Beat the Box!

“The Box” is one of the most feared exercises of the Basic Rider Course. It is an exercise that tests the will, the skills and the sanity of every new rider, and is often the most difficult part of the evaluation to pass.

This simple, yet sometimes frustrating exercise goes like this:

• A box is marked out measuring 20′ x 20′.
• Students are asked to enter the box and make two U-Turns without using their feet to stabilize the bike.
• Students jump right in the easy-looking exercise thinking it won’t be that hard.
• Students drop their bikes, lose their confidence, and often repeat the process all day long.

As frustrating as this exercise may be, it’s an essential skill that pulls together a lot of the techniques needed in every-day riding. So the question is, how exactly do you beat the box? This video does a great job of breaking it down for you:

Remember, there’s no time limit. There’s no rush and no reason to fuss. Just take a deep breath (and don’t forget to breath it back out!) and take it nice and slow. When you U-Turn, remember to turn your head as far as possible to see where you want to end up. Always look at where you want to go and the bike will do the rest for you.

The rest is just muscle memory. Learn how to use the friction zone and throttle to give yourself enough power to pull the bike around while making sure to counter-weight with your leg on the outside peg.

Once it clicks, you’ll wonder why it was ever so difficult to begin with. However, this is a technique that should be practiced at the beginning of each new riding season so that your muscle memory stays nice and sharp. 

That’s how you beat the box!