Games in the training ground is a great way to make learning interesting and constructive.
One thing that works very well is a sort of Pavlovs ringing bell idea.
In the car park play games that work on something specific. Talk about it, demo it, boot the idea around so that students completely 'get' the whole point and then jointly discuss with the group what to call it as a 'trigger' name. It has to be 'their name' so that the bell triggers their salivating!
So, say we take the idea of eyes across a corner and not staring at what yer riding over; Make an indi bowl in the training area (two long straights and two curves) as Tim suggests, stand at the
exit of one curve and as they
enter that curve hold up a number of fingers - get the student to look across at you even though his front wheel is pointing somewhere else - they have to shout out 'two' ... 'three' or what ever the number of fingers yer holding up, then practise it, then name it. Say the group decide to call it 'Rossis's eyes'. That's your Pavlov's Bell - on the radio, out on the road, all you have to say as they come into that tight roundabout, that right turn out of a side road where they risk running wide towards the kerb ... 'Rossi's Eyes' and nothing else. The bell rings in their head and they know exactly what to do.
I used to do this with a whole number of things. 'Rudolpf Nureyev' was stopping - like a swan, heel rolling onto toe. (not skip skip jump stamp..
). So we'd demo it, student practise it, understand why, the benefits .. group thinks of a name ... job done. Out on the road, the lights go red ... 'Rudolph Nureyev' ... student stops like a pro.
Another one was 'the bastard game'
Two cones, figure of eight, five students in the figure of eight all at the same time doing the old white helmets routine criss .. cross .. criss ..cross ..
Now add the twist - 'you must give way to the student coming from your right - but
that student can 'be a bastard' and take as long as he likes to get through the centre of the figure of eight'.
The net result was a hoot - the students laughed their cocks off doing track stands and the like, getting all competitive trying to get one another to put their feet down. Discuss the serious side, group name .. out on the road.
So now a road ride is punctuated with salivating bells of commentary by the instructor - all you need say as you ride down the street is a collection of trigger points - the lights ahead are flashing amber; 'play the bastard game' you'd say down the radio, ahhhh sigh in deep content as all the ducklings check their mirror and then play a smooth bastard game with the ped-x rather than charging into it.
I still do this today with Rapid. Talk about an idea, really boot it to death so they completely understand it, name it, then use it as a trigger on the fly.
'Animal the drummer', 'Coast-lining', 'Rossi', 'Yo-Yo', 'step out', 'wide angle vision' ... etc etc ..
Great way to train ...
...slippery stuff.
