1 minute read
Scrub jumps
The squash
Before you try to get sideways,
1start by working on squashing jumps smoothly. Approach the take-off in the attack position and with your weight central on the bike. As soon as your front wheel reaches the lip and starts to lift off, instead of using the transition to pop upwards, push the bike forwards, by extending and straightening your arms, to keep the front wheel down. Locking your elbows out will prevent the front end from dropping too low and going into a nose-dive.
When your back wheel reaches
2the lip, you need to absorb the upward momentum with your legs and then, in mid-air, extend them down to push the bike back towards the floor. The whole movement should feel like you’re going forwards rather than straight upwards.
1
Ride into the jump as before, in the same attacking position. But this time, as your front wheel takes o, you need to turn your bar and drop the opposite pedal from the direction you’ve just turned in. This helps to get the bike leant over, and the further you can lean it, the lower and faster you can go without over-jumping. Your aim should be to get your bar as close to vertical as possible, with one end pointing towards the floor and the other towards the sky. Coming into land is simpler than
2you might think. Just level out your cranks while you’re still airborne and point the front wheel in the direction you want to go. Everything else will follow. Of course, it takes practice and, because it all happens so fast, this is a technique that takes time to perfect. But trust us, there’s no better feeling once you’ve got it dialled! You can use it on both jumps and drops to look super-stylish while still going flat- out. Good luck!
