Trail Riding Improvement Plan

I've been putting a lot of thought in as to how to improve my trail riding speed. Here's my resulting action plan:

1. Work on low-speed technical drills. This would include trackstands, wheelies, rolling over objects, etc. I was doing this pretty consistently for a while, but I've gotten out of the habit. While I think this doesn't directly help me with my main riding problems, it does help develop basic balance skills.

2. Work on riding trails smoothly. This is what I did on Sunday, and I think it was effective. The idea is to go relatively slow and really nail the fundamentals on every corner.

3. Group rides on the trail. Pretty self-explanatory. I need to get riding with people that are faster than I am on the trail. The problem is that most of the group rides around here go at a social pace, which is fine, but it's really not what I'm looking for. I'll figure something out.

4. Increase trail riding frequency. Also pretty self-explanatory. Looking back at my training diary, it's pretty clear to me that I'm just not riding on the trails enough.

I had been contemplating getting a full-suspension bike over the winter, thinking that it would help with some of my riding issues. As I've begun to examine things more closely though, I'm not so sure it would make much of a difference. So, I think I'm going to hold off and keep riding the same equipment until it becomes obvious that it is holding me back (which may not happen) or until I wear it out.