Avoiding Trail Obstacles - The old adage "Keep your eye on the ball," when revised for cycling, is "Keep your eye on the good line." For example, if you are trying to ride your mountain bike through a tight spot between two large rocks and you focus on one of them, quite often you'll find yourself being drawn toward the obstacle as if by magic. The trick to negotiating a tight squeeze like this is focusing on the line that takes you through the rocks rather than focusing on the rocks themselves. Sight the good line between the crank crushers and you'll clear them cleanly. With a little concentration and practice, you'll soon master this technique.
