Neutral Position question

[Irulan]

Several of my Clinic instructors work at my LBS, and indeed one half of the organizing team (married couple) is my fitter. They have advised me to start practicing what they call the neutral position on the bike as much as I can so that it is familiar to me by the clinic.

I tried this yesterday on my Gunnar when coasting down a hill that didn't have any curves in it. First of all, it was REALLY difficult to persuade my feet that they can be at the same height on both pedals - I am so accustomed to having one pedal all the way down. I did, finally, figure out that I stand by pressing on the pedals, NOT using my hands

Cool, got that part figured out, and was able to raise off the saddle a couple of inches briefly. I did this 3-4 times and figured it a decent beginning. I've a month to practice this.

My question is this - is this as much leg strength as balance? It did get easier once I consciously kept my weight off my hands, but it did seem to take a fair amount of leg strength. I didn't raise off the saddle too much because I didn't want to get unstable. It may have just felt this way because it is a new position that, as of yet, feels FAR from natural.

Does it sounds like I am on the right track with this? Any tips?

The farther you are off the saddle, the more stable you will be. The knees slightly bent "I must not touch the toilet seat with my butt" hover is useful, but extending the legs more gives you a lot more options to start moving your body. You may not get some of this until you move into some clinics.