Stephen Gall: Motorcycling takeover takes some Gall
Issue: Volume 27 Number 3
Anyone who mistakenly thinks it takes just a modicum of talent to guide a motorbike through obstacles and jumps on natural terrain, or at speeds of up to 300 kilometres an hour on a road circuit, only need speak with Motorcyling Australia honorary Head Coach Stephen Gall for five minutes to get the correct steer.
Motorcycling in all its forms - from the challenge of the outdoor motocross and its artificial stadium version, supercross to road, trials, endurance, dirt and track riding - takes far more than ‘twisting the throttle and squeezing the front brake occasionally,’ according to Gall. The 46-year-old is fond of talking about the ‘complete package’ - that balance of talent, physiology, nutrition, psychology and experience that these days propels riders to the top.
And he should know.
A winner of five Australian Motocross Champion titles and four Mr Motocross titles, Gall dominated the Australian motocross scene through the late 1970s and early 1980s. Yet, when he was riding at the top levels in Australia, there were few personal coaches, little emphasis on cross-training beyond racking up experience on course, and as for biomechanics, the only ‘mechanics’ that riders recognised were the people looking after their equipment.
It was a pre-season trip to the United States in 1980 that gave Gall greater insight into what the sport in Australia could become and how Australian riders needed to lift their training to become globally competitive.
‘Anthony Gunter, one of my major rivals in Australia, and I went across to the US for some pre-season preparation and came fiftteenth and twentith in local races in California,’ Gall says. ‘What opened my eyes was the finer emphasis there on all the other things that can affect a rider’s performance – the things that books at that time didn’t necessarily tell you … things like psychological approaches and nutritional options.’
Gall returned to Australia armed with new ideas. He had already been helping younger riders and was now keen to apply some of what he had learned in the United States. ‘I loved to see people enjoying the sport and I wanted to help in whatever way I could. I knew that I’d be up against some of these riders later in my career and that’s what ended up happening.
‘A rider that I taught as a protégé for quite a while, from the ages of 11 to 15, a guy by the name of Craig Dack, ended up equalling me as having the most wins in Mr Motocross competitions. We raced each other in the later stages of my career and I got an enormous amount of pleasure from competing against him.
‘In whatever I was doing, I always tried to drag people along with me.’
The late 1980s saw Gall continue to compete while persevering with two knee problems. He eventually retired from the sport in 1989, but had already turned his hand to founding the Academy of Off Road Riding Schools. The schools aim to enhance rider safety through a broad curriculum that includes motorcycle skills, bike set-up, personal training, diet and hydration and mental preparation.
‘I’m very proud of the fact that 60-70per cent of the guys at the top now in Australia have come through my schools. I think it’s very important because they are role models for the next riders coming through,’ Gall says.
Among the Academy graduates are Champion riders such as motocross and supercross riders Craig Dack, Kim Ashkenzi, Cameron Taylor, Troy Carroll and Shayne Metcalfe and road racers Wayne Gardner and Mat Mladin.
The schools signalled the start of an impressive coaching and teaching career that over the next few years saw Gall become a motorcycle coaching consultant for the Australian Army and National Coaching Director for Motorcycling Australia, followed shortly after by the honorary title of ‘Head Coach’.
‘From the outset I didn’t want to be a coaching director who sat in an office. I had a personal goal of bringing an Australian rider up to world levels. For 12 years I went to every squad meeting and training session that the AIS had to offer, so I suppose the title of honorary “Head Coach” came because I was the most prominent coach around at the time. These days Motorcycling Australia has a development officer who promotes races and I work with him on the National Coaching Commission.’
It is obvious from Gall’s curriculum vitae that the trained automotive engineer has a passion for anything with two wheels. He has Level 1 National Coaching Accreditation in cycling and mountain biking and Level 2 coaching credentials with Motorcycling Australia.
‘Knowing how a bike works is very important, but there’s so much more to consider when you’re a rider,’ he says. ‘You need to understand eye-to-hand coordination and how to tune your muscles to become more surface-aware.
‘Most riders in this country are up against it from the start. They can’t afford important aspects like time to train sufficiently, a venue to train on their motorcycle and, of course, money to participate in this expensive sport. A fresh bike as a practice bike can cost upwards of $12 000.
‘Yet, important aspects of this sport are getting better. In 1996-97 Motorcycling Australia took groups of 12 riders to the States in two squads to compete in the supercross series. This was about taking a more international outlook, and providing more opportunities and more experience for our riders. The approach is showing results. Michael Byrne, one of the riders from these trips to the United States is now near the top of the tough US motocross/supercross scene.’
Domestically the sport is also changing, albeit at a slightly slower pace. ‘Most of our riders’ training is still centred on on-bike specifics. With off-bike training we try to focus on cardio work, stretching, psychology and visualisation techniques, resistance training, hydration and nutrition, although the majority don’t do it.
‘One of the biggest problems we face is knowing what off-bike training works and what doesn’t. Weights aren’t always a good idea. One of the biggest problems on the bike is with forearm pump. As you ride, your forearm muscles pump up with blood and blood circulation is restricted around the arm. We now know that this often gets worse when working with weights, particularly stable weights although less so with free weights.’
Gall says riders can benefit from wobble boards, plyometrics and core strengthening exercises.
‘Just think about what you’re dealing with when you’re riding. You have a powerful projectile that’s trying to drive out underneath you, trying to throw you over the handlebars when you brake or trying to throw you to the left or right during riding manoeuvres. You’re dealing with inertia and gravitational forces and you need the balance and strength to counter that. You also need to have quick reflexes so some of our riders work with video games or have a catching mitt and two throwers throwing balls at them in quick succession.’
Gall says these and other training techniques are part of a pilot program being held at the Australian Institute of Sport in October and November this year.
‘Michael Byrne, the rider doing so well in the US, will be staying at the AIS for a five-week pre-competition training camp as part of a Motorcycling Australia pilot program that may see other individual athletes going through a similar process in the future.’
On the coaching front, Gall and Motorcycling Australia are also trying to improve the quality of coaches across the country with 15 coaches now qualified with Level 2 accreditation. He says a Level 3 coaching program will soon be written for national squad coaches.
Gall admits that the sophisticated picture he paints is far from the stereotype some may have of the sport. ‘When I started out competing in the early days in the 1970s and I told people what I did, they classified you immediately as some kind of bikie menacingly looking over your shoulder in a pub somewhere.
‘In those days I didn’t drink, didn’t smoke and took my sport pretty seriously. I suppose I was and still am dedicated to changing the image of [motor]cycling. I’m no Rhodes scholar, but I apply myself in the best possible way that I can because I believe in and love the sport.’
