A method is described for reducing self-induced far end crosstalk (self-FEXT) in a multiple input multiple output (MIMO) digital subscriber line (xDSL) system. An initial value for an off-diagonal multiple input multiple output canceller (ODMC) is derived while the ODMC is inactive and while in data mode. The method includes activating the initial ODMC and converging towards an steady-state value for the ODMC by performing an adaptive algorithm to maximize the Shannon's capacity of the system and to reduce upstream self-FEXT. Bit loading is performed and a frequency domain equalizer (FEQ) is updated.