[airwreck]

maybe what I really need to do is turn my brain off, but I'm trying to think about what's going on with my feet and controlling my bike.

I'm a regular foot, right foot back, and feel better about throwing the bike to my right side, right side hips(is that considered to the left?), etc. I've been working hard on my left side stuff, and starting to wonder if I should be expecting to get my tables nearer to horizontal/flat/whatever, and my whips around more, because my right foot being back should help me control the bike better?

I'm analyzing photos and trying to figure it out. Should one side be easier/better based on whether you're goofy or regular?

Here's a couple photos of me, the first is the treetapper and I'm trying to throw it right and tap it, hard to tell huh? next is a shot while taking off so you get the idea of tree to be tapped setup. the next one is a left side wall hip, hard to tell but I am in the air, halfway between takeoff and landing. Looks like I'm kind of throwing it to my left okay, I'm just not as confident when I have to mid air tweak to my left side . appreciate any words of wizdom.

 

[airwreck]

here's a better tapper shot and a right side hip shot.
can't find a whipattempt photo...

 

[airwreck]

em, nevermind, I think my seat is just too high .

 

[Nick.]

hey Eric,
Try pulling your right hand in towards your top tube or leg HARD, and bend your legs up under you to the right side. I'm no expert by any means but I was just starting to get them better before wadding myself up last Summer.

Man I miss that Hawaiian weather. Almost a year since I was out there already.

Do you have both bikes built up, or are the first pictures older?

Cheers!

 

[mtb_biker]

For whips, try starting the whip motions before you leave the lip.

 

[powderho]

Something that helps me a bit is turning my bars away from my direction of tabling. So if I'm hitting a jump that sends me a little to the left, it would be easiest for me to table it to the right while turning my bars 90 degrees to the right. I would think this is the easiest way for anyone to do it. Then, while my bars are turned, I try to bring my hands up towards my chest, sort of pulling my entire bike up towards me. The key to a really flat table is to let your legs relax and just follow the bikes pedals. You need to bend you knees and sort of relax you feet from the pedals a bit. On my flattest tables, I think my feet come most of the way off the pedals and then come back on. Another thing you might want to try (as well as lowering your seat) is try a hardtail if you haven't. You'd be surprised how much easier it is to throw around a low-slung hardtail that's 10lbs lighter.

Good Luck.

 

[6 SPOT]

Something that helps me a bit is turning my bars away from my direction of tabling. So if I'm hitting a jump that sends me a little to the left, it would be easiest for me to table it to the right while turning my bars 90 degrees to the right. I would think this is the easiest way for anyone to do it. Then, while my bars are turned, I try to bring my hands up towards my chest, sort of pulling my entire bike up towards me. The key to a really flat table is to let your legs relax and just follow the bikes pedals. You need to bend you knees and sort of relax you feet from the pedals a bit. On my flattest tables, I think my feet come most of the way off the pedals and then come back on. Another thing you might want to try (as well as lowering your seat) is try a hardtail if you haven't. You'd be surprised how much easier it is to throw around a low-slung hardtail that's 10lbs lighter.

Good Luck.

Everything powderho said and one more: I'm a goofy foot and my natural (easier) table direction is right foot on top left underneath. That is most peoples natural table position as well (rear foot under). If your underneath foot was forward it makes getting the bike flat very difficult. Hope that helps.

 

[sriracha]

i suck at tables, but i learned whips.
the key for my was all in the bars. think of the bars as the handle of a whip. you have to crack the whip with the handle.
so, if you wanted to whip the tail out to the right, just as you take off the jump, turn your bars to the left. the bike will turn left, whipping the tail out to the right. then, to straighten the bike for the landing, turn the bars back to the right, and the bike will straighten out.
you can't just kick the bike out, cuz you won't be able to straighten out and you'll land sideways. it's all about cracking the whip with the bars.
watch a video of somebody whippin the bike, frame by frame, and you will see the whip get cracked from the bars.

 

[airwreck]

thanks guys, good info, can't wait to get out of work and go hit the new booter :thumbsup: .
someone mentioned that if I'm left foot forward, tabling to the right that the left foot needs to come off the pedal so I can lift the seat tube with it. I'm visualizing and having a hard time seeing how I'll bend my leading leg/hip.

I'm occasionally getting a good whip on the right, usually by accident though. As a matter of fact on of my favorite hits is called the autowhip since you end up doing one whether you want to or not . With my right foot back it's sounding like whipping left should be easier. We'll see, good thing the landing is still nice and soft . Need to video some more and study it. Need to get some photos of the new hits too .

Nick, been back on the old rfx set up at 5 inches lately hoping a little less bike will help the old dog learn new tricks. Big reduction in confidence over the highline, I'm finding a tendency to lose control on my landings on the bigger and faster stuff .

our newest launcher is the best hang time jump we've ever had and the last of twenty linked up berms leads right to it. Here's how the line goes now....berm to berm (full 180+) to berm to berm 10 times more maybe, 20 foot gapper, then berm, 15 foot left hippergapper, then a air into berm, air between berms into next berm, to drop/launch, land, then air over logs, land, berm, berm, berm, air into berm, air out of same berm, land in next berm (180), spits you out towards the launcher, then big log ride, then small air, then 20 foot log pile gap, then berm to launch over hole/step down, then 27 foot gap, then decide which jump line at fork in trail, 5 each assorted doubles, then small drop, berm, left side wall hip, berm, right side gap, step up, skinny to small rock drop, smaller rock drop, bigger rock or log drop, and step up finale! whew. super fun, hope we get some more dry weather!

 

[coma13]

thanks guys, good info, can't wait to get out of work and go hit the new booter :thumbsup: .
someone mentioned that if I'm left foot forward, tabling to the right that the left foot needs to come off the pedal so I can lift the seat tube with it. I'm visualizing and having a hard time seeing how I'll bend my leading leg/hip.

I'm occasionally getting a good whip on the right, usually by accident though. As a matter of fact on of my favorite hits is called the autowhip since you end up doing one whether you want to or not . With my right foot back it's sounding like whipping left should be easier. We'll see, good thing the landing is still nice and soft . Need to video some more and study it. Need to get some photos of the new hits too .

Nick, been back on the old rfx set up at 5 inches lately hoping a little less bike will help the old dog learn new tricks. Big reduction in confidence over the highline, I'm finding a tendency to lose control on my landings on the bigger and faster stuff .

our newest launcher is the best hang time jump we've ever had and the last of twenty linked up berms leads right to it. Here's how the line goes now....berm to berm (full 180+) to berm to berm 10 times more maybe, 20 foot gapper, then berm, 15 foot left hippergapper, then a air into berm, air between berms into next berm, to drop/launch, land, then air over logs, land, berm, berm, berm, air into berm, air out of same berm, land in next berm (180), spits you out towards the launcher, then big log ride, then small air, then 20 foot log pile gap, then berm to launch over hole/step down, then 27 foot gap, then decide which jump line at fork in trail, 5 each assorted doubles, then small drop, berm, left side wall hip, berm, right side gap, step up, skinny to small rock drop, smaller rock drop, bigger rock or log drop, and step up finale! whew. super fun, hope we get some more dry weather!

I'll trade you all the dry weather you want for some rain!

 

[airwreck]

I'll trade you all the dry weather you want for some rain!

hey, it's already dry everywhere except the sickforest, it's been perfect light showers, one good downpour it could be mucked out for months. Who knows, maybe it will be a dry winter, danm the dirt is packing so good right now .

 

[vardiel]

go in the grass (or spikey rocks if you prefer), lie on your back with the bike up in the air and practice doing whips and tables. It helps you with muscle memory when your in the air and also makes you realize getting the bike super far whipped or tabled is not as easy as it looks.

 

[SHIVER ME TIMBERS]

I'll trade you all the dry weather you want for some rain!

me too...................

 

[Tim F.]

Dry here in Norcal, also. Leaves are 3-6 inches deep in most places. Bike can suck it up, but worring about dinging a rim or dropping the front wheel in a hidden hole after manualing, or landing a jump in rocky sections. Also makes for a slippery ride, which can be kinda fun, until you wrap yourself into a red wood.

 

[Tim F.]

Used to practice doing tables and one/no handers/ footers on beater bikes landing in water. lakes, ponds, and even a couple of hotel swimming pools. I was a kid back then, they would throw me in jail today, or even scarier the little women would find out....don't even want to think about that.

Find a lake, pond, river, etc. and practice on an old beater. Also practice on a trampoline (if you have one available), with out the bike, just doing the movements.

 

[FM]

Cool pix mang!

Glad to hear the trail drama is smoothing out too. :thumbsup:

No interest in a rain trade? How 'bout some snow?

 

[airwreck]

we are getting the perfect amount of light rain, an increase in showers forecast for the weekend, good for the new stuff that needs it.

did a run and session tonight and felt good about my last table off the new booter, felt more tweaked than ever, and hang time helps lots.

I took a couple shots, the trail takes a curve left here, and I happened to notice this pile of dirt created when a big tree fell and all it took was a quick minor shaping of the take off. Now you can go straight instead . Landing was doable from the start and getting dialed as we go.

 

[SHAHEEB]

Here's how the line goes now....berm to berm (full 180+) to berm to berm 10 times more maybe, 20 foot gapper, then berm, 15 foot left hippergapper, then a air into berm, air between berms into next berm, to drop/launch, land, then air over logs, land, berm, berm, berm, air into berm, air out of same berm, land in next berm (180), spits you out towards the launcher, then big log ride, then small air, then 20 foot log pile gap, then berm to launch over hole/step down, then 27 foot gap, then decide which jump line at fork in trail, 5 each assorted doubles, then small drop, berm, left side wall hip, berm, right side gap, step up, skinny to small rock drop, smaller rock drop, bigger rock or log drop, and step up finale! whew. super fun, hope we get some more dry weather!

dude you sound super stoked! good to see and hear the forest is growing. good work.

About the jumps, i dunno but, it seems to get weird if you think about it too much. try new things and see what works best. No handers on that booter look possible.

 

[airwreck]

dude you sound super stoked! good to see and hear the forest is growing. good work.

About the jumps, i dunno but, it seems to get weird if you think about it too much. try new things and see what works best. No handers on that booter look possible.

speaking of no handers...rider featured in booter photo above had a nice no handser off the toby yesterday.

stoked is kenny, seen here boosting the girlygap :thumbsup:

 

[TWISTED]

HOW TO TABLE

Push "bottom" grip down and out. Tuck "top" grip into arm pit. Front tire should come up toward your head.

HOW TO MOTO WHIP

Carve to the side off the lip. Concentrate on pushing your "bottom" elbow straight down. Don't use your legs to kick the bike out, just flow the whole thing over, out, and then back around in a fluid motion.