Motorcyclists learned lessons in floodlight vision, body position and mental attitude using uncommon but effective methods in the classroom and on the pavement to improve safe, enjoyable riding habits, said Lee Parks, the president of TCARC.

While other motorcycle courses teach the physics behind the techniques, this class goes into the psyche of riding a bike before ever stepping onto the pavement, Parks said.

Young children learn having a rope pulled quickly from you hands causes pain, Parks explained. The same rule applies for all physical contact with an abrasive surface while moving at a high speed, he said.

So, it’s natural for motorcyclists to panic when leaning into turns and discovering their proximity to the speeding pavement, he explained.

That natural reaction causes some riders to use the lower portion of their brains, the portion responsible for the “fight or flight” response, instead of using the imagination and planning part of their brains, Parks said.

In the classroom, students were taught to gauge depth perception by studying the position of a bottle on the floor, and then with eyes closed walking to where they believed the bottle to be.

Just as most students misjudge the best turning point when riding, most students opened their eyes to discover they were inches away from their target, said Parks.

Riders were also taught to extend their visions focus point to find the right point to lean into or out of turns.

People have a tendency to use their instinctive tunnel vision when they are in panic mode, said Parks.

That tunnel vision can manifest itself in two ways, he said.

Floodlight vision is defined as seeing a broad scope of the line of sight in less detail, Parks explained.

Spotlight vision is defined as the predatory tracking of a specific point but mentally cancelling out any other threat in that line of sight, which draws its source from the primitive lower portion of the brain, he said.

Outside the classroom, students practiced proper body position in a turn by mounting their bikes and, with the assistance of four other students, leaning the stationary vehicle into a turn position to accustom students to corner entry and exit.

“It’s a different way of viewing how to ride,” said Staff Sgt. Luis Arguelles, a student in the course and an aviation electrician with Marine Aircraft Group 36, 1st Marine Aircraft Wing, III Marine Expeditionary Force.

By understanding the bike’s mechanics before riding, students can let their bikes perform as designed, Arguelles explained.

Engineers designed these bikes to turn perfectly without a rider, said Parks. So when riders muscle into turns, they are going against their bikes’ design, he said.

Even though the class is eight hours long, how much a student learns depends on their attitude. Experienced motorcyclists tend to come to this course with the wrong attitude, said Parks.

“In order for students to get the most from this class, they must have the learning attitude of a child,” he explained. “Children learn so much faster than adults because what they’re doing is almost always a new experience.”

Although a fresh perspective is preferred while participating, the course guarantees a measurable improvement in a rider’s skills on a bike, said Parks.

The Total Control Advance Riders Clinic is a civilian-operated course, and was sponsored by MCB Instalation Safety Office and Cape Fox Professional Services.

For more information, visit www.totalcontroltraining.net.