

❓ WHAT IS THE COST: Signing up to the 'Motorcycle Skills - Improve your Riding in Eight Weeks' e-learning course costs just £160 - that's £20 per week, much the same as an average tank of fuel, or a coffee five days a week in Starbucks.

And you'll save over £300 on the current price of my 'Survival: SKILLS' two-day on-road course.