Survival Skills Rider Training

welcome to the
SURVIVAL SKILLS RIDER TRAINING
events pages

HERE YOU CAN BOOK YOUR PLACE ON...

SURVIVAL SKILLS LIVE ONLINE WEBINARS
SURVIVAL SKILLS MINI RIDE-OUTS

Go straight to the EVENTS PAGE to find out what's on offer next, or carry on reading to find out more.

MORE ABOUT MY LIVE MONTHLY ONLINE WEBINARS

Survival Skills is now hosting MONTHLY LIVE ONLINE WEBINARS on a variety of better biking topics. These webinars are broadcast LIVE on the FIRST WEDNESDAY of every month at 8 pm (other activities permitting).

CANT MAKE IT LIVE? Each talk will be available to watch on a catch-up basis for 72 hours to allow you to view it if you can't make it live or your plans change at the last moment.

SCIENCE OF BEING SEEN (SOBS)

When I was a motorcycle courier in London, I had a very practical interest in avoiding the 'Sorry Mate I Didn't See You' SMIDSY collision. As I became qualified as a CBT and DAS motorcycle trainer, I realised that there was little practical advice offered to novice riders that would help them avoid these crashes. And so as a rider coach, my particular field of interest has been to understand the SMIDSY crash in order to offer some practical collision avoidance strategies that can be shown to work. That's where the 'Science Of Being Seen' (SOBS) presentation came from.

Based on my years of experience and research, SOBS was originally created by myself in 2012 as the third 'accident prevention' module for Kent Fire & Rescue Service's International Award-Winning 'Biker Down' course. Over the next few years Biker Down was taken up by most of the UK's fire and rescue services, as well as by the UK military and other safety organisations, many of whom used a version of SOBS. I personally delivered SOBS to Biker Down audiences in Kent until February 2020 when COVID shut us down. Subsequently, the fire service has commissioned their own in-house film to use for module three, but it remains heavily based on the original Science Of Being Seen.

In order to continue to communicate what I've learned, every SECOND month the live webinar will be based on the SEE THE ORIGINAL SOBS TALK, which is updated with the latest research.

The FULL SOBS PRESENTATION will alternate with an IN-DEPTH look at particular issues. Check the EVENTS page to see which talk is scheduled next. The £5 ticket price helps fund the HOSTING COSTS of the www.scienceofbeingseen.org website and supports my ONGOING RESEARCH.

BETTER BIKING WEBINARS

On the ALTERNATE MONTHS when the topic isn't SOBS, I will deliver an original webinar on a 'better biking' topic of broad practical interest. Past talks include 'Braking the Circle' - a look at the technique of 'trail braking' into corners, and 'Filtering - what's legal, what's illegal and what's just plain common sense' - a no-nonsense talk about the techniques of lane-splitting and filtering against oncoming traffic, a practical topic I've probably more experience of than most riders.

A new talk will be available to watch every two months. Check the EVENTS page to see which talk is scheduled next. Tickets cost £5.

MORE ABOUT MY MINI RIDE-OUTS

Have you been put off group riding by their high-speed, crash-happy reputation? Perhaps you've never been on a group ride and just want to tag along to get the feel. Or maybe you prefer to ride with a small group on roads where you can enjoy the scenery. Whatver your reason, you are cordially invited to join one of my MINI RIDE-OUTS. These are modestly-paced rides over sensible distances for limited numbers of riders on carefully-chosen roads that will be low on traffic but high on views. I'll be running them at weekends from late spring to early autumn and also on weekday evenings when we have the long daylight hours.

You'll be riding with an experienced trainer too - whilst I won't be offering any training, I'll be happy to discuss anything to do with riding. And I may just have a few copies of my books with me available to buy. A couple of other points -

:: rides will be WEATHER DEPENDENT. I'll be keeping an eye on the forecast and if it looks like a wet day, I'll postpone. They're meant to be fun rides, so there's no point in going for a ride in pouring rain on wet roads.

:: rides are PRE-BOOK ONLY - that means no turning up on the day, please. So if you have booked then realise you can't make it please let me know so I can offer your place to someone else. If a ride is fully booked, drop me a line and I'll put you on the reserve list and offer you a place on a repeat ride from the same location.

Check the EVENTS page to see which talk is scheduled next. All rides are FREE TO JOIN.

about SURVIVAL SKILLS WEBINARS & PRESENTATIONS

I've been delivering talks and presentations to a huge variety of audiences and on a variety of different topics connected to motorcycles for many years. Most of the presentations have been face-to-face, but most recently I've delivered talks online too. I've been engaged by both riding clubs and road safety organisations to deliver these presentations in a variety of different formats including:

leading discussion classes for riders at biking skills days at Castle Combe circuit from 2006 to 2008 and at Brands Hatch circuit from 2014 to 2019
delivering a module of the original and international award-winning 'Biker Down' course for Kent Fire & Rescue Service from 2012 to 2020
engaging with motorcyclists for the New Zealand Transport Agency as part of the Shiny Side Up roadshow events in New Zealand in 2018, 2019 and 2021
talking as a keynote speaker for the US-based REVVtalks series of online motorcycle skills webinars in 2020
speaking on rider safety issues on behalf of RoadSafetyGB in 2021
offering in-person and online presentations to motorcycle clubs and rider groups

WANT YOUR OWN PERSONAL GROUP PRESENTATION?

For many years I have travelled out to clubs and rider groups around the UK in person to deliver a wide range of talks based on my practical experience of riding, including my work as a motorcycle trainer. My particular field of interest is the 'Sorry Mate I Didn't See You' SMIDSY collision, including SOBS. Of course, COVID made that impossible for many months (hence my recent focus on online presentations) but I have now resumed taking bookings for IN-PERSON TALKS. If you have a date in your diary you'd like to fill (even at short notice) for your own group or club, get in touch.

CLUB AND GROUP PRESENTATIONS - ONLINE

You probably won't be surprised to discover that since early 2020 I've been giving presentations online. What may surprise you is that some riding groups have found the online format actually makes arranging and attending talks easier! As well as the Science Of Being Seen presentation, I have a selection of others available, and I'm always happy to prepare a new presentation on a specific topic. If you have a date in your diary you'd like to fill (even at short notice) for your own group or club, get in touch.

about SURVIVAL SKILLS RIDER TRAINING

Survival Skills is a post-test motorcycle rider training school in based in SE England and run by BTEC-qualified advanced instructor Kevin Williams. Survival Skills has been dedicated to coaching riders since 1997.

'subtract spills... add thrills'

SURVIVAL SKILLS RIDER TRAINING offers:

PROFESSIONAL ON-ROAD COACHING with an independently BTEC-qualified advanced rider coach to improve your riding skills - and with better skills comes more enjoyment of riding
PROFESSIONAL ONLINE COACHING wherever you are in the world with a qualified e-tutor using distance learning techniques
BETTER BIKING ARTICLES & VIDEOS written by an experienced biking columnist
WEBINARS & IN-PERSON PRESENTATIONS delivered by an experienced speaker
MINI RIDE-OUTS from several different start points around the M25 - gentle pace, modest distance... but fun roads