How to learn to jump on a bike

Jumping is not a basic skating skill, so it is not necessary to learn it. But if you managed to watch with your own eyes how a cyclist takes off into the air with an “iron horse”, it is difficult to disown the tempting idea to repeat the trick. Why not?! Only, of course, you need to start small, gradually improving your skills and setting more and more ambitious goals.

Why such a skill?

First of all, it is worth noting the usefulness of this skill. He is trained not only for the thrill. It is useful to learn how to jump for every rider - the skill will come in handy on a trip.

? With the help of jumps, they overcome small obstacles on the way - bumps and potholes in the coating, curbs and bumps
? The skill helps out if you need to jump onto an object - for example, when there is a difference in the road surface ahead



With such goals, the development of jumps begins. Further, the rider, feeling confident, proceeds to perform tricks for fun.

What preparation is needed?

Mastering jumps is easier if the cyclist rides confidently, maneuvers, “feels” his transport. A beginner who has just sat behind the wheel should start by mastering the basic skills of riding.

It is not necessary to buy a special bike - any will do. Although separate models will provide more convenience and facilitate the stage of mastering the skill:

✅ Best suited vehicles with mud or downhill geometry
✅ Easier to learn with grippy pedals

More difficult, but amenable to “training” is a cross-country bike. A really difficult task is to learn how to jump on the heavy classics of the Soviet era.



Ideally, start training with a professional trainer. It is necessary to learn the correct technique for performing the jump, and with self-study it is an order of magnitude more difficult. But we can do it if we want!



For beginners, you need to meticulously choose a safe area. An even base is needed, it is important to exclude dangerous objects that increase the risk of injury when a biker falls. And you have to fall first!

First jump

After studying the video and preparing the bike, checking for malfunctions, proceed to the first lesson. For him, on a flat area without slopes, an obstacle is placed - small and safe. A plastic bottle or cardboard box will do.

How the jump is performed:

? You need to approach the obstacle at low speed
? First, they press the steering wheel into the ground with their hands, then tear it off with a jerk - so that it seems to spring
? After the front wheel has risen above the obstacle, you need to lean on the steering wheel with all your weight
? It remains to help the rear wheel rise - you need to remove the load from the pedals, at the same time, clinging to them, and jump a little





Beginners mistakenly believe that speed helps the jump. In fact, it is important to work out the technique, and in the accelerated mode, it is unrealistic for a beginner trickster to control both the bike and the position of the body.

important points

To avoid injury, you should especially carefully control the brakes. If they work too hard, the cyclist runs the risk of flying over the handlebars.

Timeliness of weight transfer is of great importance. To make a jump, we imagine the flight path, determine its middle - this is the point at which the center of gravity is shifted.



It is equally important to work out the landing, and not just the takeoff. In order not to lose balance, it is advisable to put the bike on both wheels at once. During the landing, do not press the brake!

Learning different techniques

If the first jump was successful, we repeat the trick again and again - to bring it to automatism. Technique is learned if one manages to control the bike and the body without exerting too much, but increasing the effort exactly at the moment when it is needed.

Feeling confident in the simplest jump, you can set yourself difficult tasks:

✅ Bunny hop - involves simultaneously lifting both wheels above the ground. The technique is used to drive to a higher surface
✅ Side hop is a type of bunny hop. It differs in that the cyclist jumps sideways on a hill
✅ The Roman Hyde Pad is a spectacular technique that allows you to lift both wheels off the ground, but the front one is higher. The rider leans forward and immediately back, and then settles down vertically
✅ Touch-hop - due to the transfer of weight to the front, the rear wheel rises higher. The technique requires increased control of the center of gravity in order not to roll over in the air
✅ Tos - several consecutive jumps on the back wheel
✅ Gap - the longest jump forward
✅ Drop - jumping from a higher object. It seems deceptively easy, but in execution it will compete with the above techniques.



If you want to feel like a real trickster, it is recommended to study each technique in stages. Having broken the jump into its component parts, they work out each separately, minimizing the risk of injury.

bunny hop

This is a more advanced jump than a normal one. However, the bunny hop is one of the simplest tricks, so it should be one of the first to master.

How the bunny hop is performed:

? It is necessary to break the jump into two parts and work out each separately
? The rider decides which foot will be front - it starts when performing the trick
? First, we jump out: shifting the weight back, behind the rear wheel, we press into the bike, bending our knees and elbows, immediately pulling the handlebars towards us
? Next, we work out the preload: we transfer the weight forward, resting on the steering wheel, then we bend our knees, removing the load from the pedals

For bunny hop, it is important to feel the momentum and weight of the vehicle. The stronger the jump, the higher the jump will be. Such a performance of a jump is considered professional when all movements are smooth, there are no sharp jerks - such a trick is very spectacular.

Big jumps

Admiring the flight of the trickster, who seems to be floating in the air, the beginner involuntarily dreams of repeating such a high jump! And after a long practice it is quite real. However, for a successful jump without disastrous consequences, it is extremely important to adhere to the following recommendations.

✅ You can approach the springboard if the rider knows how to calculate the speed and trajectory of movement
✅ It is useful to first see how other cyclists ride, paying attention to the technique
✅ If in flight there is a feeling that the jump is not going according to plan, you should throw the bike to the side so as not to fall on it





To develop skills, you have to overcome fears. However, do not overestimate your own capabilities! For high jumps, you need to find a balance between overwhelming and real, but a little intimidating tasks.