One bit of jumping advice that helped me immensely when starting out - given by 2 pro free riders - concerned the arm action. They said think of pushing a shopping cart in a parking lot and coming to a large crack in the pavement. What do you do? Come to the obstruction, bend your arms and give the cart a quick firm push semi-straightening your arms. This of course has to be timed properly as the front tire reaches the lip of the jump and precedes by microseconds the pop in your legs as the rear wheel approaches the lip. This arm action produces the separation you mention while also compressing the fork properly (and hopefully matching the rear shock compression being produced by your leg/heel action). Best advice of all as you mentioned - start small, repeat a lot, then move on to something slightly bigger/steeper.
Both of you guys have seen me jump at the ride series clinic in AZ. I learned a ton that day and got a lot more comfortable in the air. I still need to work on getting more comfortable on actual trail jumps, but it's coming. Hoping to make it out to Bentonville sometime in the Spring. You guys rock!
Good advice. RD, I’ve gotta say, when you came out with that How to Drop video I was one of the people who thought you were off your rocker. But then I realized the wisdom of your words a couple months later. Kudos to you for bucking the accepted teaching norms! 👍👍
For me, it helps to think of how the bike behaves as you roll over the jump. Assume everything after the lip is already airborne and just floating. The front comes up as you pass the lip and is now weightless. (or Imagine its a gap and the front end just falls over the edge as you roll over) even tho the fronts up, the back still has to rise more. This rising of the rear tire is why many people get bucked. You have to compensate by pushing back on it and essentially pushing as hard as you can on each tire individually until its off the lip. Which in turn equates to rocking/leaning back to pop the jump. And remember the bikes only gonna ever get as high as your front tire goes, and to fall you would have to be more than 90deg straight upwards. So just lean back.
Keep them coming guys! I'm liking all this, it's great for my current skill level because I'm starting to feel a bit more confident with my bike. Big bro being extra polite this episode, even raised his hand. Haha. 🤙
When I’m not using the transition of a jump correctly I repeat this mantra to myself: in order to go up you have to go down first”. That reminds me to push the bike down against the ramp and preload the suspension. When I want to jump, my brain wants me to go up but my body has to go down first. I think this contrast between desirable outcome and process (which are initially opposites) is what causes the sort of cognitive dissonance that disrupts good jumping technique. Does that make any sense?
I did a group jump clinic yesterday, my biggest takeaway other than the pointers for my own jumping. Don't get super sendy on the first lap, 10 minutes into our warmup lap one guy overloaded the front on the take off, but didn't quite clear, so he tail cased with a front high landing, which scorpioned him into the landing of the jump face first. When he came to about a minute later he had no idea how he got there, and he left in an ambulance. Full face helmet saved his bacon.
I love that brotherly energy and all that it brings to the table. My twin boys continue to learn from you every day and can't wait to come back to Bentonville and film some more. Hope we run into you again!
The word JUMP is also a great example of what you should be thinking about doing while riding into the beforementioned feature... jump, hold, and then let gravity take you home🥂
How do you slow down the “leg drive” so that you are pushing/driving legs through the whole jump. I always compress then pop right back up halfway up a jump. All other aspects of my riding seem to progress except jumps.
Coming from the "Load and Explode" method of jumping (Brian Lopes style, on flat pedals) we do here at Whistler, I feel it is fair to ask if you are not using your clipped in pedals to PULL UP with your legs after you leave the end of the lip as seen around the 8:17 mark? If so, does this not change the center of mass around the pivot point of your pedals giving you that perfect arc? I am not sure you actually addressed how to jump higher. Using the Lope's method, if you (pre) load harder by pushing/kicking down harder into the base of the base of the jump, more energy is added resulting in more pop (height and distance) from the lip of the jump when you stand up quicker. Preloading also ensures you keep your feet on your flat pedals. There are mostly likely several subtle nuances in style that I am not aware that I preform when jumping but Whistler has some pretty big jumps!
I think that despite the clipless pedal, he would be able to do that movement, since it is like what you do when you are the up part of a bunnyhop. Just my toughts...
Hey Rich, Antonio here from tx.. Just got back from bentonville! Epic trip.. definitely going back next year. Hopefully you can ride with us next time!
On that jump line there is a couple of warm up jumps and then two rock-faced jumps. It looks like your demo was on the second one of those. The first rock-faced jump is the one that most people endo on (scary) and I’m not sure why, I can clear the second rock-faced jump but not the first one and I don’t know why. I’ve seen several crashes on the first rock-faced jump when the endo landing ends in tears.
Rich, can you clarify something please? You mention standing tall at the top of the jump, and in other jump vids have mentioned opening up the chest and keeping your head up, and also keeping your arms fairly straight. When I try to do all those things, I feel that my weight is drifting back and I get bucked. Any words of clarification you can offer? Thanks for the vids.
I jumped BMX bikes as a kid and did some wild dangerous jumps. I'm 52, love to ride, but haven't quite figured jumping out. My brain keeps getting in the way. Ever do any clinics in middle TN?
That dang brain, always ruining things!! You’ll get there, don’t worry. Hoping to get out to Knoxville for an event soon, possibly the first weekend of Nov
Love the energy between ya'll. Wish I could harness that energy to improve the height on my jumps!! Also just noticed the "new" logo at the beginning (RD2)... 😂
What he is doing is for safety if you want to boost it you got yank the bar at the very top of the lip as your standing up. Basically you time your pop to the very second aka stand up and your pull the bar to your lap
Dang Rd2. I HAVE to invest in a rideseries class!! I’ll be videoing and showing the progression. I’m a ex bmx guy from the late 80’s that in my 50’s is tentative on the bike from some pretty good injuries
I got a lot out of watching the slow motion breakdown, I've been crouching too much in the air, need to stand upright, cheers guys! Time to go out and practice!
Timing. Like Drew said, Compress through the takeoff, then (what could have been stated better) as the bike leaves the lip you rise with the bike. Do not attempt to jerk/pull the bike up just allow your body to rise with it. Knees compressed through the lip, knees slightly extend as the bike leaves the ground. This all happens very quickly, thus, timing. Crazy Jim😁
Those perfectly concave jumps are so much easier because it starts the rotation for you, and you can feel the pressure build at your feet. What about something like the unfortunate intro, where it is a flat ramp just shorter than the wheelbase (which is actually more typical of a natural downhill feature)?
For me the trampoline analogy is what makes sense. then it's just timing. load into the face and jump the lip. it's like timing the sweeper arm in wipe out ;). ua-cam.com/video/guX1G0W2Jo4/v-deo.html
Rephrased in more physics words. Velocity square times mass equals energy. Velocity is vector, it has direction. Jump is object that changes the direction of rider plus bike assembly. You either amplify the input from the jump and jump higher or scrub, squash, ... what ever who ever chooses to call it, which is also out of the scope of this vid.
One bit of jumping advice that helped me immensely when starting out - given by 2 pro free riders - concerned the arm action. They said think of pushing a shopping cart in a parking lot and coming to a large crack in the pavement. What do you do? Come to the obstruction, bend your arms and give the cart a quick firm push semi-straightening your arms. This of course has to be timed properly as the front tire reaches the lip of the jump and precedes by microseconds the pop in your legs as the rear wheel approaches the lip. This arm action produces the separation you mention while also compressing the fork properly (and hopefully matching the rear shock compression being produced by your leg/heel action). Best advice of all as you mentioned - start small, repeat a lot, then move on to something slightly bigger/steeper.
👊🏻🤘🏻
" coz Im Smarrrtttt " -🤣👏👌 Spot on!
I love this combo of presenters.
Thanks for the free lessons and tips
"the outcome is typically unfortunate" -Rob Drew, referring to the sling-shot. This was the best comment and is the cause of most Friday Fails!
Indeed it is!!
That trampoline thing makes so much sense. Didn’t start MTB until I was 30 so my brain is for sure fighting jumping
I started in my late 40's
Got it. Roll in normally about three times then start the whippage!!!
Love your videos. Always good info.
Haha, exactly!
Both of you guys have seen me jump at the ride series clinic in AZ. I learned a ton that day and got a lot more comfortable in the air. I still need to work on getting more comfortable on actual trail jumps, but it's coming. Hoping to make it out to Bentonville sometime in the Spring. You guys rock!
10/10 Stoked for this one. I've finally stopped going OTB, but would LOVE some more height when jumping.
Heck yeah, love to hear that! No more OTB dude!!
Ha ha ha. That’s very good progress. And essential for your skeletal system. Kudos for sticking with it 😂
Hi! I dont know if you're gonna repky but, can I ask what you did to prevent going OTB while jumping?
Rich: How do you have the ability to say that so well?
Rob: Coz I'm SMAAAAART.
He really is 🤷🏻♂️
Love these guys. You are legends. Much love from Saudi Arabia 😁
No better feeling than flying something without wings!!!! Bikes are EPIC!!!! 🔥🔥🔥
Good advice. RD, I’ve gotta say, when you came out with that How to Drop video I was one of the people who thought you were off your rocker. But then I realized the wisdom of your words a couple months later. Kudos to you for bucking the accepted teaching norms! 👍👍
Some good tips there - thx
You bet!
For me, it helps to think of how the bike behaves as you roll over the jump. Assume everything after the lip is already airborne and just floating. The front comes up as you pass the lip and is now weightless. (or Imagine its a gap and the front end just falls over the edge as you roll over) even tho the fronts up, the back still has to rise more. This rising of the rear tire is why many people get bucked. You have to compensate by pushing back on it and essentially pushing as hard as you can on each tire individually until its off the lip. Which in turn equates to rocking/leaning back to pop the jump. And remember the bikes only gonna ever get as high as your front tire goes, and to fall you would have to be more than 90deg straight upwards. So just lean back.
Keep them coming guys! I'm liking all this, it's great for my current skill level because I'm starting to feel a bit more confident with my bike. Big bro being extra polite this episode, even raised his hand. Haha. 🤙
When I’m not using the transition of a jump correctly I repeat this mantra to myself: in order to go up you have to go down first”. That reminds me to push the bike down against the ramp and preload the suspension.
When I want to jump, my brain wants me to go up but my body has to go down first. I think this contrast between desirable outcome and process (which are initially opposites) is what causes the sort of cognitive dissonance that disrupts good jumping technique. Does that make any sense?
I did a group jump clinic yesterday, my biggest takeaway other than the pointers for my own jumping. Don't get super sendy on the first lap, 10 minutes into our warmup lap one guy overloaded the front on the take off, but didn't quite clear, so he tail cased with a front high landing, which scorpioned him into the landing of the jump face first. When he came to about a minute later he had no idea how he got there, and he left in an ambulance. Full face helmet saved his bacon.
Loving the vids! Rob is a great addition, helps take the technical breakdown from Rich and rewords it for the noobs. “Because I’m smaaaaart!”
I would also suggest using a relatively slow rebound setting on your suspension
Great video! What a pair of crazy brothers 😂😂😂😂 you’re legends! 🤘🏻
Legendary. This was so incredible well explained.
I love that brotherly energy and all that it brings to the table. My twin boys continue to learn from you every day and can't wait to come back to Bentonville and film some more. Hope we run into you again!
Phenomenal video as always! The intro is golden 🤣
The word JUMP is also a great example of what you should be thinking about doing while riding into the beforementioned feature... jump, hold, and then let gravity take you home🥂
How do you slow down the “leg drive” so that you are pushing/driving legs through the whole jump. I always compress then pop right back up halfway up a jump. All other aspects of my riding seem to progress except jumps.
I think im decompressing my legs too early too
Love your vids man
Coming from the "Load and Explode" method of jumping (Brian Lopes style, on flat pedals) we do here at Whistler, I feel it is fair to ask if you are not using your clipped in pedals to PULL UP with your legs after you leave the end of the lip as seen around the 8:17 mark? If so, does this not change the center of mass around the pivot point of your pedals giving you that perfect arc? I am not sure you actually addressed how to jump higher.
Using the Lope's method, if you (pre) load harder by pushing/kicking down harder into the base of the base of the jump, more energy is added resulting in more pop (height and distance) from the lip of the jump when you stand up quicker. Preloading also ensures you keep your feet on your flat pedals. There are mostly likely several subtle nuances in style that I am not aware that I preform when jumping but Whistler has some pretty big jumps!
I think that despite the clipless pedal, he would be able to do that movement, since it is like what you do when you are the up part of a bunnyhop. Just my toughts...
Hey Rich, Antonio here from tx.. Just got back from bentonville! Epic trip.. definitely going back next year. Hopefully you can ride with us next time!
On that jump line there is a couple of warm up jumps and then two rock-faced jumps. It looks like your demo was on the second one of those. The first rock-faced jump is the one that most people endo on (scary) and I’m not sure why,
I can clear the second rock-faced jump but not the first one and I don’t know why.
I’ve seen several crashes on the first rock-faced jump when the endo landing ends in tears.
Great video!
You Guys Rock
Rich, can you clarify something please? You mention standing tall at the top of the jump, and in other jump vids have mentioned opening up the chest and keeping your head up, and also keeping your arms fairly straight. When I try to do all those things, I feel that my weight is drifting back and I get bucked. Any words of clarification you can offer? Thanks for the vids.
Great video. Definitely helps rethinking jumping with this energy mindset.
I see RD2 vid, and like, simple as tht!
I like your style Erich!
Bust big? What kinda video is this?! Thanks for the tips! 😁👍
Yeah. Thought that was funny too 😅
what about the "row and anti-row"?
Nice harmony! 🎶
Thanks dude 😉
I jumped BMX bikes as a kid and did some wild dangerous jumps. I'm 52, love to ride, but haven't quite figured jumping out. My brain keeps getting in the way. Ever do any clinics in middle TN?
That dang brain, always ruining things!! You’ll get there, don’t worry. Hoping to get out to Knoxville for an event soon, possibly the first weekend of Nov
Love the energy between ya'll. Wish I could harness that energy to improve the height on my jumps!!
Also just noticed the "new" logo at the beginning (RD2)... 😂
What he is doing is for safety if you want to boost it you got yank the bar at the very top of the lip as your standing up. Basically you time your pop to the very second aka stand up and your pull the bar to your lap
Dang Rd2. I HAVE to invest in a rideseries class!! I’ll be videoing and showing the progression. I’m a ex bmx guy from the late 80’s that in my 50’s is tentative on the bike from some pretty good injuries
I got a lot out of watching the slow motion breakdown, I've been crouching too much in the air, need to stand upright, cheers guys! Time to go out and practice!
Timing. Like Drew said, Compress through the takeoff, then (what could have been stated better) as the bike leaves the lip you rise with the bike. Do not attempt to jerk/pull the bike up just allow your body to rise with it. Knees compressed through the lip, knees slightly extend as the bike leaves the ground. This all happens very quickly, thus, timing.
Crazy Jim😁
Hahaha Your brother basically unlock the will for me to go try what ge said with that basketball line he said wow.
9:32 key piece of information for all you fellas out there
“The outcome is typically unfortunate”
- Rob Drew
😂🤣
Jumps....Fun.
I can't even jump a foot or so hahaha poor me i feel bad but still watching this
Keep workin it!!
what is a dumper?
Those perfectly concave jumps are so much easier because it starts the rotation for you, and you can feel the pressure build at your feet. What about something like the unfortunate intro, where it is a flat ramp just shorter than the wheelbase (which is actually more typical of a natural downhill feature)?
"unfortunate intro," I love that ;)
good bunny hop technique gets the job done but with less need for higher speed eh.
Jumping is like dribbling a basketball… damn, that’s it right there haha
I been doing it like a baseball. Damn it
😉👊🏻
That’ll get ya every time 🤷🏻♂️
🤘🏼🤘🏼
For me the trampoline analogy is what makes sense. then it's just timing. load into the face and jump the lip. it's like timing the sweeper arm in wipe out ;). ua-cam.com/video/guX1G0W2Jo4/v-deo.html
Oh yeah!
Is it a talk show.. or is it just me?
It totally is! Thank you for noticing
Rephrased in more physics words. Velocity square times mass equals energy. Velocity is vector, it has direction. Jump is object that changes the direction of rider plus bike assembly. You either amplify the input from the jump and jump higher or scrub, squash, ... what ever who ever chooses to call it, which is also out of the scope of this vid.
Yes
I will say throwing whips in a learn to jump video makes it really hard for me to see the technique in a basic jump 😂🤦🏼♂️
Blah blah blah blah. So much talk so little information
I know! I wish someone would tell Rob to zip it 🤷🏻♂️