Same! I had always heard it as just point your toes down, or sometime just drop your heels, with no mention of doing that to put pressure into the pedal to make the pedals grip your foot.
Kyle I know things have changed in your life and can be overwhelming to say the least…trusting yourself is one of the challenges you will face. Believe in YOU. Believe in yourself brother. Much love and I wish you nothing but success and good fortune. April…I subscribed to this channel due to Kyle, but I appreciate you and look forward to the new direction of the channel. Don’t be afraid to try new ideas and directions with the channel since it will be your show now…maybe throw a bunch at the wall and see what sticks?!
The most important technique tip here is the following: you can know the theory all you want, but you won't get anywhere until you get out and dump a couple dozen hours into practice.
The reason your coaching is so great is not because of the way you explain things, obviously that counts a lot, but its the way your humility shows through your manner of speaking. You have a bright soul my friend I wish you nothing but the best in life.
I love Kyle's technical explanations - it's thanks to him that I learned how to pump my bike round a pump track, after some really bad instructor had completely confused me by overcomplicating it. I saw Jeff Kendall-Weed's experiment bunny-hopping with the wooden pedals, and I commented on that video that he could still grip the pedals by creating tension between his feet pushing backwards and his palms pushing forwards on the grips - just like Kyle is saying here. If Kyle were to do an entire series just looking at the technical minutiae, e.g. what your feet do when leaving a jump, or how to counter-steer to initiate a turn, I bet he'd get a load of views.
Thank you so much for the kind words! As someone who overthinks everything Its nice to see the synthesized version help people! This video was originally 32 minutes long and i had to cut it down to make it a little more youtube ready 😂
@@AprilRideMTBI still go back and watch the first few videos you two did together when April attempted her first drops and turns. Sweet and nostalgic. I am so glad you two survived the dark period, health now more-or-less intact. Absolute heroes!
So good to see Kyle back in front of the camera! Kyle your coaching resonates with me a great deal. I think you approached the topic in a manner that welcomes feedback verses the “my way” approach. Nicely done!
Phil Kmetz says it's "like scrapping dog crap off your shoe". Personally I'd use font foot heel down and rear foot toe down and push apart. I use this technique with flats on my hard tail all the time on black trails. Knees practically parallel, it helps the bike pitch, yaw and roll underneath me.
Thanks Kyle, good analysis. As a Garage Bunny devotee I had 'pedal separation anxiety' when I swapped out the clips for flats. My solution was two-fold 1) make a pair of shin-friendly pedals by removing the pins and wrapping some thin foam around them and 2) created an exercise with the front wheel propped up about 12" (similar to your set-up) and then bouncing up and down as if on a pogo stick, replicating just the 'pop' part of the hop. The feeling of the pressure under the grips was what I focused on (arms fairly straight) - I found doing this created confidence and a muscle memory such that I didn't really think about my feet after that. As you say 90% of the work lifting the bike is done in the hands - maybe more??? 😊
Fantastic video as always, you make it look so easy and the height you generate is unreal, I’m in the mental block group and went out side for over an hour practicing your technic and only managed very small amounts of lift, I’m getting on in years and I’m finding it harder to learn new skills but I’m also stubborn so wont give up, your explanation of how it all works shows your skill level to be really high. Keep up the good work you do educating us mere mortals.
all of the confusion is mostly due to “drop the heel” on descent concept, and locking using the rear foot “scoping” is actually against it, u all UA-camr especially pinkbike have all the responsible on it and u are doing a great job
7:44 Holy freaking cows! Your skill is insane. Beautiful. Not only is it super high, but doing that from a standstill is just so difficult I can't even fathom it. REALLY good explanation on how to get the bike up, love it. I'll probably just keep using the "muscle man" technique since I've perfected it to a fine edge over the years and get 6-8 inches of air. Ha ha ha.
Excellent video! Great coaching and tips! Thank you. I also learned from your video that my timing is off just a bit from when I lift the front wheel to when I jump up. You seem to be almost simultaneously doing both at the same time. I’m late with my jump. I can comfortably bunny hop 14”, but I’ve had issues going higher. This explains why. Thanks for the slo-motion video. Very helpful!
Kyle, I just wanted to say thank you for all your incredibly helpful videos. I'm new to mountain biking so I re-watch them, go try the exercises on my bike, and come back and watch another video to learn more. The slow-mo portions with arrows and your clear and thorough explanations are super helpful, and I'm starting to feel more confident. I'm a little slower to learn and more cautious than I was 30 years ago, but your videos are truly helping me enjoy my favorite sport even more. You are an amazing coach and I hope you continue coaching, because you're making a difference in so many people's lives.
Great video and explanation. Since you asked, I'll give my 2 cents... as a coach, my issue with calling it the scoop is that many people(and instructors) take it too literal to mean that the scoop is what is actually lifting the rear wheel up instead of guiding the wheel up... you are correct, it's pointing the toes and engaging the hamstrings creating the tension between the pedals and the bars which allows you to stay connected and guide the rear wheel up.. I absolutely teach the rear wheel lift when teaching the bunnyhop, it all starts with the energy we put into the ground and wheel lifts are a great way to demonstrate this. BTW, the Muscle Man is only pulling up, no energy into the ground. I could go on and on with this and really geek out... Great video Kyle!
thankz for teaching this technic ... i waited this for very long time for somebody tell the right movement or mechanics of this bunny hop ....you know im already old now im 56 yer old man struggling for this ty very much bro.........😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊
Cross tension is a great way to describe it. This is a good thing to have a feel for once you start hitting bigger jumps with more airtime. Helps you level out. It's subtle, but it's absolutely a thing
I’m noticing that you use more of a wheelie technique (straight arms, shift weight back) to get the front wheel up rather than muscle man. Seeing that was very helpful.
Now the SECRET is out! This is the only bunny hop explanation you will ever need. I tried all sort of instructions for the last 2 years unsuccessfully and almost given up until I watched this. Thanks Kyle
Thank you, this makes so much more sense now! Both how the “scoop” fits into things and how to keep my feet from coming off the pedals when I try to bunny hop.
Kyle. You have a unique way of coaching with perfectly articulated explanations which are clear and easy to understand. I have been a 'lazy' clipless rider for 25 years, who could never work out the scoop. It never worked for me and you helped me understand why. Awesome. Thanks very much. 👍 👌💪🚲
The way I processed the a correct American bunny hop is to pull the hands in off of the manual to get upright. When you are nearly upright, there is no need to scoop. You are using the force of the ground to rebound you up and forward... thing jumping w/o a bike. I your vid, when you are about to lift the rear wheel, you are nearly in a standing position in the pedals. That upright position is what scares people when on wheels. You must be able to manual some to execute this skill correctly. The 2 wheel hop, I have heard called the English bunny hop. It is probably used more on most trail situations for roots and smaller features. Great vid and happy trails.
I really like how you described the scoop as not really a scoop! The term scoop, implied that you need to really get your feet to get under the pedals somehow to lift the bike, but we know that's not really possible. I like the creating tension analogy, watching in slow motion shows that you are really jumping with your body and then using pedal tension along with the natural stroke of the pedals to keep the bike following and staying with your body. Thanks for giving us another way to think about approaching how to bunnyhop! Ill be putting these into practice soon!
It's harder to do on an MTB cuz of the size, but one way I teach people on a BMX bike is do have their feet planted straddle the bike. Then do the lift and "forward row" and learn how to get the back wheel off the ground without even using the pedals, all handlebar action.
As usual Kyle, very well explained and demonstrated! I really appreciate your openness to what other UA-cam riders/coaches call the right way and how you add your point of view and experience to it!! BTW that is a spiffy little piece of equipment that garage bunny, never seen one before ....
What a great video. I feel like a few things just clicked in my head while you were explaining. Can’t wait to try a few bunny hops now while thinking about your coaching tips.
WRT "scooping", the biggest advantage for me is keeping my feet on the pedals. I'm still learning to jump, and just a bit of "scoop" keeps my feet on the pedals, which made a huge difference in confidence. Bunny hopping is similar. 'Way fewer pedals bites on my shins and calves these days ;) Thanks for all the fabulous instructional videos.
Love the coaching and positivity. Once I finally got up to a 20" bunny hop, I thought I'd mastered getting my rear wheel off the ground. I was corrected when I destroyed my shins trying to lift and place my rear wheel. From there I started really trying to get the rear wheel lift down in earnest. I think all these tie into one another and each time I get better at one thing it seems to help me get better at other skills that aren't obviously related. All that to say, for someone who wants to bunny hop, I wouldn't hold off until you master a rear wheel lift, but rather just keep working on them both in parallel. It is bound to help and is definitely useful (and fun).
I've been finding that it is about getting your center of gravity as high as possible, then bringing the bike up with you. If you have initiated correctly by going full meerkat, bringing the handlebars to your hips, and jumping to get your body up, the rear wheel will already be flying off the ground, but the bike will be in the wrong orientation for landing and you will dead sailor land on the back wheel if you don't do anything. Your center of gravity will also be high, but your rear tire will only be a few inches off the ground. This is where the pointed toes, pedal pressure, and "scoop" come in to bring the rear of the bike up to land with both wheels at the same time and also bring the bike up to you to take advantage of the high center of gravity. The scoop motion also imparts a forward rotation to help level out. You can over do it and land front wheel first.
When I forced to go to flats a year ago due to foot pain under the cleat the back foot tension was the missing key for me. I never thought about it when riding clips. I can bunny hop as high as with clips today but have to be more mindful about the technique. Maybe after a few years I don’t need to think about it anymore. Only real advantage with clips that you can be sloppy and come away with it anyway. Thanks for all the great content 🙏
Not everyone has a talent to teach. I know a lot of sick riders who aren't good teachers. You do a phenomenal job at explaining so people can understand. Appreciate the help and hope you feel better.
Thanks Kyle. I have definitely struggled to learn the bunny hop. I love the idea of looping out intentionally to become more comfortable with that "point of no return". Can't wait to try these techniques.
Good video but I feel like you forgot to mention what your other foot was doing and its importance. Your left foot is pushing down on the crank, which does 2 things; 1. propels the bike, and 2. Adds resistance to your right foot that's pointing down. This allows you to grip that pedal even more.
Thank you so much for this information,went out and tried some of your ideas which I’d never been told before and now nearly getting bars to waist which has always been my biggest problem,I know it’s only a small change but it was the body position part about not having weight on hands,I was just to far forward at the start and didn’t have enough time to stand fully before front wheel was dropping,thanks again
that was great video... stil learning how to bunny hop...i did what the other guy Seth was saying to get into that meerkat stance after the L shape.. but i did not do the scope pedal an my feet came off n missed landing back on and those spikes the pedal ate into my shin... so i started hunting for shin guards... not much mtb shin guards... but found 1 for field hockey which is perfect protection til i master the bunny...
I had no ideea i can bunny hop much higher until i made a video of myself and noticed how high my front wheel went. So i realised i need to pull my back wheel same, just flex my legs. I hop over a bar that i thought initially was too high for me. Filming yourself help to see where u can improve. I love that u say to be creative not get stuck on advices like is the ultimate truth. There is much more to be discovered.
Haven't checked in for a while, I'm glad your feeling better! I love what you said about "first principle thinking". It helps a lot in distinguishing good advice from bad one. My biggest issue is springing up when I lift the front wheel. I always feel like it was not lifted fahr enough. I can manual but my friend told me it doesn't feel like a manual. I have to spring up long before I'd get to manual position he says, which makes sense to me.
I'd say everyone should definitely learn the scoop, while it's only useful in a bunnyhop if you're gonna case, if you don't have the speed to bunny hop over something, you can just pop the front over then scoop the rear over.
Would be nice, for your next video, to use a hardtail bike and show us bunny hop. Seems like the full-suspension is a bit of an advantage, or disadvantage for that matter on how to properly lift off/coiling/winding
Yep - mental fear of looping out is what's limiting me. I know what I need to do but don't feel comfortable with the bike standing up so steep. Thanks for explaining
do tons of loops on purpose. Also put bike between 2 small step ladders with each pedal on one of them. Step ladders need to be tall enough for the rear tire to nearly clear the ground when rotating the bike up and around at the cranks. Stand on pedals/step ladders and keep pulling front of bike up to meet you as bike pivots underneath you supported by pedals/step ladders. helps you get comfortable with standing up to a high front tire thus gaining confidence!
Search "joy of bike bunny hop." Lee McCormick shows how to hop from the middle of the bike i.e. no rocking back into a manual. I was surprised how well it edd worked for me.
I honestly like very much both your approach at explaining the mechanics involved as well the point of @JeffKendallWeed : Jeff has definitely a point with the arm thing, but as you say, u need to lock in, and that is done through arms and legs. Maybe the problem is that for the "pros" that locking in is mostly done almost without even thinking about it, while regulars still have to think on doing it. But its not scooping with your feet, you make just flat pedal pins do what they should do. Thanks for your awesome vids, very nice seeing you back in a vid!
The explanations youve given make more sense to me, Kyle! I appreciate the things youve said when people have not mentioned them yet in their demonstration videos. Hopefully one day, I can learn to do this!
The cross tension makes your shoe STICK to the pedal so the bike comes up with you through the upward momentum of your body. Excellent video and very well explained 👍🏼
Beautiful explanation. I think one of the more difficult things about teaching or explaining a technique is that people may interpret things differently. Breaking the techniques down helps you get started, but it's ultimately a continuous movement. Like you said, you need to practice! That's when those a ha! moments will happen.
Thanks for this in depth description of how a bunny hop should be performed. Nothing more to say. Either you get it from this excellent video or not. The rest is practice, practise, practise...
oh man, I just saw Kyle's new video....comments are turned off so I came here. Yes, this bummed me out. For many reasons. Kyle is great, April is great, together they are great. Their relationship is certainly not our business....but it's sad this couple is going their separate ways. That is never fun for anyone. Second, April is certainly awesome but she is not Kyle ! That guy is a grand master of biking and is also an excellent coach who has a gift for explaining things in a way that make sense. I will totally miss his contributions to the videos !!!! The combo of a less-skilled rider (April) learning to ride made for EXCELLENT VIDEOS THAT NORMAL PEOPLE RELATE TOO ! Sure, those other youtubers are good riders but I don't watch them....I'll never ride at their level so no interest in watching folk huck 300 foot jumps and doing manuals for 1000 miles with no rest or breaks. I do know April will do awesome stuff with the channel, so looking forward to that. But it won't be the same...... Perhaps Kyle could come on as a special guest for some videos or something? Finally, Kyle I'm so sorry you are dealing with the health issues you have. Seriously. You love to bike, and for now you are unable to ride at your ability level. I sort of understand....FRUSTRATION doesn't even start to describe that. I truly hope you get better, or find another sport you are passionate about. Maybe kiteboarding? It is pretty cool, and you can keep your HR down and still have a ton of fun. Good luck and peace.
Thanks! Very nice explanation. Some time I'm going to try this! One comment: At 8:28, your foot didn't tension the bike in the reverse row. But the Ninja was there preventing the bike from going forward.. Not to say your point doesn't stand: it is possible to do a bunny hop with out tensioning. with the back foot.
Thanks Kyle! From your first tutorial on YT to this one you are giving me big Aha moments. The way you brake down skils fits me perfectly. I can do 20-25cm bunny hop but I wanted to feel more confident doing them. Aftet your explanation I can feel and imagine what I shoud try to do. Be more confindent about pulling up front wheel higher and poping up with bars close to body. One more thing I would add I think that to do high bunny hop with trail/enduro bike is to have the technique and strong muscles.
Hey Kyle and April, your videos are inspiring. I started my biking journey almost 3 years ago and I progress considerably thanks a lot to your videos. I decided to start my own channel thanks to your motivation so the very least I hope is to get as good as you are!!
Super good visuals... Thank you! I ride clip-in and probably pull up with my feet too much. Also... DUDE! DID YOU BREAK YOUR SPOKES AT 7:58 WHEN YOU LANDED? Serious air man!
Thats by far the best tutorial on youtube. Along with the one from Ali Clarkson of course hahaha The best explanation you could come up with. Really understandable, great technique and especially telling the people that you don't always use the same technique for everything is a really nice touch 😋
People discount the lead foot, often you are pushing forward on the lead pedal and pointing your toes down with the back foot as you push back. Basically reverse scissors with the legs. Teaching my kid to bunny hop locking onto the pedal was the hardest concept to convey. The mechanics if you watch closely is never quite what we try to describe when telling someone how.
10:36 i agree with the rear wheel lift thing… you don’t have to do/learn it to do a bunny hop, but to maximize your bunny hop, scooping the rear wheel helps… (insert mechanic “but it helps” meme).
Another nice video Kyle! Thanks for sharing your knowledge! I saw your another technique’s videos in the channel since you’ve started here, as suggestion you could make a video with a compiled of the basic techniques that a beginner rider needs to know to ride in a trail.
![Lp. Сердце Вселенной #60 РОЖДЕНИЕ ЛОЛОЛОШКИ [Финал] • Майнкрафт](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/YoR0pAV9FVQ/mqdefault.jpg)
The slow motion clips are honestly what help me the most! Thanks!
Glad you like them!
For years I was one of those who couldn’t figure out how scooping works. Finally an explanation that makes sense….gonna have to try it out tomorrow
Same! I had always heard it as just point your toes down, or sometime just drop your heels, with no mention of doing that to put pressure into the pedal to make the pedals grip your foot.
i try to do it for long time until until last year
Kyle I know things have changed in your life and can be overwhelming to say the least…trusting yourself is one of the challenges you will face. Believe in YOU. Believe in yourself brother.
Much love and I wish you nothing but success and good fortune.
April…I subscribed to this channel due to Kyle, but I appreciate you and look forward to the new direction of the channel. Don’t be afraid to try new ideas and directions with the channel since it will be your show now…maybe throw a bunch at the wall and see what sticks?!
years you said?
Did it work for you?
The most important technique tip here is the following: you can know the theory all you want, but you won't get anywhere until you get out and dump a couple dozen hours into practice.
The reason your coaching is so great is not because of the way you explain things, obviously that counts a lot, but its the way your humility shows through your manner of speaking. You have a bright soul my friend
I wish you nothing but the best in life.
I 100% agree. He is so great to learn from. 👍
I love Kyle's technical explanations - it's thanks to him that I learned how to pump my bike round a pump track, after some really bad instructor had completely confused me by overcomplicating it. I saw Jeff Kendall-Weed's experiment bunny-hopping with the wooden pedals, and I commented on that video that he could still grip the pedals by creating tension between his feet pushing backwards and his palms pushing forwards on the grips - just like Kyle is saying here.
If Kyle were to do an entire series just looking at the technical minutiae, e.g. what your feet do when leaving a jump, or how to counter-steer to initiate a turn, I bet he'd get a load of views.
Thank you so much for the kind words! As someone who overthinks everything Its nice to see the synthesized version help people! This video was originally 32 minutes long and i had to cut it down to make it a little more youtube ready 😂
I'd have watched all 32mins@KyleAprilRideMTB
Agreed. Could ride fast, but was so bad at berms and flat turns. Kyle and April fixed that.
@@AprilRideMTBI still go back and watch the first few videos you two did together when April attempted her first drops and turns. Sweet and nostalgic. I am so glad you two survived the dark period, health now more-or-less intact. Absolute heroes!
So good to see Kyle back in front of the camera! Kyle your coaching resonates with me a great deal. I think you approached the topic in a manner that welcomes feedback verses the “my way” approach. Nicely done!
I appreciate that!
thank you. key point about tension make sense to me. scooping make me shift weight too much forward and nose drop too quickly
Phil Kmetz says it's "like scrapping dog crap off your shoe".
Personally I'd use font foot heel down and rear foot toe down and push apart.
I use this technique with flats on my hard tail all the time on black trails.
Knees practically parallel, it helps the bike pitch, yaw and roll underneath me.
😮
Gotta love that clear style that Kyle brings to instruction videos!
I appreciate that! Thank you!
I have disliked almost all MTB educational videos. Yours are the best. I have learned so many important techniques from this channel.
Thanks Kyle, good analysis. As a Garage Bunny devotee I had 'pedal separation anxiety' when I swapped out the clips for flats. My solution was two-fold 1) make a pair of shin-friendly pedals by removing the pins and wrapping some thin foam around them and 2) created an exercise with the front wheel propped up about 12" (similar to your set-up) and then bouncing up and down as if on a pogo stick, replicating just the 'pop' part of the hop. The feeling of the pressure under the grips was what I focused on (arms fairly straight) - I found doing this created confidence and a muscle memory such that I didn't really think about my feet after that. As you say 90% of the work lifting the bike is done in the hands - maybe more??? 😊
Good to see you back, your girl held it down very well while you were down though. 💯👍
Nice video buddy!! Loved watching those hardtail bunny hops!
Glad you enjoyed! You guys have been crushing it lately! Congrats on all the success!
You corrected every MTB explication. Bravo, my man
Fantastic video as always, you make it look so easy and the height you generate is unreal, I’m in the mental block group and went out side for over an hour practicing your technic and only managed very small amounts of lift, I’m getting on in years and I’m finding it harder to learn new skills but I’m also stubborn so wont give up, your explanation of how it all works shows your skill level to be really high. Keep up the good work you do educating us mere mortals.
all of the confusion is mostly due to “drop the heel” on descent concept, and locking using the rear foot “scoping” is actually against it, u all UA-camr especially pinkbike have all the responsible on it and u are doing a great job
For me, whatever Kyle says, is the only RIGHT WAY to do something. Love you guys!
7:44 Holy freaking cows! Your skill is insane. Beautiful. Not only is it super high, but doing that from a standstill is just so difficult I can't even fathom it. REALLY good explanation on how to get the bike up, love it. I'll probably just keep using the "muscle man" technique since I've perfected it to a fine edge over the years and get 6-8 inches of air. Ha ha ha.
Excellent video! Great coaching and tips! Thank you. I also learned from your video that my timing is off just a bit from when I lift the front wheel to when I jump up. You seem to be almost simultaneously doing both at the same time. I’m late with my jump. I can comfortably bunny hop 14”, but I’ve had issues going higher. This explains why. Thanks for the slo-motion video. Very helpful!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Kyle, I just wanted to say thank you for all your incredibly helpful videos. I'm new to mountain biking so I re-watch them, go try the exercises on my bike, and come back and watch another video to learn more. The slow-mo portions with arrows and your clear and thorough explanations are super helpful, and I'm starting to feel more confident. I'm a little slower to learn and more cautious than I was 30 years ago, but your videos are truly helping me enjoy my favorite sport even more. You are an amazing coach and I hope you continue coaching, because you're making a difference in so many people's lives.
Love when you break it all down like this. 🙏🏾
Great video and explanation. Since you asked, I'll give my 2 cents... as a coach, my issue with calling it the scoop is that many people(and instructors) take it too literal to mean that the scoop is what is actually lifting the rear wheel up instead of guiding the wheel up... you are correct, it's pointing the toes and engaging the hamstrings creating the tension between the pedals and the bars which allows you to stay connected and guide the rear wheel up.. I absolutely teach the rear wheel lift when teaching the bunnyhop, it all starts with the energy we put into the ground and wheel lifts are a great way to demonstrate this. BTW, the Muscle Man is only pulling up, no energy into the ground. I could go on and on with this and really geek out... Great video Kyle!
BTW, I just ordered that chain clutch... first I heard about it and it's a must for the Garage Bunny. Thanks!
Ali Carlson's channel also explained the same scoop thing but Kyle went more in depth. TY😊
Finally a very detailed bunnyhop tutorial. Finally know how to do it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I laughed when he said it wasn't super in depth. It is for me! 👍
thankz for teaching this technic ... i waited this for very long time for somebody tell the right movement or mechanics of this bunny hop ....you know im already old now im 56 yer old man struggling for this ty very much bro.........😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊
hey kyle, muscle man here. i appreciate you pointing out my issue. watching you do the muscle man made me realize that is exactly how i look. 😂
Same situation here. Lol. I thought that was the correct way 😂
Cross tension is a great way to describe it. This is a good thing to have a feel for once you start hitting bigger jumps with more airtime. Helps you level out. It's subtle, but it's absolutely a thing
Definitely the best explanation of the "scoop" i have seen. It needs a rebrand!
I’m noticing that you use more of a wheelie technique (straight arms, shift weight back) to get the front wheel up rather than muscle man. Seeing that was very helpful.
Now the SECRET is out! This is the only bunny hop explanation you will ever need. I tried all sort of instructions for the last 2 years unsuccessfully and almost given up until I watched this. Thanks Kyle
I can see how comfortable you are when doing bunny hop...
Thanks for the video. I will train again my technique.
Thank you, this makes so much more sense now! Both how the “scoop” fits into things and how to keep my feet from coming off the pedals when I try to bunny hop.
You're so welcome!
Definitely very technical (and defies gravity) and certainly needs a lot of practice. Kyle makes it look great in slow mo (and so high). Thanks guys.
Kyle. You have a unique way of coaching with perfectly articulated explanations which are clear and easy to understand. I have been a 'lazy' clipless rider for 25 years, who could never work out the scoop. It never worked for me and you helped me understand why. Awesome. Thanks very much. 👍 👌💪🚲
The way I processed the a correct American bunny hop is to pull the hands in off of the manual to get upright. When you are nearly upright, there is no need to scoop. You are using the force of the ground to rebound you up and forward... thing jumping w/o a bike. I your vid, when you are about to lift the rear wheel, you are nearly in a standing position in the pedals. That upright position is what scares people when on wheels. You must be able to manual some to execute this skill correctly. The 2 wheel hop, I have heard called the English bunny hop. It is probably used more on most trail situations for roots and smaller features.
Great vid and happy trails.
I really like how you described the scoop as not really a scoop! The term scoop, implied that you need to really get your feet to get under the pedals somehow to lift the bike, but we know that's not really possible. I like the creating tension analogy, watching in slow motion shows that you are really jumping with your body and then using pedal tension along with the natural stroke of the pedals to keep the bike following and staying with your body. Thanks for giving us another way to think about approaching how to bunnyhop! Ill be putting these into practice soon!
Thanks!
It's harder to do on an MTB cuz of the size, but one way I teach people on a BMX bike is do have their feet planted straddle the bike. Then do the lift and "forward row" and learn how to get the back wheel off the ground without even using the pedals, all handlebar action.
As usual Kyle, very well explained and demonstrated! I really appreciate your openness to what other UA-cam riders/coaches call the right way and how you add your point of view and experience to it!! BTW that is a spiffy little piece of equipment that garage bunny, never seen one before ....
i like these videos because i have a hard time explaining things to beginners and sometimes i dont remember how i learned at all.
great video! thanks
What a great video. I feel like a few things just clicked in my head while you were explaining. Can’t wait to try a few bunny hops now while thinking about your coaching tips.
Have fun!
WRT "scooping", the biggest advantage for me is keeping my feet on the pedals. I'm still learning to jump, and just a bit of "scoop" keeps my feet on the pedals, which made a huge difference in confidence. Bunny hopping is similar. 'Way fewer pedals bites on my shins and calves these days ;)
Thanks for all the fabulous instructional videos.
Love the coaching and positivity. Once I finally got up to a 20" bunny hop, I thought I'd mastered getting my rear wheel off the ground. I was corrected when I destroyed my shins trying to lift and place my rear wheel. From there I started really trying to get the rear wheel lift down in earnest. I think all these tie into one another and each time I get better at one thing it seems to help me get better at other skills that aren't obviously related. All that to say, for someone who wants to bunny hop, I wouldn't hold off until you master a rear wheel lift, but rather just keep working on them both in parallel. It is bound to help and is definitely useful (and fun).
I like "outward pressure" over "cross-tension" in this case, but it's slower to say
I've been finding that it is about getting your center of gravity as high as possible, then bringing the bike up with you. If you have initiated correctly by going full meerkat, bringing the handlebars to your hips, and jumping to get your body up, the rear wheel will already be flying off the ground, but the bike will be in the wrong orientation for landing and you will dead sailor land on the back wheel if you don't do anything. Your center of gravity will also be high, but your rear tire will only be a few inches off the ground.
This is where the pointed toes, pedal pressure, and "scoop" come in to bring the rear of the bike up to land with both wheels at the same time and also bring the bike up to you to take advantage of the high center of gravity. The scoop motion also imparts a forward rotation to help level out. You can over do it and land front wheel first.
Kyle breaking it down like only Kyle can. Awesome thanks Kyle!
Brilliant video mate. I love the fact that you are not extreme in your opinions and views, just really chill!
Best explanation of a bunny hop I have ever watched. Nice job!
When I forced to go to flats a year ago due to foot pain under the cleat the back foot tension was the missing key for me. I never thought about it when riding clips. I can bunny hop as high as with clips today but have to be more mindful about the technique. Maybe after a few years I don’t need to think about it anymore. Only real advantage with clips that you can be sloppy and come away with it anyway.
Thanks for all the great content 🙏
Best bunny hop video I've seen. Thank you
Not everyone has a talent to teach. I know a lot of sick riders who aren't good teachers. You do a phenomenal job at explaining so people can understand. Appreciate the help and hope you feel better.
Thanks Kyle. I have definitely struggled to learn the bunny hop. I love the idea of looping out intentionally to become more comfortable with that "point of no return". Can't wait to try these techniques.
Good video but I feel like you forgot to mention what your other foot was doing and its importance. Your left foot is pushing down on the crank, which does 2 things; 1. propels the bike, and 2. Adds resistance to your right foot that's pointing down. This allows you to grip that pedal even more.
Thank you so much for this information,went out and tried some of your ideas which I’d never been told before and now nearly getting bars to waist which has always been my biggest problem,I know it’s only a small change but it was the body position part about not having weight on hands,I was just to far forward at the start and didn’t have enough time to stand fully before front wheel was dropping,thanks again
Always broad and general terms and breaking things down to the basics! Keep up the great work Kyle!!!
that was great video... stil learning how to bunny hop...i did what the other guy Seth was saying to get into that meerkat stance after the L shape.. but i did not do the scope pedal an my feet came off n missed landing back on and those spikes the pedal ate into my shin... so i started hunting for shin guards... not much mtb shin guards... but found 1 for field hockey which is perfect protection til i master the bunny...
Finally I found a great and detailed explanation of what does the scoop means and how to achieve it! Thank you sooo much Kyle
Well explained, I believe it is good to know how the different parts of the body engage and feel when trying something new.
I had no ideea i can bunny hop much higher until i made a video of myself and noticed how high my front wheel went. So i realised i need to pull my back wheel same, just flex my legs. I hop over a bar that i thought initially was too high for me. Filming yourself help to see where u can improve. I love that u say to be creative not get stuck on advices like is the ultimate truth. There is much more to be discovered.
That’s a great video, basically kind of content I I’m looking for. Excellent explanation.
Haven't checked in for a while, I'm glad your feeling better! I love what you said about "first principle thinking". It helps a lot in distinguishing good advice from bad one.
My biggest issue is springing up when I lift the front wheel. I always feel like it was not lifted fahr enough. I can manual but my friend told me it doesn't feel like a manual. I have to spring up long before I'd get to manual position he says, which makes sense to me.
I'd say everyone should definitely learn the scoop, while it's only useful in a bunnyhop if you're gonna case, if you don't have the speed to bunny hop over something, you can just pop the front over then scoop the rear over.
Thanks! This is great!
Would be nice, for your next video, to use a hardtail bike and show us bunny hop. Seems like the full-suspension is a bit of an advantage, or disadvantage for that matter on how to properly lift off/coiling/winding
Yep - mental fear of looping out is what's limiting me. I know what I need to do but don't feel comfortable with the bike standing up so steep. Thanks for explaining
do tons of loops on purpose. Also put bike between 2 small step ladders with each pedal on one of them. Step ladders need to be tall enough for the rear tire to nearly clear the ground when rotating the bike up and around at the cranks. Stand on pedals/step ladders and keep pulling front of bike up to meet you as bike pivots underneath you supported by pedals/step ladders. helps you get comfortable with standing up to a high front tire thus gaining confidence!
Search "joy of bike bunny hop." Lee McCormick shows how to hop from the middle of the bike i.e. no rocking back into a manual. I was surprised how well it edd worked for me.
Good to see you. Super clear explanation, and great advice as always 👍
I honestly like very much both your approach at explaining the mechanics involved as well the point of @JeffKendallWeed : Jeff has definitely a point with the arm thing, but as you say, u need to lock in, and that is done through arms and legs.
Maybe the problem is that for the "pros" that locking in is mostly done almost without even thinking about it, while regulars still have to think on doing it.
But its not scooping with your feet, you make just flat pedal pins do what they should do.
Thanks for your awesome vids, very nice seeing you back in a vid!
for me and probably a lot of others is overcoming fear of having the front tire really high and standing up to it. Low front tire = low or no bhop !
The explanations youve given make more sense to me, Kyle! I appreciate the things youve said when people have not mentioned them yet in their demonstration videos. Hopefully one day, I can learn to do this!
This is...transformative. Thank you!
This is brilliant, how did I miss it when it came out 5 months ago? Thank you for getting this out to us during a very difficult time.
The cross tension makes your shoe STICK to the pedal so the bike comes up with you through the upward momentum of your body. Excellent video and very well explained 👍🏼
Beautiful explanation. I think one of the more difficult things about teaching or explaining a technique is that people may interpret things differently. Breaking the techniques down helps you get started, but it's ultimately a continuous movement. Like you said, you need to practice! That's when those a ha! moments will happen.
Glad it was helpful!
Thanks for this in depth description of how a bunny hop should be performed. Nothing more to say. Either you get it from this excellent video or not. The rest is practice, practise, practise...
Glad it was helpful!
oh man, I just saw Kyle's new video....comments are turned off so I came here. Yes, this bummed me out. For many reasons. Kyle is great, April is great, together they are great. Their relationship is certainly not our business....but it's sad this couple is going their separate ways. That is never fun for anyone. Second, April is certainly awesome but she is not Kyle ! That guy is a grand master of biking and is also an excellent coach who has a gift for explaining things in a way that make sense. I will totally miss his contributions to the videos !!!! The combo of a less-skilled rider (April) learning to ride made for EXCELLENT VIDEOS THAT NORMAL PEOPLE RELATE TOO ! Sure, those other youtubers are good riders but I don't watch them....I'll never ride at their level so no interest in watching folk huck 300 foot jumps and doing manuals for 1000 miles with no rest or breaks. I do know April will do awesome stuff with the channel, so looking forward to that. But it won't be the same...... Perhaps Kyle could come on as a special guest for some videos or something? Finally, Kyle I'm so sorry you are dealing with the health issues you have. Seriously. You love to bike, and for now you are unable to ride at your ability level. I sort of understand....FRUSTRATION doesn't even start to describe that. I truly hope you get better, or find another sport you are passionate about. Maybe kiteboarding? It is pretty cool, and you can keep your HR down and still have a ton of fun. Good luck and peace.
I applaud the effort. Bravo. You're giving so much of yourself to explain the process, and it's not an easy task. Well done and THANK YOU :)
My first question was, what’s that green thing? Answered
2nd question. Where are you that you can wear shorts? 🤔
Great video and great explanations.
Kyle, we miss you man ! Great to see you again ! Never saw anyone to explain things so easily... Thanks again !
I appreciate that!
Thanks! Very nice explanation. Some time I'm going to try this!
One comment: At 8:28, your foot didn't tension the bike in the reverse row. But the Ninja was there preventing the bike from going forward..
Not to say your point doesn't stand: it is possible to do a bunny hop with out tensioning. with the back foot.
You da man kyle thanks for all your knowledge it really helps
Thanks Kyle! From your first tutorial on YT to this one you are giving me big Aha moments. The way you brake down skils fits me perfectly. I can do 20-25cm bunny hop but I wanted to feel more confident doing them. Aftet your explanation I can feel and imagine what I shoud try to do. Be more confindent about pulling up front wheel higher and poping up with bars close to body. One more thing I would add I think that to do high bunny hop with trail/enduro bike is to have the technique and strong muscles.
You can do it!! Agreed on the muscles too haha!
Hey Kyle and April, your videos are inspiring. I started my biking journey almost 3 years ago and I progress considerably thanks a lot to your videos.
I decided to start my own channel thanks to your motivation so the very least I hope is to get as good as you are!!
Thank you Kyle, another relatable, well explained coaching session.
Glad you enjoyed it!
Yeah big ups bro. Everyone learns differently and bodies move in different ways... great teaching style.
Super good visuals... Thank you! I ride clip-in and probably pull up with my feet too much. Also... DUDE! DID YOU BREAK YOUR SPOKES AT 7:58 WHEN YOU LANDED? Serious air man!
Thats by far the best tutorial on youtube. Along with the one from Ali Clarkson of course hahaha
The best explanation you could come up with. Really understandable, great technique and especially telling the people that you don't always use the same technique for everything is a really nice touch 😋
Glad it helped!
That a really good explanation ! I was trying to push my back wheel with my feet!
Glad it helped!
Best video for bunny hop skills, far as I have seen in youtube. Very impressed ! Thanks Kyle.🤩
Wow awesome video. Best how to biking bunny hop videos ive ever seen.
The explanation of the scoop being more of a cross-tension thing made sense to me. Thanks for the video.
Great video. I'll try. Thank you😊
People discount the lead foot, often you are pushing forward on the lead pedal and pointing your toes down with the back foot as you push back. Basically reverse scissors with the legs. Teaching my kid to bunny hop locking onto the pedal was the hardest concept to convey. The mechanics if you watch closely is never quite what we try to describe when telling someone how.
58 and never could do this .gonna try it this week. Cheers
The bunny hop…. Second only to “flats vs clips”. Lol. Happy new year Kyle!
10:36 i agree with the rear wheel lift thing… you don’t have to do/learn it to do a bunny hop, but to maximize your bunny hop, scooping the rear wheel helps… (insert mechanic “but it helps” meme).
Your Tutorials are the best. Thanks for teaching. Love from Bangladesh...🖤🖤🖤
Thank you so much 😀
Another nice video Kyle! Thanks for sharing your knowledge! I saw your another technique’s videos in the channel since you’ve started here, as suggestion you could make a video with a compiled of the basic techniques that a beginner rider needs to know to ride in a trail.
I love the video. I didn’t realize I wasn’t putting the toe tension on my flats.
I’ll practice this at the trailhead. 🤙🤙🤙🚴🚴🚴
Glad it was helpful!
@@AprilRideMTB …. It was a great help. Your bike garage is amazing. I’m stoked for you. Great layout. 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻🚴🚴🚴🚴🤙🤙🤙🤙
Wow wow wow amazing explanation! After all these years I finally understand it 🎉
Another great video Kyle, thank you!
Glad you enjoyed it!
What an excellent video!!! Thank you!