I'm often asked:
"just what is it that makes Survival Skills different from any other training?"
Here are two comments that really sum up the difference:
"The observation stuff you do really made me think. I thought [well-known advanced school run by ex-police] covered it all but that was like a 5 on the scale where what you do is a 10. I never realised you could get so much information as you ride!"
"I swear that Kevin is the most sensible talking, straight-up, common sense biker I've ever seen in 20 years”
Survival Skills Rider Training courses have always sort out the latest in 'best practice' when it comes to rider training, and INSIGHT TRAINING seeks to create an understanding of the relationship between a specific cause and effect within a particular context - in this case riding a motorcycle and why it sometimes goes wrong, rather than right.
Survival Skills are all about knowing what goes wrong, then why and how it goes wrong. Only when we know that can we start to really look for the clues that alert us to surprises lurking ahead. So Survival Skills is not about being able to put on the best 'police system of motorcycle control' demo ride that you can, it's about understanding that in real life however carefully we plan for things to go right, it's recognising and dealing with the situations that are GOING WRONG that's the key to staying out of trouble on the bike.
“I have passed IAM and RoSPA tests, but the Survival Skills experience opens up another perspective on the whole ‘bike skill enhancement’ arena providing both practical help and ideas to reflect upon. Keep up the good work!” John Challis
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I went on a BikeSafe course after I got back into riding following a lay off of at least 6 years. Although it was useful, it was fairly immediately after that that I realised I hadn't got from it what I'd hoped I would, and so very shortly after that I booked a two-day course with you Kevin. And from your course, I learned a heck of a lot, including stuff I'd never really been acquainted with in the first place!
- John Cochrane
Had a fantastic couple of days with Kevin. Having ridden sports bikes for more years thank I care to remember I added an adventure bike to the garage. A blast but a completely different ride. Kevin is a very knowledgeable, patient, skilled & all round good egg. I have to thank him for giving me my biking mojo back.
- Denise Woofinden
Really fantastic couple of days! I met Kevin for the first day's training in September, learned a huge amount then spent six weeks or so practicing and today was the second training day. Kevin has a pretty unique way of training, he is able to explain very technical things in a way I could understand (I'm not techy) and his knowledge is astounding! And the patience of a saint :) His approach of 'risk minimisation'' is a concept that I could really understand. I think when I first went to Survival Skills I was looking for faster cornering but Kevin has taught me much more than that! I wouldn't have a moment's hesitation recommending Survival Skills to anyone!! Thank you!
- Cheryl Carlisle
I first meet Kevin on the Biker Down course run by the Kent Fire and Rescue service where Kevin gives the module 3 presentation, I thought that he talked a lot of sense so bought his books and followed his news feed on Facebook, after almost a year I decided to take up the ride assessment that Kevin offers, I was so impressed with the way it was delivered and what I learnt I wish I hadn't of waited so long, so I've just been back for the Performance: SPORT two day bends course, and what a two days it was, highly recommended. Kevin is the font of all knowledge for all things motorbike related.
- Andy Barnes
The course was very informative, enjoyable and well-structured. The period of training was ideal and was interspaced with valuable input from you at just the right time. I would recommend your training course(s) to anyone out there who genuinely wishes to improve their biking skills.
- David Bates
"I had a great ride home. The concept of using the middle third of the road [on a wide road, where the limits were relatively low and we were riding within a busy stream of traffic] worked really well, central positioning [at a safe distance using the middle third of the lane] behind cars worked a treat instead of hovering on the right when waiting for an overtake [where there was no opportunity], and looking at the braking surface is a great improvement. All in all, I got a lot of value from the session and felt it improved my riding significantly. I noticed my standard of observation was back up to a high standard too. Job done! thank you."
- Greg Southey
I am a Cardington-qualified CBT/DAS instructor but had a day with Kevin to get a check up on my own riding - well worth the money and had a good day out to boot!
- Andy Taylor ADI
Have just done a Confidence: Builder as I struggled with tight corners, roundabouts and cornering. What a great few of hours, I went away feeling confident on the tight turns and the cornering and roundabouts. I would highly recommend Kevin, he was very patient and explained things clearly and demonstrated so it was easy to follow. Would definitely book with again for another course. Thank you, Kevin.
- Joanna Ridgeway
Confidence: BUILDER did exactly that. Kevin's safe pair of hands enabled me to relax, to enjoy and most importantly to learn. The radio link and clear instructions made the directions transparent so I could concentrate fully on the riding, and now I know some great roads and how to ride them properly. When I want some more advanced training Kevin will be my first stop.
- Andi Farhall
I have taken extra training as I had some bad experiences during my DAS that have knocked my confidence to the point I felt I wasn't getting any better in certain aspects of my riding even after 8 years. Kevin was brilliant. I felt under no pressure from him and just did my best. I came away happier and more confident with lots to practice and improve. I would recommend it to everyone!
- Debbie Watson
Thank you very much for your course observations and constructive comments. I thoroughly enjoyed the 2 days and really felt it has been of great benefit in confirming those things I was doing right and reminding / informing me of ways I could improve my riding in both technique and personal survival. I would certainly recommend the course to anyone looking to brush up their riding and survival techniques. Thanks again for a very enjoyable 2 days both from a course point of view but also for two days pleasant riding in the Kent countryside.
- Mick Warling
I took a 'Bends' course with Kevin to try to give my confidence a bit of a boost as I had been doing a lot of commuting and hadn't been on the 'twisties' for a while. I met Kevin and found he listened carefully to my riding history and then he explained how the course would run. We set off and Kevin started by giving me a commentated ride, although there were a few problems with the radio link I was able to glean the gist of what was being said. We then set out onto some lovely roads in Kent where I was able to put the theory into practice. Kevin was available on the radio to give me a breakdown of my riding throughout the route. However this was not constant or annoying, for a lot of the time the radio remained silent and we just enjoyed the roads. Kevin stopped the ride regularly and he was able to give a detailed breakdown of the ride. In short Kevin has a wealth of knowledge, information and techniques he is only too willing to share and I found a few of his little gems extremely useful. All in all a great trying day with a thoroughly nice bloke. Hope to see you for the second day soon Kevin.
- Ian Pattie
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