Life At Lean - Track Academy - Review

[alex]

Dan Netting's - Track Academy - Life at Lean - Subscriber content


Foreword: I have been paying for the Track Academy this year, pretty much since lockdown started. They've not asked for a review.


https://lifeatlean.com/ (Click on the Track Academy top right)


What is it?: The Track Academy is the subscriber version of the Life at Lean content on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/c/LifeatLean/videos), it's created by Dan Netting. You've got to register on a waiting list for access, I don't know why...but anyway.


Caveat: 2020 skews everything.


Review: Dan's put together a programme of video's and resources to help riders of all levels improve their riding, knowledge, enjoyment and safety on track. The pictures paint the picture best. There's plenty of content. Covering your bike setup, your use of the controls, how to tackle different corners how to position yourself. With the video's are plenty of PDF handouts which I will be hanging onto as they provide a good reminder about the subject matter.


More recently he's been adding in-depth interviews on relatable subject matter. A fitness coach investigating what you 'need' to ride at a high level safely, managing your energy and which muscles to work on no matter your age or fitness levels. Just recently he added an interview with Camino Coaching who specialise in the mental training of elite riders like Sam Lowes as well as other motorsports competitors. Sam started training with them in the off season...this year he's been a different rider, but that them and not Life at Lean...


There's a private Facebook group, it's very much international. When I first joined there was a bit of activity but per the caveat, no one has had much to say as track time has been so limited for so many this year. What Dan did arrange during lockdown was frequent FB Live shows where he'd come online and discuss various topics with the subscribers posting questions and answers and this felt really good. I think he got a bit burnt out from them though and they stopped after a while.


Next up there's a monthly Rider Analysis - submit a video (link to FB) and ask him to review something about it. In a 20 minute video he'll cover 2-3 subscribers video's and discuss the good and bad of what they are doing. Its not as in-depth as Spike's but then he's trying to convey things to a broad audience not just the individual.


The site is a wonderful collection of content. I am going to plough through it again, but, I am going to cancel the ?19.70/m subscription as I am not getting enough benefit out of it especially in these times. I've held off killing the subs as I kinda feel like it's kicking people in a pandemic and I was holding out for the Camino Coaching interview. But that's happened now and I think ?140 in subs is pay back enough for all the content I have digested.


Dan started another venture during the year. I don't know if it's distracted him but he's been pretty absent for the last 3 months on the FB group. Maybe he's working on content but well I'm not going to hold my breath.


If there's no real 'activity' from Dan and again I concede 2020 is a bad year, I'd say that 2-3 months of access would be enough to get through most of what exists and keep the handouts, 2 in-depth interviews (fitness & camino) a year isn't enough to continue and I don't feel that paying for access to an FB group is worth long term subs.


If Dan should ever read this I am not closing the door on it and I've valued the content. I find the group on FB to be largely filled with road riders trying to do well on track and that is ultimately the group I fall into. I may come back when both I and the site seem busier.

 

[GavD101]

Good write up Alex. You have pretty much echoed what I had done when I signed (And cancelled). Even though the online tuition is really good and in-depth, his Youtube channel does cover a lot already.

For me, the Facebook group didn't work as I do not have a Facebook account and the rider analysis was tough because i didn't always record my track days, then having to compress the video to send it off blah, blah...it was a tad too time consuming for me.

But I did pull a lot of from the training and I still go back over his PDF handbook/Youtube videos occasionally.

Personally I think to warrant the money on a continuous basis it needs consistent and fresh content. As you said, 2-3 months is more than enough to cover the present content on the site.

 

[SSR Suspension]

Did you find his content good then, he is kind of a bit like a UK version of Dave Moss who has gone into coaching(whom is a personal friend of mine and we have hosted seminars here in the UK previously). What I have noticed is that there has become a bit of a trend, there are alot of rider coaches emerging out of the woodwork, some ex BSB riders, some only trackday riders.

We can always learn from other people, unfortunately the UK is such a small place we do seem to get flooded in every discipline sometimes to the point where your USP is no longer your USP and you end up trying to compete with fresh blood. I do not think loyalty is what it was either, maybe thats because in my mid 40's my old skool attitude is probably a little outdated.

I was always interested in looking into his resources for riding, I think his background not being a racer makes him appear perhaps more approachable than others may be.

The problem with creating internet resources are that you can become consumed and they can literally take your whole life up. I am coming away from facebook more and more and Dave keeps telling me to go along a route similar to his but I just don't see his model working here in the UK. I have seen the attitude of alot of facebook users on certain pages and maybe im reading it wrong but unless your a vlogger/blogger etc its quite hard to get decent information across!

 

[GavD101]

Did you find his content good then, he is kind of a bit like a UK version of Dave Moss who has gone into coaching(whom is a personal friend of mine and we have hosted seminars here in the UK previously). What I have noticed is that there has become a bit of a trend, there are alot of rider coaches emerging out of the woodwork, some ex BSB riders, some only trackday riders.

We can always learn from other people, unfortunately the UK is such a small place we do seem to get flooded in every discipline sometimes to the point where your USP is no longer your USP and you end up trying to compete with fresh blood. I do not think loyalty is what it was either, maybe thats because in my mid 40's my old skool attitude is probably a little outdated.

I was always interested in looking into his resources for riding, I think his background not being a racer makes him appear perhaps more approachable than others may be.

The problem with creating internet resources are that you can become consumed and they can literally take your whole life up. I am coming away from facebook more and more and Dave keeps telling me to go along a route similar to his but I just don't see his model working here in the UK. I have seen the attitude of alot of facebook users on certain pages and maybe im reading it wrong but unless your a vlogger/blogger etc its quite hard to get decent information across!

I liked his content and it was pretty easy to follow, however i think because the content wasn't fresh and new i found myself using it less and less. But as you say there are also a ton of different ways of coaching on and off the track. I also find for me that there is only so much information that sinks in from reading books and watching videos. Plus i find only certain content really works for me to grasp and hold on to, for example Simon Crafar's vids are easy to get on with while i found something like Twist of the wrist (Sounds like something you would find on pornhub) not so easy to grasp.

For me personally though the only information that has ever made improvements is instruction on track. Again though there are caveats depending on the instructor. I have done CSS 1 and 2 along with individual sessions at No limits, MSV and Silverstone. To be honest the best instructors were the Silverstone guys. I am not sure what their training technique is but the two i had were like riding with a friend. I was pushed when comfortable, it was a laugh on and off the track. But most importantly they could communicate off the track in a way that is easy to understand and work on. I had one instructor who said to me, he enjoyed the session with me and said last session i will do a freebie for you as i enjoyed being out there with you. Bearing in mind i am mid pack inter on a good day. So hearing stuff like that really does help improve confidence.

But then a good example of a bad instructor was a No-limits day where the guy just pissed off 3 corners in haha! While CSS helped a lot (i was pretty fresh to track days when i did my CSS course) but the focus on counter steering I found a bit excessive. I mean we do that naturally since we first started riding a bike.

You are right though, fresh internet content is hard to keep on top of and then you hope you have a teaching ability as well as being likeable that really works for a large audience and keeps them engaged. I agree with what you say about Facebook and personally think it should not be used a medium to teach anything.

 

[alex]

I fully agree with Gav on this.
You mention DM and I had remembered that he'd been to SSR a few years ago. I subscribe to https://davemosstuning.com/ it's steep at $50...but he and his content manager have moved all his content to behind the paywall whilst still leaving enough trailer content out there to gain interest. LAL has not moved enough to this model to make paying ?19.70/m (~?240/y) seem a bit hollow. It's the balance of price vs content vs advertising.

Dan's content has a high production quality for a one-man band and I think he presents well (better than Dave). If I was riding a lot then I'd probably see more value in it and I think if I was telling a newb to watch anything it would be his stuff but I'd struggle to have them sign up to the website for ?20/m when the YT free stuff gives enough to be getting on with.

Lets be clear though I was reviewing this through the weirdest 6 months of our lives and what is valuable to me right now is not going to be the same as post vaccine. Dan did a series of live chats, Q&A in the first lockdown. These were great but I think they were exhausting for him. The rider clinics dried up and it seemed like his focus went elsewhere. I can't blame him, he'd mentioned his other half was a nurse and tbf there were bigger issues to deal with. But again, to keep the ?'s rolling in there has to be something happening.

I've got all the MotoVudu stuff, had a day with Simon, used free tutors, done i2imca, a Jim Whitham weekender with Brogie (and had Brogie at Almeria too), subscribe to DMT, LAL, bought Andy Ibbots book, Spalders', John Bradley's and even Vittore's. So I've got decent experience of a number of training and information sources.

Dan and LAL have a product. They just need to pitch it better and work out where they are going to take it.

 

[SSR Suspension]

Vittore's would loose most people and its really aimed at design level engineer I'd say. It's good if you want a mathematical understanding but for most people its way too much. Have had many a good night studying his book ;-)

 

[alex]

Vittore's would loose most people and its really aimed at design level engineer I'd say. It's good if you want a mathematical understanding but for most people its way too much. Have had many a good night studying his book ;-)

Yeah I can't say as I've tried yet - it's here but...I'm not ready for it

 

[scooby]

for me i'm a huge advocate of instruction, as with anything in life,natural ability+understanding will only get so far without real life teaching (from someone that can teach,not just someone that knows) the perfect example being most faster people just telling you to brake later or carry more speed,easy to say,hard to teach.

over the years i've had instruction from quite a few,some 1-2-1 some group sessions which whilst all (mostly) was good,it's shown me that not all instructors work (for me at least) as a big part of it is how the message gets across to you which is something a good teacher works out and uses.

i'm not someone that gets a huge amount out of reading the theory then putting into practice,again knowing something and then actually being able to put into practice is hard, i'm much more practically minded (something we worked out along the way..).

finding an instructor that you click with will improve your riding more than anything you can add to a bike,and will ultimatley be cheaper i'd say my best time on a track was when i had a day with Mike dickinson at jerez (get faster tuition) during a year long riding slump going slower and slower each time out and everything he was telling me clicking into place and knocking huge chunks of time off my laps.i try to get at least 1 day a year in where possible to keep improving and to iron out the old habbits.

 

[bananaman]

Thought it had gone quiet, emails had dried up

 

[FAF]

For anyone who's interested, Dan is currently offering lifetime enrolment for ?199 with full access to all his material
Join the Life at Lean: Track Academy Now