Target fixation

[Huzband]

This is a subject we've all read about, but I've never given it much thought. Why should I? I don't do it.

 

At least, that's what I believed. Maybe you don't think you do it either. What say we do an honest evaluation.

 

In case there's anyone who doesn't know what "target fixation" is, loosely defined, it's the act of focusing your mind, if not your eyes, on a particular object or point.

 

Now, when I ride, I'm certainly aware of what's going on. Be it in the road in front of me, behind me, or off to the side. but, I would not "fix" on it.

 

When I did RideSmart a few weeks ago, we discussed this topic. But, again, I wasn't too interested, since I wasn't guilty.

 

On the way home, I learned how wrong I was.

 

Leaving Brevard, it was raining, & I had a few hours of mountain roads to practice my new-found technique on. Eventually, the rain stopped, & the roads were dry. All was going great, & I was becoming quite comfortable with this new approach to riding. But, I still wasn't as planted in the tight corners as I thought I should be.

 

As I entered a particularly tight 180 left, I looked through it as I should. Then, an epiphany struck. I realized that, although I WAS looking through the corner, I was NOT looking as far as possible. I lifted my head slightly, & looked up to the top of the hill after the corner.

 

Orchestras played, & birds were singing! The bike absolutely railed around that bend. The next corner was a right, & the same thing happened. I was elated. RideSmart had come together.

 

But,I digress. What was different? Why was looking that little bit farther so important?

 

The problem wasn't so much where I was looking, but what I was SEEING. My mind was FIXED on the outside stripe. Be it yellow, or white, that's what I was focused on. Even though I wasn't actually staring at it, I was very aware of it. At the moment I looked up to the top of the hill, my mind was no longer focused on the stripes. It was now directed at what it was supposed to be, getting me where I wanted to go. Not worried about where I DIDN'T want to go.

 

For the rest of that day, if I allowed myself to only look through part of the corner, things would tighten up. As soon as I looked up as far as I could see, I immediately relaxed, & flowed through the turns.

 

My aversion the the stripes is easily explained. Almost 30 years ago, my first (of only two) accidents was caused by my crossing the center line on a blind right hander. It had sprinkled a little rain, & I went into a two-wheel drift. I straightened just enough to catch it, but just then a Torino was coming the other way. I turned back in, but was too late. I caught her between the bumper & left front wheel.

 

Anyway, back to my point. If you're sure you don't target fixate, that's great. But, if you have any doubt, or have never really thought about it, like me, re-evaluate yourself the next time you're out.

 

You may just have an epiphany.

 

Ride Well. RideSmart.

[Firefight911]

No jokes, no hi-jacks!!!

 

Excellent reminder to periodically take the time to become a student of our own bad habits and correct them.

 

Definitely something I have to consciously make an effort on not doing!

 

Thanks for the reminder!

[Lawman]

I still find myself making that mistake sometimes fixing on the corner of a car bumper I am trying to avoid when turning around in a parking lot..Why do I do that when I know better????? As a child I remember my mother often asking me that same question...

[KrazyHorse]

Thanks for the reminder. I had that epiphany too,(looking waaay past your corners) when I went to NC for the first time. What a difference it makes!

 

Funny how so much of horseback riding relates to motorcycling. Back in HS and College I used to be into the whole Hunter thing. Riding hunter courses (jumps) is just like riding the curves in regards to how big a part your head and eyes play.

 

Thankfully though my bike has yet to refuse a curve of it's own volition.

[Sir_Rodney]

I will occasionally catch myself performing “Target Fixation” even though I’m very aware of the potential dangerous out come. I’m most susceptible to target fixation when I arrive the first set of twisties for the day, before my mind is warmed up. Sometimes I need to make a conscious decision to put my mind in “twisty zone” mode.

 

My twisty zone being as Danny described:

“I realized that, although I WAS looking through the corner, I was NOT looking as far as possible. I lifted my head slightly, & looked up to the top of the hill after the corner.”

[hANNAbONE]

mAYBE tHIS is why I have the "pucker-butt" in the early going on my curvy adventure riding. Pretty flat here in Iowa -- and the practice needed to plug in the variables of curve, speed, traction, etc. are never "engrained" in me until hours in the saddle.

 

My problem is that I'm always wary of stuff in the roadway. -- be it gravel, animals, sand, name it - I'm always "funky" about tearing through a place I don't know with reckless abandon. Not saying any riders do the reckless thing - I'm not even suggesting that - but I have yet to actually go over the hurdle in my mind about being waaaaaay leaned over and "waaaaaay getting loose". It's something I think about all the time when I'm riding.

 

Call it cautious (maybe even overly cautious) but I just haven't gone over that blockade in my mind yet.

 

Maybe at Torrey this May.

 

Great topic - I'm glad you posted it.!

[smiller]

Call it cautious (maybe even overly cautious) but I just haven't gone over that blockade in my mind yet.

I'm not sure that it's over cautious, or at least not on the street. Looking far ahead into the curve may be the proper technique for the racetrack, and similarly helpful in other locations as well, but in the real world it is far too common to experience gravel/oil/etc. that is very difficult to see until you are almost on top of it. While it's never good to fixate on any one thing or area you do need to keep an eye on the surface immediately in front of you when riding public roads.

[hANNAbONE]

a...B I G 10-4

[Firefight911]

While it's never good to fixate on any one thing or area you do need to keep an eye on the surface immediately in front of you when riding public roads.

 

I would add one aspect of this for thought.

 

I agree that your eyes should always be moving from distant to near, lef tot right, etc., however; understand that there is nothing that you can do about the road and its apparent hazards immediately in front of you. It is a matter or time and distance. By the time you see it, your brain processes it, sends the appropriate signal to do something about it, and then you actually do something takes time. Let alone the fact that the control input is not instantaneous and takes time as well.

 

I am not disagreeing with you about scanning closer in front of your position, only clarifying that you have very little opportunity to do anything about something immediately in front of you. That is why you need to look further and further ahead of you.

[zbassman]

Two thoughts come to mind

 

1) Target fixation may not be a bad thing, so long as your fixing on the RIGHT targets and your targest keep shifting as your moving. Example: If a car pulls out in front of you and your escape is a narrow path behind the car, fixing on that narrow path is a good thing.

 

2) Don't worry about the road 20-30 feet in front of you. At 50+MPH there is nothing you can do about the road directly in front of you. Focus on the things you can do something about.

 

If you've kept scanning from as far as you can see back towards you then back out as far as you can see, etc. Then you will already know what's on the road immediately in front of you without focusing your attention on it.

[leikam]

On a recent ride, I was following a very skilled rider as he rode over a bunch of leaves and twigs in the road. There was nothing particularly dangerous in it, but given where it was in the road and our speed, it could have been easily avoided if it hadn't been the most noticable thing on the road.

 

I know I'll occasionally run over the only rock in the whole road and it's purely due to target fixation. Recognizing the power it has over me, I try to use it for good instead of evil by focusing on where I need to be instead of where I fear I'll end up.

[Foot]

During this springs El Paseo I caught myself do another kind of target fixation. I was following Jim Williams on the Blue Ridge parkway, and we were keeping a pretty good pace. After about 10 miles on the BRP I noticed that I was fixed on Jims lines and not looking at the road past him. Jim is a great rider but if he made a mistake I would have followed it. I corrected myself and started looking past him to the farthest point on the road I could see. After that correction, the ride just felt so fluid and smooth.

 

There was 5 of us on the ride and we had a great time. The impending bad weather keep the parkway almost deserted and very few LEOs patrolling it.

 

Alan

[smiller]

On a recent ride, I was following a very skilled rider as he rode over a bunch of leaves and twigs in the road. There was nothing particularly dangerous in it, but given where it was in the road and our speed, it could have been easily avoided if it hadn't been the most noticable thing on the road.

 

I know I'll occasionally run over the only rock in the whole road and it's purely due to target fixation. Recognizing the power it has over me, I try to use it for good instead of evil by focusing on where I need to be instead of where I fear I'll end up.

I know that I'm fighting that effect all of the time too, it's very difficult to try to train yourself out of the natural response to fixate on an obstacle.

 

Hmmm... maybe I should be looking further down the road... I probably have a better chance of missing the gravel if I never see it in the first place...

[Flyer5]

I remember learning to fly Hang Gliders .I was on the training hill there was another glider down in the LZ .I remember thinking before launch I don't want to hit that glider . I was so fixed on not hitting that glider guess what I bought the guy a new down tube . Luckily no one was hurt. Dave

[Bill_Walker]

Funny how so much of horseback riding relates to motorcycling. Back in HS and College I used to be into the whole Hunter thing. Riding hunter courses (jumps) is just like riding the curves in regards to how big a part your head and eyes play.

 

Ain't that the truth! Keith Code's "wide-screen view" is an awful lot like Sally Swift's "soft eyes".

 

And have you read up on Master Yoda's Riding Position yet? It's very much like riding in two-point, or half-seat.

[wrestleantares]

I'll not cast the first stone, as I am not without this fault.

 

Thankfully it is not a consistent fault of mine, and my usual habit IS looking ahead.

 

I usually notice it when I'm on a twisty road, my body gets tight and the curves seemingly become more fast and furious. At this point I realize that those curves are coming that way not because of any great speed, but I am not seeing them as I am not looking forward enough and finding myself TOO focused on what is closer. When I start looking ahead again I relax and the road pace does not feel rushed.

[TN_R_Girl]

Great post Danny!! Unlike you, I am all too often guilty of target fixation

 

Most recently, while following my brother on 28 (a stretch I've been known to fly through on my BMW) on the new-to-me VFR, I couldn't seem to get my brain away from the taillight in front of me. I thought I had the solution by slowing way down, letting him get out of my line of vision and starting up again. But again no luck.

 

The hardest thing for me as I feel the turns tightening up and getting tougher to get through is I know what I'm doing, but I can't seem to make myself stop.

Hmmm ... maybe I need to revisit the possibility of an OCD diagnosis??

 

Seriously, here's the follow up question: you know you're doing it, but you can't stop ... how do you break the cycle??

[russell_bynum]

Seriously, here's the follow up question: you know you're doing it, but you can't stop ... how do you break the cycle??

 

If the problem is that you're fixating on the bike ahead of yu, you can either lead, or let the bike ahead get WAY ahead.

 

If the problem is that you're fixating on the outside of the turn instead of looking towards the exit, slow down. Fixating on the outside edge of the road is a survival reaction. Decrease your speed, and the SR will not kick in. Once the cycle is broken and you start doing it right again, you'll find that your pace will automagically come back up.

[Huzband]

I've been thinking about your dilema for a few hours, Shannon.

 

I think following someone is one of the biggest challenges when it comes to target fixation. (Let's call it TF from here on.) I have found myself mezmerized by the tail light in front of me, especially on a curvy road.

 

But, as with all bad habits, if you can figure out WHY you do it, it then becomes easier to break said bad habit.

 

Now, even though we were at RideSmart at the same time, I've never ridden with you. Nor, do I know your brother. So, I'm just going to take a stab here.

 

Are you faster than him? I'm guessing yes. If I'm right, then letting him get way in front of you is only a temporary, & futile, solution. I would also speculate that if you're faster than he, & you're leading, you're TF on your mirrors, to be sure he's still there. How am I doin' so far?

 

OK, what to do? Not ride with him? Nah, he's your brother, that won't work. Besides, if you ARE faster (better) than he, you can teach him.

 

I suggest talking to him first, Explain the situation, & your TF dilema. He'll learn from it, appreciate it, & understand it. Then, take turns leading. When you're leading, you will give a glance to your mirror to make sure he's OK. But, more importantly, when he's out front, make sure you aren't TF on him. Make a concious effort to scan ahead of, & around, him. DON'T become mezmerized on his tail light.

 

Make this your own RideSmart exersize. The payoff will benefit you & your brother.

 

I hope I've helped.

[L Rider]

Very helpful thread..........thank you!

 

Cheers..........Rod

[Todd_Z1]

Target fixation is one of my favorite safety drills. When commuting, if there is adequate room and no cars in the adjacent lanes, I like to see how close I can come to the painted diamonds while staying in my lane. If I run over one no big deal and it is great practice. While this is difficult to determine objectively my guess is that I can get within 25 feet of the diamond and still avoid it at 80MPH. If you were following the swerve would look pretty dramatic but I stay within my lane. This little drill comes in handy all of the time. Just this weekend I was riding on Highway 25 and 198 south of Hollister CA and used this technique several times to avoid potholes and also debris in the middle of blind corners. It's funny cause I don't think about it anymore, it has become an automatic response. One of the interesting things that I have noticed is that the most important element of obstacle avoidance is changing the bikes immediate trajectory. In other words taking a line that avoids the obstacle by creating an oblique trajectory away from it. The recover back to your preferred line in your lane is essentially the same thing. Your mileage may vary!

 

Cheers!