 Photo: Mitch Kendra Joel YounkinsHigh Performance Coach In moto, being good is common. Being great is rare. Every athlete has their own journey. You start as a true beginner. From there, you climb the ladder, moving through multiple stages of growth. Some careers end before they really start. Most athletes make it a long way, experiencing both success and setbacks. But very few ever cross that final threshold — the leap from good to great.
Why? Sometimes it’s talent. Sometimes it’s resources. Sometimes it’s simply work ethic. Whatever the case, the truth is that not everyone has that opportunity and not everyone makes the most of it if they do. Good to Great In moto, there are a lot of “good” riders. Watch them at a local race and it looks like you can’t possibly go much faster. But those same riders wouldn’t qualify in the top 40 at a pro national. Or take young amateurs — some win their local races by a minute, but then struggle to sniff the top 15 at a national event. Then there’s another group: the top-10 dogs in their national classes. They’re all really, really good. But the reality is, most of them will never make the jump to greatness — to being one of the few who rise to the top of the sport. That sounds harsh, but the numbers don’t lie. The climb to the top — to being a consistent top-20 pro making a living in moto — is stacked against you. The good news? There is a way to give yourself a chance. It comes down to how you prepare and continue to develop. Extracting the Last Few Percent Getting from good to great isn’t about overhauling everything. It’s about extracting the last 1–5% of your game — the difference-makers that put you among the world’s best. And that requires a very specific approach. Narrow → Wide → Narrow In sports performance, there’s a concept for athletic development that applies perfectly here. Think of it as:
For beginners, the focus is simple:
For intermediates, the scope broadens:
Up to this point, most riders progress naturally in normal moto environments by following this concept. But here’s where things get tricky: when the riders moves from intermediate to advanced. This is where the “good to great” leap either happens — or stalls in the advanced riders. At the advanced level, the focus needs to narrow again. It’s no longer about being well-rounded (advanced riders are already well rounded). It’s about precision. The sniper approach instead of the shotgun.
What worked in the intermediate phase won’t cut it here. If you keep training, riding, and preparing the same way, you’ll plateau. You don’t need to “trust the process” — you need to take control and dominate the process. Sport Mastery Too often, advanced racers get stuck in the “wide phase.” They keep doing what took them from average to good, hoping it will also take them from good to great. The basics will always matter — they should never leave the forefront — but at the advanced level, the daily approach must shift. Both the rider and their team need to evolve. If an advanced racer continues to rely on a wide, general approach, they’ll only get better at maintaining what they already have. To actually move the needle, their training must become targeted and specific. The focus has to shift toward sharpening the exact areas that need growth — whether that’s technical, tactical, physical, or mental preparation. The problem? Many advanced racers get grouped into big programs where they simply become the average of their environment. Too many coaches aren’t developing great racers — they’re collecting numbers. They ride the natural talent of their top riders to the podium, rather than dialing in each racer’s unique potential. And this is why so many promising athletes stall out before ever reaching greatness. True sport mastery isn’t just about executing bike skills. It’s about performing those skills under pressure, consistently, when the stakes are highest. Every aspect of preparation has to be geared toward this reality — refining small technical margins, staying calm in high-stress environments, translating physical preparation to performance, and building a winning culture around the racer. Skill building is essential, but it’s only one layer. To go from good to great, you need to build the complete championship machine. I’m Not Nitpicking When I point out small gaps or details, it’s not about nitpicking. It’s about refusing to leave success to chance. When it comes to true sport preparation, this is the pinnacle and the standard that we should be held to when families are investing in us to make their riders better. I’ve worked with top racers across SMX, Supercross, Motocross, GNCC, and Hard Enduro. I’ve been in the trenches with them. I've seen first hand as a coach of what gets the job done to dominate your path, and when things don't go exactly to plan. Most people can help a rider go from beginner to intermediate. Some can take them to an advanced level. But very few know what it actually takes to go from good to great. And that shift is all about going narrow again — just like a beginner, but at a much higher level. Final Thoughts This blog isn’t meant for everyone. If you’re an advanced racer, this is for you. If you’re not there yet, use it as a roadmap — to see where you are, where you’re going, and what kind of approach will actually get you there. So the real question is: do you want to stay good… or do you want to go great?
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