How to trials

HOW TO TRIALS

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  If you have dreamed of learning to ride a motorcycle, well, dream no more. After a trip to TTC, your dream will come true. We teach you how to ride an easy to operate motorcycle in a very safe environment. No pavement here, only grassy fields to get your first riding experience on.
All of our training packages are either one or two days in length, with all of your time spent on a motorcycle, not in a classroom.
We have everything you need: gear, motorcycle, professional instructor & patience!
All ages welcome! Note that kids under age 9 need special attention and will not be grouped with unrelated adults.

Basic Ledges

At the Trials Training Days event every spring, one of the most popular lessons involves techniques for basic ledges. In this article, we’ll examine the most basic techniques used for rock ledges. For most rock ledges, the most sure-fire technique to get up & over is the basic roll-up in which the front wheel impacts first.
The key steps to conquering ledges are:

• Squatting into the bike to load the rear tire for traction while revving the bike and slipping the clutch
• Impact the front wheel about ½ to ¾ of the way up the ledge
• Use the moment of impact to load the suspension and launch the bike up the ledge
• Jump with the legs to the top of the ledge bringing the bike into your body
• Extend the bike over the ledge as you clear the top

These points are illustrated & described step by step, as performed by TTC instructor Bruce LeRiche.

As you approach the ledge keep your weight balanced on the pegs and initiate the wheelie using your legs while keeping the bike revved up and slipping the clutch (photo 1 ).
You should squat into the bike while keeping your upper body upright. A common mistake is to dip the upper body toward the handlebars; if you dip your head and shoulders you will unload the rear tire and the bike may spin just when you need to make traction!
In photo 2  you can see that Bruce has the front wheel starting to come up and without using his arms to pull up.
The front wheel should impact the ledge at a distance generally between ½ and ¾ of the way up, depending upon the size of the ledge and whether it is undercut (photo 3 ).
The impact with the ledge compresses the suspension and you use this compression to help get the bike up the ledge. When the suspension is compressed and you have lots of traction, use the clutch to launch the bike up the ledge and simultaneously use lots of legs to jump your body up onto the ledge (photo 4 ).
A bigger or more undercut ledge requires the front to hit lower to get more compression and therefore more rebound. More rebound can help the rear tire to jump higher in the next step.

As you and the bike move up the ledge, bring the bike into your body as shown on photo 5.
You have jumped yourself to the top of the ledge and the bike is coming with you! Note in this photo that both wheels have left the ground. A key point here is to bring the handlebars into your waist so as to position yourself to shove the bike over the ledge in the next step.
As you and the bike reach the top of the ledge you start to move the bike forward as in photo 6 and fully extend to bring the bike onto the ledge as in photo 7.
This move was set up by bringing the bars into your waist in the previous. A common mistake riders make is to have their weight too far back while going up the ledge with the result that they aren’t in position to extend the bike forward at the top.
Remember to practice the technique on a ledge of a size that is within your skill level and practice with a friend so you can spot for each other. Next month we’ll look at those tricky double ledges where a second ledge is close behind the first.

from Trials Training Center

Basic Turns

Everybody wants to learn to do the big rock steps, hills, and other obstacles, but the simple fact is that most of the points lost in a trial are in the turns.  Or else in the obstacles which are immediately preceded by a turn.  Sloppy turning technique will make the obstacle much more difficult, because a good turn is essential to get set up properly.  And if the ground is slippery or full of loose stones, a good basic turn is much safer than trying to hop the bike.
The keys to good basic turns are to lean the bike into the turn with good body position so that the bike tracks through the turn and the rider is always in balance. You don’t want to turn by using traction of the front tire with the rear pushing against the front, because this makes the front tend to push.  Proper turning technique really shows itself when traction is poor, as good technique will drive the bike through the turn in total control.
Here’s a step by step guide to a good basic turns, with photos of TTC youngster Nathan Glinski during a recent class with Chris Florin. Chris picked out Nathan to demonstrate because of his good form and excellent technique on the basic body position for turning.

1. As you start the turn, lean the bike into the turn so that the bike turns itself and the wheels roll around the turn. Initiate the turn using footpeg pressure, by pushing the inside peg to make the bike lean.  We call this “steering with your feet” or “steering with the pegs”.
2. As the bike leans into the turn, the bike should rest against the inside leg for stability as Nathan demonstrates in photo 1. Note that he rotates his outside foot to the outside of the footpeg and rolls the ankle to allow the bike to lean more while maintaining his body position to the outside.
3. The outside knee and outside elbow must be pointed outwards.
4. As you can see in the photos, the hips are angled into the turn.  The inside arm is straight, the outside arm angled, and the shoulders naturally rotate with the handlebars.  Some people think about rotating the shoulders and let the arms naturally move into the correct position.
5. The body weight moves to the outside and usually a bit towards the rear.  The body may move a little bit front to back depending on if you’re moving uphill or downhill, but generally a bit towards the rear on flat ground. If you are properly balanced, you should be able to stop at any point in the turn without falling in (or out); this is a good point Ryan Young makes that can be a very helpful reminder.  The most common mistake in turning is to let the head fall into the turn, which requires the rider to pick up the throttle and pick up speed to keep from falling into the turn.
6. Look ahead to your next marker or visual cue in the section (you DID walk the section and plan some visual cues, didn’t you!).  If you are looking down, all you see are the knobs passing the front fender and you will not be prepared to finish the turn.  Use a smooth throttle (or brake if you’re going downhill) and keep it rolling while looking through the turn as Nathan shows in photo 4.

To practice, set out some markers and tighten them up as you improve. It is absolutely the best practice to do this in the most slippery, greasy spot possible, as proper turning technique will work amazingly well in the mud and you will NOT be able to get away with poor technique when it’s slick. If it’s not slick, drag the garden hose out to a good spot in the back yard and make a slick spot! (don’t tear up the lawn).
A creek bed of loose bobbley rocks is also a great place to practice.  Do some figure 8′s to work on the transition from left to right to left. Remember to use peg pressure to lean the bike and “steer with your feet”. After practicing on flat ground, you can move to slight uphill or downhill turns to work on smooth throttle and brake control.
Good basic turning technique is the foundation for developing trials riding skills.  So always take some time to go back to basics and practice your turning techniques. Might come in handy at the Tennessee Nationals in April, where there just may be some slippery turns.  See ya there!

 from Trials Training Center

Double Blip

In the last few months we’ve talked about high flying splatters and drop-offs. But now it’s time to focus on a technique that is less spectacular but yet very effective at riding in control. And it’s an important technique for riders from the intermediate level and up.
For a moderate sized ledge or rock, it is usually possible to blast up and over with a single aggressive move and not much technique. The double blip is used to go over a modest sized obstacle with a minimum of speed and a maximum of control. This technique is very useful for moderate sized ledges or logs in which there is another turn immediately after and so you need to be at slow speed or stopped after the obstacle. It is especially useful on slippery logs or rocks, especially those at a sloping angle so that you don’t want to skid pan on them. If your skid pan touches on a ledge sloping off to one side, it will throw you to the side and cause you to dab or tip over.
The term “double blip” refers to the two distinct blips of the throttle associated with this technique. The double blip involves a first blip to initiate a wheelie into the obstacle, followed by a second blip (along with body movement) to achieve vertical lift up & over the obstacle. There are other maneuvers which involve two blips of the throttle, most notably the zap. The zap involves a wheelie to bring the front wheel down onto the top of the obstacle rather than into it, so as to achieve greater lift from the rear. This article will concentrate on the basic double blip.
The basics of this technique are as follows (refer to the figures of TTC instructor Bruce LeRiche demonstrating).

(Double Blip photo sequence. Click any photo and then scroll right or left through the set.)

1. On the approach, be sure to look past or through the obstacle to the point where you want to be on the far side of the obstacle.
2. You will need to do a wheelie into the ledge or log, and you need to be able to place your front wheel with precision. You initiate the wheelie with a dip of the knees forward to compress the front, as Bruce is starting to do in photo 1. In general, the body movements to intitiate the wheelie occur on the approach, starting a few feet before the point at which the front wheel leaves the ground. You can add a bit of brakes if needed or desired to help compress the front to start the wheelie.
3. As the forks rebound, your butt should go back to lift the front wheel and you add in the first blip of the throttle to both help the wheelie and to move the bike into the obstacle. Start to lift the front wheel at a distance away from the obstacle approximately equal to the height of the obstacle. Remember to look past the obstacle to where you want to end up; don’t focus on the obstacle itself or you will tend to stop on it rather than over it.
4. The front wheel should generally contact the obstacle about ½ to ¾ of the way up the face. On an “air log” or undercut ledge you may need to go toward the higher end of the range, if the face is flat or sloping you may contact a bit lower. This contact with the obstacle compresses both the front and rear suspension, as you can see in photo 2.
5. After the front wheel contacts and the suspension is compressed, apply the second blip of throttle and jump “chest first” through the handlebars. As you jump your body over the obstacle, the bike will follow. This needs to be a very physical move, with a lot of spring in the legs to jump big! No holding back! On photo 3 you can see that the bike has left the ground and the rear wheel is in the air without having yet contacted the obstacle.
6. The rebound of both suspensions along with the applied second blip and the jumping through the bars all help to lift the rear wheel so that it coasts over the top of the obstacle without depending on traction on the obstacle. As the bike clears the obstacle, the weight goes back to help the bike clear with momentum (not trying to drive over). Look how far Bruce’s weight is back in photo 4

All of the steps are important, and the double blip technique involves a combination of several things including precise wheelie, throttle control and timing, possibly clutching for the second blip, and a lot of exaggerated body movements.
If you are having trouble with any aspect, isolate and practice that technique. For example, if you have trouble consistently placing your front wheel where needed, go practice precise wheelies and putting your front wheel in a specific spot. In order to do larger obstacles, the pros use the clutch to produce the second blip instead of throttle alone. This requires practice to be able to have good timing. Practice on a small obstacle that does not pose a danger and is not beyond your limits. You learn new techniques by focusing on the technique first, then build up to a big new challenging obstacle after the technique is mastered.
After you’ve mastered the basic double blip technique, you can add other elements, such as holding pressure.
Practice, practice, practice, and you’ll be able to ride with greater precision and control. It may just come in handy next season at the nationals in Tennessee, where there may just possibly be a slippery rock or two.
Update: Double Blip instructional video by Patrick Smage at the 2009 Trials Training Days.

Drop offs

For all the attention we devote to getting up obstacles, it’s important to remember that every trial has an equal amount of riding devoted to going down.  Oftentimes, a descent off an obstacle is followed by an immediate turn or another obstacle, so that control during and after a drop off is critical to setting up the next subsection.
Drop offs fall into three broad categories, depending upon how one goes about riding off:

• There is the “rock-off” in which you can allow the skid plate to contact the edge, followed by smoothly easing the bike down
• There is the “roll-off” without hitting the skid plate, in which you apply a small amount of lift to the front end so that the skid plate clears without touching, but you still drop the front wheel first
• There is the “wheelie-drop” in which you lift the front into the air and land rear wheel first.

If the drop is sloped and the run-out is not too abrupt at the bottom, then it is often possible to ease the bike off while using the skid plate for balance and control.  This only works if the edge of the drop off is level and secure; a slope or uneven edge will pitch you to one side an may cause a dab or worse.  Have your butt pressing on the fender to be sure that your weight is back.  Brakes should be eased on (not jerky), front wheel straight and firm.  Roll the front wheel off to the point where the skid plate makes contact with a firm grip on the bars.  The firm grip is often needed to keep the front wheel from flopping to one side.  Rock the bike as needed to ease the bike forward to the point where one more little scoot gets you started off. When you hit bottom, cushion with the arms but keep a firm grip on the bars in case unlevel ground makes the wheel tend to twist.

If the drop off edge is not level or uneven or if the drop off is undercut, then it is not possible to rock off the skid plate and you will need to roll off smoothly while keeping the skid plate away from the edge. This will require a little knee-dip to load the front suspension followed by a lift to pick the front up just enough to set the front wheel out away from the edge and make the skid plate clear.  The weight goes forward to load the front suspension, then back to lift the front wheel and push the bike from beneath you. If there is an immediate turn or obstacle following the drop off, you should have a spot picked out to aim with the front wheel so that you can get on the brakes immediately upon landing.

If the drop off is steep or the landing severe, then you will need to do a wheelie drop with a rear wheel first landing. Approach the edge slowly and do a nice slow knee-dip wheelie with a minimum of throttle and lots of pressure on the back wheel.  It is very important to do this with suspension and body weight with a minimum of throttle if the traction is poor or if you need to immediately stop after the drop.  Carry the wheelie just off the edge so that the bike lands rear wheel first and keep your knees flexible so you can absorb the impact with your legs.  You’ve got to be committed and confident.

Find some good safe spots to practice each of these techniques.  For the roll off, practice putting the front wheel in a precise spot, and try to make a sharp turn immediately after to see how hard you can push the brakes.  This is also a good spot to work on nose wheelie turns. For the wheelie drop, practice in a spot with a nice smooth landing.  It doesn’t have to be high to practice the technique correctly.

With these tips and a bit of practice, you can free fall without fear of flopping!

Floaters

You can be sure that every trial will have several sections with an obstacle right in the middle of a turn or a tight camber turn with slippery roots or rocks. These are spots for the floater technique to be used. Slippery cambers where you need to “tractor” the bike around the turn to keep the rear tire hooked up & climbing is a place to use a floater. The floater allows you to keep the good things about a turn but while turning even tighter. It’s also lower risk than hopping because traction is not broken. Floaters are also useful if there is not room to hop.
The keys to effective floaters are:

• Smooth throttle and clutch
• Look through the turn to where you want to end up
• Legs loose and apart
• Elbows up
• Weight shift and peg pressure

Here’s a step by step guide to an effective floater, as performed by TTC instructor Chris Florin.

1. As you enter the turn, initiate the wheelie by loading the front suspension. Push the bike down and lean in to the turn, slightly pushing the bike away. In the first photo, Chris is pushing the bike down and away from the left turn in preparation for bringing the bike around.
   
2. As the suspension starts to rebound, apply a little throttle and clutch and shift weight toward the rear while angling the bike toward the obstacle. Chris angles the bike in the photos by lifting the outside of the handlebars and weighting the inside peg.
3. Move the bike through the turn while keeping the legs loose and maintaining a steady throttle and clutch. Be sure to keep outside elbow up and look through the turn to where you want to end up. As the bike moves through the turn, the body moves forward.
   
4. Track the rear tire up the obstacle (or up the camber turn) by pushing with the legs to keep the rear tire in contact at all times.
5. As the bike rises up on the obstacle, start to set the front down and shift weight back over the rear tire.

If you keep these basic key points in mind, you’ll be guaranteed to lower your score, keep the bike hooked up & driving, and look really cool while doing it!

Don’t forget to practice, practice, practice. And if it’s too cold where you are, come on down to the Trials Training Center for some early season riding!

Footpeg position

A video of TTC instructor Alex Bedley on the 3 different places to position your feet on the footpegs.

 from Trials Training Center

Holding Pressure

After you’ve mastered the basic double blip technique, you can add other elements, such as holding pressure as shown in the photo on the right (click to enlarge).
This is a more advanced technique, used to keep the front end high over the back side of the obstacle. It may be necessary to hold pressure if there’s a hole on the back side of the obstacle, another ledge or log immediately behind so that you need to keep the front wheel high, or the ledge slopes upward so that it is desirable to maximize traction to continue.

The major difference with the basic double blip is in the legs after the second blip; rather than a total rear shift of the weight allowing the bike to come up underneath the rider, the rider should push with the legs as seen in the photo. Note how the rear is compressing in this photo; this push of the legs will provide maximum traction as all the weight is on the rear and nothing on the front.  Also, more body movement is needed to get the rear up onto the obstacle.

 

Hopping

What the heck is a springbuck?  It’s the South African national animal, kind of a small deer that jumps like a spring-loaded impala!  Bruce & Brent LeRiche are pros at hopping the bike, and they tell us that the springbuck is the animal from their homeland that is most known for its jumping ability. The SA Rugby team is known as the Springbucks!
Hopping the bike is one of those techniques that most trials riders wish they could do effectively.  Ever notice how quickly young riders learn to hop? Maybe some of the motivation is the show-off factor, especially when dad can’t do it. But there are other reasons to learn these tricks.  For the turns that are so tight that the bike can’t be driven through, or when you need to set up perfect alignment for that obstacle or hillclimb, or even to hold your balance in extreme conditions, the ability to hop the bike is a useful technique.  For expert riders or those with aspirations to become experts, hopping is absolutely essential. But everybody can learn the techniques and put them to use.
Although you see the pros hopping around in every section, in order to learn the techniques it is best to start on smooth ground. You will need to spend time practicing to develop skills and confidence before applying hopping techniques in a trial because the skill must be mastered before they can be applied effectively within a section under the pressure of confinement and on rough ground in a precise way. It is also necessary that you must first be able to balance consistently in just about any condition.  If you cannot balance the bike, then you will first need to learn this technique before you even consider trying to learn to hop.

 

Hopping the Front
Hopping the front of the bike is a good way to maneuver a tight turn, especially before a hill or obstacle.  It is easier to do when the front is slightly elevated, so you might try to practice this technique pointed uphill. The key to hopping the front is to use the suspension and to get your timing in synch with the reaction of the suspension.

1. Start by loading the front end with body weight. The body comes down and forward with a dip of the knees, keeping the head and upper body still. A common mistake is to dip the upper body in order to pull with your arms. Notice how Brent’s head and shoulders remain upright, while the knees are forward and the front suspension is almost fully compressed.
2. Lift the front by using the legs to push back and reinforce the suspension rebound.  As the bike comes to you, the arms are only used to bring the bike in to you. A common error is to use too much arms to try to pull the bike up, and pulling at the wrong time (usually too fast!). Slow it down, work with the suspension, and develop good timing. First work on timing and don’t worry about moving side to side.
3. In order to keep the bike from rolling back, it is necessary to have both brakes locked throughout. With the bike running, the clutch can be used to help prevent the roll back. However, you need to be careful and precise with using the throttle to hold position, or else you could cause yourself to move forward and loose valuable set up room in the section.
4. To move the bike to the side, move your body slightly during the rebound to the side to which movement is intended.  When the front comes up, pull the bike back under you using the bars. Don’t try to go too far in one hop, but rather use many small hops to move the bike, always keeping the bike centered under you.
5. When the bike lands, use the downward force to compress for the next hop. This saves energy and also makes it easier to keep balance by hopping each stroke in a flowing motion rather than trying to stop and regain balance after each single hop.

Hopping the Rear
It’s not possible to pull up the rear with force, since the rider doesn’t have grasp of anything on the back of the bike.  The real secret to the technique for the rear is to use the rear suspension and brakes to make the bike lift in the rear and rotate about the front axle.

1. As Bruce demonstrates, the rear is first loaded by shifting the weight back and down and using the legs to load the rear suspension.
2. Weight is shifted forward to allow the suspension to bring the rear up. Note that the front brake is held firm to keep the front wheel locked and allow the rider to push against the bars and initiate the rotation about the front axle. A good practice technique is to roll over a small log or brick to use the impact of the rear wheel to help compress the rear suspension. When the back wheel impacts, you must have the front brake on.  Another trick to help learn is to practice by going downhill, which makes it easier to lift the rear.
3. The push against the bars is evident, as the rear comes up.  The front suspension is compressed as all the load goes onto the front, but the push against the front is a bit more forward rather than down.  This photo [Editor's note: the photo is no longer available; see video instead] is a rather high hop to exaggerate and demonstrate, and it is not usually necessary to hop so big.
4. In order to move the bike to the side, turn the bars in the direction opposite the desired motion of the rear. Bruce is moving to the right just as the bike is coming up on the rebound of the rear.
5. As the bike comes up, twist the bars to pivot the bike about the steering head and move the rear to the side.  You can see the rear is off the ground and the bike is moving toward a straighter posture.  Upon landing, it is almost always necessary to continue to turn the bars into the direction of the hop in order to keep your balance.

We hope this discussion and the video clips can help you master this important trials skill and help you to “hop like a springbuck”.
The most effective way to master all the techniques is with some individual training under the guidance of a professional instructor, like those here at the Trials Training Center.  We hope to see you soon!

Update: See this video clip of instructor Andrew Blane demonstrating front wheel hopping at Trials Training Days, March 2008.

Update: See this video clip of instructor Ray Peters demonstrating front wheel hopping at Trials Training Days, March 2009.

Update: See this video clip of instructor Ray Peters demonstrating rear wheel hopping at Trials Training Days, March 2009. Ray uses a slight variation on the rear wheel hopping technique. Ray likes to lean the bike into the turn as the suspension is loaded, then straighten the bike upon rebound. This helps move the rear in the direction away from the bars. Ray says that this approach allows the rider to more easily land in balance. A common mistake is to lose your balance and dab on the outside in the direction the rear wheel moves.

from Trials Training Center

 

Jumping a Gap

This article will focus on the technique used to clear a gap, which could be a ditch or small creek or a slot between rocks. We’ll focus on gaps on level or slightly downhill terrain, in which the rider needs to clear the gap and then stop or quickly regain control on the other side (this is trials, not motocross!).  The basic technique used is the bunny hop. Bunny hops are also used for other purposes, for example clearing a log or other obstacle at the base of a hillclimb, but we’ll concentrate on the bunny hop over a gap for this article.
The basic idea to the bunny hop over a gap is to use the suspension and clutch along with weight shifts of your body to jump the bike toward a front wheel landing.  The steps to the bunny hop over a gap are described below and demonstrated by TTC instructor Bruce LeRiche in the photos.

1. Drop your body into the middle of the bike to load both the front and rear suspension as shown in photo 1.  At the same time you should be picking up the revs in the engine while slipping the clutch. Always keep your eyes focused on the point to which you will be jumping.
2. As you come out of the crouch, shift weight slightly to the rear to initiate a little wheelie (photo 2).  At this point you should still be slipping the clutch, but starting to get traction and build up a little speed. Don’t jump yet, wait until the rear wheel is as near as possible to the edge in order to make the jump shorter.
3. Using all the approach rock to make the gap smaller, straighten out with the legs and jump forward while you pop the clutch right at the edge.  Notice in photo 3 how Bruce’s weight has shifted forward as he jumps his body over the gap (and brings the bike with him!).
4. Extend with the arms to bring the bike forward and bend your knees to keep the rear up and clearing the jump as shown in photo 4.  A common mistake is to not bend the knees adequately; if you don’t bend your knees at this point, you will tend to push the bike down when you extend your arms. At this point you should also shut off the throttle and keep your finger covering the brake.  Don’t apply the brake yet, else the front could slide in mud or twist on a grippy rock.
5. Once the front wheel lands and you feel it solid as in photo 5, start applying the brakes. Weight must be back, else the front end would be twitchy and you could even bottom the suspension.
6. As the rear lands (photo 6), absorb impact with your legs by keeping the legs more bent.  Apply the back brake while pulling in the clutch. Your eyes should now be focused on the area immediately around you for the next move such as hopping or turning.
7. Immediately move your body position back to centered on the bike as in photo 7, and you are now stopped, balanced, and ready for whatever is next.

The landing spot for the front wheel is the most important item when planning this maneuver, so that the front doesn’t slip or twist upon landing and cause a dab.  You can only develop the feel for how much throttle and jump you need by practice.  The best and safest way to practice is to work on an imaginary gap on the ground or something low so that the consequences of failure are not severe.  You might set out some sticks or lines in the dirt and practice safely to see that you what you can clear.  As with every technique, practice makes perfect!

from Trials Training Center

Rocky Creeks

Imagine Sammy Miller or Mick Andrews at the Scottish Six Days Trial, and you’ll probably think of a classic streambed section of slippery rocks and splashing water all around.  A slippery rock-strewn stream section is still a great part of many modern trials and is a lot of fun if you’re on your game.
With the nationals season opening this year in April at the Trials Training Center in Tennessee there just MAY be a chance to put your stream section riding skills to work (hint, hint!). So, we gathered the TTC staff (Dan Brown, Charlie Roberts, Ray Peters, Brent and Bruce LeRiche) and had a bull session about the key points for success in wet stream sections.

• Have a Plan!
  Walk your line and develop a good plan.  Since water may conceal some hidden obstacles, you will need to pick some points on the side of the stream or on protruding obstacle to use as visual cues to hold your line.  It’s always a good idea to “look ahead,” but especially if water is flowing; if your eyes focus on the moving water it will pull you off line.
• Be Smooth!
  There’s a reason that the smooth riding old timers usually like these types of sections, because there is a premium on riding smoothly.  Be smooth with the throttle, avoiding abrupt throttle blips, and avoid using the clutch as much as possible.  You need to maintain a more flexible, open stance with your knees bent to allow the bike to move beneath you.  It’s also quite important to keep the front wheel very light and most of your weight on the rear. If the water has been stirred up by previous riders, there may be hidden slippery rocks that have moved since you walked the section, so be flexible!  Don’t try to hop, but keep the bike moving with good basic turning technique.
• Mind the Water!
  It’s obvious that you should have your bike well-prepared and sealed to avoid getting water in the airbox.  But you still need to be attentive to some effects water can have on the bike.  If cold water comes into contact with the head pipe, the sudden temperature change can lean the bike and cause a stall. So when entering deeper water it is a good idea to keep the revs up slightly. Also, if the day is warm the cold water can reduce the tire pressure a bit from when it was measured. Your feet will stay dry and comfortable if you’ve taken the time to seal your boots before the trial, especially with snow-sealer on the seams and stitches.
• Have Fun!
  The mental part of trials is extremely important and if you decide that you really enjoy a streambed section in slippery rocks, the chances are that you will!  Whenever traction is at a premium, riders with good technique are rewarded and sloppy basic riding skills are revealed. So riding on slippery conditions is a great test of riding skill that will really let you know when your body position or technique is incorrect.

With a good plan, a flexible and smooth riding style, and a good mental approach you can be the master of the slippery rock stream sections. And when you come to Tennessee, be sure to smile for the cameras, the shutterbugs love to take your picture with water splashing about!
Update: An instructional video by instructors Jim Zuroske and Ryan Young at the 2009 Trials Training Days.

Section Strategy

A video of TTC instructor Ryan Young on strategies to use when preparing to ride a section. Recorded at the 2009 Trials Training Days.

from Trials Training Center

Slippery Hills

A couple months ago before the VT and NY nationals, Geoff Aaron stopped by to spend some quality practice time at TTC working on the slippery climbs. One of the things that make Geoff such a great champion is his dedication to practice and continuously working on his skills. He says that riding in Southern California doesn’t give him the opportunity to practice the slick stuff much and he wanted to prepare for the eastern nationals. So that’s cool, another opportunity for a how-to-ride article for the faithful Trials Comp readers!

The first key to slippery climbs is to get maximum drive at the bottom of the hill without any wheelspin because any little root or rock can break traction. It’s best to keep the bike revved up and regulate drive using the clutch. This keeps the flywheel spinning up, and maximum power can be delivered according to the traction available. Using a bigger gear can also help. Bruce LeRiche and Geoff were practicing with a turn at the bottom of the hill so that they only had a short run at the hill. As you can see in photo 1, Bruce is squatting into the bike and loading the rear suspension to maximize traction and drive, while feeding out the clutch to launch the bike.
If there’s a turn at the bottom or on the hill, get outside the bike while keeping the legs bent (squatting) and the outside elbow up, as demonstrated in photo 2 as Geoff moves up the hill into a bit of a turn.
You always try to get as much momentum as possible at the bottom, but if it’s a big or long hill you must get drive on the hill. Bend your knees, not your upper body, and bring the bars to your chest as Geoff is doing on photo 3. Weight goes back to get more traction and comes forward to keep the bike from lofting the front, all while keeping knees bent and maintaining a steady throttle and drive. The steeper the hill the further the handlebars come to the chest.

In photos 4 through 6 Geoff is negotiating a “traction-breaker” bump on the steep hill, which can be a rock or slippery root. You can coast over these by clutching while at the same time unweighting slightly (not a jump) to help the tires over the obstacle without bouncing and disrupting your drive up the steep hill. Feather the clutch in and out, don’t dump it. If you straighten slightly to unweight, suck the bike back in to yourself with flexible legs and good body position. Also keep the focus of your vision to the top of the hill; LOOK AHEAD!
And finally, Alex Bedley demonstrates the most important principal when your practicing: keep smiling while you pick yourself back up and then try, try again!
Update: An instructional video with instructors Jim Zuroske and Alex Bedley at the 2009 Trials Training Days.

from Trials Training Center

Splatters

Ok, sure, we all need to work on basic turns, balance and throttle controls, blah, blah, blah. But we all know that every rider (especially young rider) wants to GO BIG, everybody wants to splatter that big rock ledge and impress their friends with their high flying skills and daring. Where were the biggest crowds at the Duluth World Round? At the big splatter wall, of course! So with some tips and demonstrations of the Pros from the Trials Training Center, now’s your chance to be a real throttle jockey. And even if you only do this in your dreams, read on and you be able to watch the pros with a keen eye and see how they get up such amazing obstacles.
The splatter is a technique, most often used for big ledges, in which a rider uses the suspension, throttle, and a lot of legs to launch the bike at a ledge such that the bike rotates backward in the air and impacts the face of the ledge with a rear wheel first landing. Much like the backflip that the freestyle guys do, the bike rotates backward after takeoff and until the rear tire contacts the ledge. Without the impact into the face of the ledge, the rider would land on his back; in fact, this can happen if the rider gets so much lift on takeoff that the ledge is overjumped!
The splatter technique is quite flashy and exciting, but actually a very important skill for riders at the expert and pro level. Splatters tend to be the technique of choice for ledges and big obstacles that:

• are too high for other techniques such as a roll-up or zap
• are undercut steps or a log suspended off the ground
• are in a place where you need to carry speed, such as with a slope beyond or a slippery climb after the obstacle
• have a nice kicker to help launch the bike
• have a slippery approach with poor traction; the splatter may be less risky under such circumstances.

But not so fast, there’s more involved here than just a hammer fist on the gas and lots of testosterone. According to TTC instructors Bruce LeRiche & Brent LeRiche, the splatter is all about timing. The riders who get the big lift and conquer the biggest steps are the ones with the most precision on timing.

(Splatter photo sequence. Click any photo and then scroll right or left through the set.)

(Photo sequence on a splatter with holding pressure. The splatter was necessary on this obstacle in order to maintain momentum and hold pressure to continue the climb, even though the obstacle was not as high as in the photo sequence above.)
Here are the steps to do the big steps:

1. Look for a kicker such as a rock or solid bump to help compress the suspension. If you are a world round factory rider, have your minder provide one if necessary. In general, the ideal kicke r should be about the same distance away from the ledge as the height. A closer kicker requires less speed and more lift from the rider, a kicker which is farther away requires more approach speed.
2. Always use at least 2nd gear, and 3rd gear for bigger steps.
3. On the approach, rev the bike to peak revs while slipping the clutch. Revving the bike to the moon also gets the flywheel spinning up fast for later when you will be dumping the clutch and you need instant response. Feed the clutch out to get the bike to the proper approach speed, slipping the clutch according to the available traction to keep the revs up and avoid wheel spin. Wheel spin is a no-no, the rear needs to stay hooked up.
4. Just before the kicker or takeoff point, kick down on the bike, compressing both the front and rear suspension as much as possible. If you watch the pros at the nationals or world rounds, you will see some of the top riders approach with a double jump, using the first bounce to get the bike moving up and down so that the 2nd bounce before takeoff is even bigger. This technique requires very precise timing and is much more difficult than it looks.
5. As the front wheel approaches the kicker the suspension should be fully compressed and when the front wheel hits the kicker the rider should be simultaneously springing out of the crouched position and dropping the clutch.
6. As the back wheel hits into the kicker (or ground if there is not one), use lots of legs to launch the bike toward the ledge. Use your body to do the work, the kicker is there only to help. Pull up HARD on the bars and kick hard with the legs.
7. Handlebars should come to the chest, and back wheel is extended during flight.
8. As the back wheel impacts the ledge, absorb with the legs and extend arms to leverage the bike up & over. Smile for your adoring fans.

If the rock has grip (like Colorado), you can hit a bit lower and drive up the face a short distance because there will be tremendous load on the rear tire. If the rock is very slippery or badly undercut (like Tennessee), you will need more momentum and the kicker is ideally a little farther away.

Tight Turns in Tight Spots

A few months ago we explained basic turning techniques, with some demonstration photos of proper body position in a flat grassy field.  We’ve also described floater turns, with Chris Florin demonstrating. In this article we’ll apply both of these techniques to a real world situation often faced in any club trial or national, and that is the use of these techniques to maneuver the bike through a tight spot.  This tight spot could be a turn between some rocks or logs or a V-shaped gulley.
The key idea is to track the rear tire through the smoothest possible line. In order to do that you must put the front tire out of line to the outside and over a less smooth line, sometimes even requiring a floater to carry the front wheel over obstacles.  The example in this article is a tight line through a crack in some rocks, and is demonstrated by TTC instructor Bruce LeRiche in the photos.  Photos below show the both the front and rear view through the turn.

To do this turn, Bruce does a small floater against a rock on the outside, thus tracking the rear tire through the smooth line in the middle. The rock used to touch the front tire provides a target and a turning point, and when the front tire touches the rock the small impact also helps turn the bike. Some of the key points are:

• Run the front tire as wide as possible on the entrance to the turn (photo 1) to smoothly initiate the floater.
• Look at the target (the rock against which the front tire is to touch) as you can see in photos 1 and 2
• Lean the bike using the feet so that you are turning before the front tire touches the target.  Your body must be in proper turning position as seen in photos 3, 4, 6, 7, including:
  • Body rotates to the outside
  • Outside knee and elbow go out for stability
  • Foot rotates on peg (see photo 7)
  • Shoulders parallel to handlebars
  • Head upright

• Your body is centered from front to back before the front touches, and then as with any floater turn your body should come forward a little when the front touches (or is at the highest point if you’re just tracking up a dirt bank instead of a floater in air) so as to pivot the bike on the back wheel (photos 3, 4, and 7)

• As you come out of the turn, apply pressure to the outside peg to straighten the bike up on landing (photos 5, 8, 9)
• Always look where you want to go next; notice how Bruce’s eyes move in photos 1 through 5, always looking ahead
• A smooth steady throttle works fine in this maneuver, since there is nothing abrupt about it.

A floater turn through a tight spot is definitely an “old school” trials move, but one that is extremely valuable. And a perfectly executed floater turn through an ugly turn can be a beautiful thing.  Keep yer feet up!

Two Ways to a Difficult Step

Two Ways to a Difficult Step (PDF)
From the staff at the Trials Training Center
Trials Competition News, Fall, 2005

This article will focus on the techniques used to climb a step which has a difficult approach in front, with a jumble of rocks and gaps that make a small step into a much more difficult obstacle. TTC Pro Bruce LeRiche demonstrates two ways to approach this challenge.
The first we’ll call a basic ride through, using timing and a lot of body English to get up the step. In the second approach he’ll use a momentum wheelie to keep the front end up and demonstrate how this technique can help maintain momentum and actually make the ledge a lot easier, especially if traction were poor. The challenge for this article consists of an undercut step with a rough approach containing a rock just over a bike length away followed by a small gap and another rock obstacle immediately in front of the ledge.

Ride Through

The most basic approach would be to ride through this jumble of obstacles and dealing with each as they come. Precise timing is important through the sequence of moves. The key to getting through this mess cleanly is to maintain forward momentum. In the sequence of photos A-1 through A-3, Bruce zaps the first bump, jumping forward so that the rear hits the first rock in the same place that the front had hit.

The zap helps you to maintain forward momentum across the gap so that the front hits the 2nd obstacle simultaneously with when the rear hits the first. If a ride-up technique were used on the 1st bump, you would need to work more to pick the front up when the rear hits, and you would lose some forward momentum. Also the zap allows you to compress BOTH the front and rear. As you jump you push the front down so that both ends compress together. Look to the top of the step that’s coming next (see Bruce’s eyes in photo A- 3), rev the bike and use the clutch to keep the engine spinning up.

From the zap across the gap, jump hard forward and up and dump the clutch. Notice the handlebars coming to Bruce’s chest in photo A-4, so that he can extend later on the top of the step. In photo A-5 he’s getting very far forward because there isn’t much momentum left and he’s going to need to transfer momentum from his body into the bike by extending. Photo A-6, start to extend when the skid plate clears the step and the rear is in contact. Photo A-7 shows how the impact bounces the rear tire. As this impact occurs, you must extend the arms to bring the bike over and the front down. Legs bend to absorb the impact, then push the rear tire back onto the rock. In photo A-8 get the body centered, recover balance, and look to the next obstacle in the section.

Momentum Wheelie Through

This approach allows the rider to better maintain momentum, but requires a more advanced skill in the ability to carry the front end in a wheelie through some rough terrain. The first rock is zapped as before, but as you can see in photos B-1 through B-4, Bruce keeps the front end higher on the first zap so as to carry the front to the step. Compare photos B-2 and B-3 with A-2 and A-3 and you’ll see how the body is positioned more like a normal wheelie than before when the front was allowed to drop. Look to the top of the step where the front will impact, keep forward momentum and drive the rear through the gap. Consistent speed is very important, especially if traction is poor.

Notice that Bruce doesn’t jump the bike across the gap in this case but rather drives through with smooth consistent speed and with the front end up. Jumping would carry him too far so that the front wouldn’t compress on the ledge and the skid pan might hit the ledge. In photo B-5 you can see that the front has compressed along with the rear. The bike has momentum and can basically coast through the step. His body is centered and ready to absorb the subsequent impact of the rear into the face of the rock. Compare this photo to the previous A-5, where he had less momentum and therefore had to lean much farther forward and get into the power to get drive up onto the step.

Because the forward momentum of the wheelie move will carry you up, Bruce only must be prepared to absorb the impact which his legs and extend on top to bring the bike up and over, as he’s doing in photos B-6 and B-7. Compare these to the previous sequence where the bike bounced harder and the rider must work more to accomplish the same thing. Note how much more effective the “wheelie thru” would be in low traction conditions. In photo B-8, he’s on top, centered, and ready to look to the next obstacle in the section.

These two different approaches show that there’s “more than one way to skin a cat” when it comes to trials. It helps to analyze and consider alternatives and figure out what works best for you and the individual set of skills you have to bring to the challenge. And don’t forget the practice those skills, as you can see the need to have precise timing on a number of techniques (wheelies, zaps, ledges and extending, throttle control and clutch launches) to put everything together to clean the tough ones!

 from Trials Training Center

Mental Training

With apologies to Geoff Aaron of the Balancing Act video fame, this article is about the balancing act that goes on in your head when you ride. And we don’t mean your natural ability to balance, rather we are talking about your ability to focus your mind to get the best out of your riding.  With the right mental attitude and practice you can not only ride better, but develop your skills at concentrating and focusing and have fun while doing it. Here are some ideas about the mental game of trials.
Play to win
You might be thinking, of course I play to win, how else could you play?  Some people play to not lose, ride with the idea to not make a 5 or to not take a dab. Playing to win means to think in a positive way and to have a winning attitude, a positive emotion as a supplement to talent and an expectation of winning.  When confronted with a difficult section, a winning attitude is to consider this an opportunity to test your abilities and gain points against your opponents with a successful ride.
Riding in a class below your ability as a rider (i.e., “sandbagging”) is a way of being comfortable and secure in your riding without subjecting yourself to the emotional and physical stress of difficult competition.  This is ok if your objective is a relaxing day of riding and nothing wrong with that, but it will not develop your skill and will not foster a winning mindset.  A rider who is playing to win will seek out a challenge and take the risk associated with competition.  One of the reasons Michael Jordan was such a great basketball player was that he was not afraid to take the shot at the buzzer with the game on the line.  Fear of failure can make such a shot infinitely more difficult, and a positive winning attitude is essential to perform at your best when the chips are down.
Know your assets and liabilities
You should try to use your assets to maximize your success, and practice to reduce your liabilities.  It doesn’t help to pick out a great line in a section if it requires hopping and you cannot hop without dabbing. Likewise, it is foolish to try something that is clearly beyond your ability and could result in a dangerous crash.  If you understand your liabilities you can develop a plan to improve in the areas in which you are weak, or to turn a liability into an asset.  For instance, if you recognize that one of your liabilities is that you lack confidence, then work to identify successes in your riding to develop your self confidence; focus on something that you did really well and take pride in that success.
Set winning goals
Set long term goals as well as intermediate and short term goals that are steps to achieving the long term goals. Write them down, or share them with a riding partner so that you are accountable to follow through. If your long term goal is to rider competitively in the Expert class in your club or to ride a national, identify the skills necessary to achieve that goal and set some short term goals to master those skills in a logical and realistic fashion. And take some pride in accomplishment of your short term goals so that you maintain a winning spirit in the process!
Focus
It’s a common thing to hear a rider explain a bad ride by saying that they didn’t stay focused or they had a lapse of concentration.  Focusing is a critical part of all sports, and a skill that is essential for a trials rider.  In order to focus you must first identify the most critical thing, and then focus on what is to be accomplished rather than on what is to be avoided. In riding a section, you should identify those specific key points at which you should place your tire or perform a specific maneuver.
Concentrate on what to do rather than on what NOT to do; if you are worried about a hitting a rock and your attention is on that rock, then your eyes tend to look at the rock and take you towards it (target fixation).  Always try to maintain a focus on the positive thing that you are to be doing. When riding a section, you cannot be thinking about how important it is to clean this section, your mind must be focused on putting your wheel at this spot, keeping your weight outside the bike in this turn, weight shift to lift the front wheel here, etc.  You know, all the things you heard at Trials Training Days!
Visualize
Mental practice is important.  Before riding a section, play a mental tape in your mind of you riding the section in exactly the way that you planned, with particular attention to the visual cues that you will use to focus during your ride.  Break down the various parts of your ride and always see yourself riding correctly. Mentally execute the correct techniques and point those out to yourself when playing out your mental practice.  Visualize at the actual speed you will be riding, don’t omit parts and don’t fast forward through anything.  Don’t ever muddle your way through anything and don’t store incorrect material in your mind. Work to develop total confidence, mental consistency and focus on execution.
Develop recovery skill
There will inevitably be lapses or failures in execution.  No matter what your sport, you must learn to recover from adversity and recover quickly.  One of the attributes of Geoff Aaron and Doug Lampkin is their incredible ability to recover from a bad ride and turn in excellent performance. The keys to recovering are to quickly and dispassionately analyze the mistake, define the error and develop a plan to correct it next time, and move on with confidence to the next section. It is absolutely essential to recovery that the mistake is dealt with promptly and resolved so that lingering doubts do not remain and you don’t beat yourself up mentally about the mistake.
If you carry emotional baggage from a bad ride to the next section, you may let it affect your ability to focus and visualize a successful ride in the next section and a mistake can be multiplied. A bad call by an official can sometimes happen, but you must be able to recover from these adversities without letting the emotions carry over and affect your ability to execute.  Ever see the bumper sticker that says “I do what the voices in my head tell me to do”?  Clear your mind before the next section! Even during practice, it is unproductive to continue to practice making the same mistake over and over, stop and analyze. If you lack a skill to be able to execute the section properly, make a plan to develop the needed skill rather than practicing the incorrect technique.
Balance yourself on the edge
Emotions and stress can be a good thing. The stress of competition helps to spur you to greater levels of achievement and skill. If you only practiced without the stress of competition and the emotional charge that provides, then you would never feel the thrill of a well executed ride under the pressure of competition in front of your friends and competitors. You may relax between sections or during a break, but you must work to find your mental balance point during the competition.  Your emotions help to charge you up and help you to be totally focused on the task at hand to the exclusion of everything else.
To be on the emotional edge without going over means that your emotions are in control so that you are not so nervous or stressed that your performance suffers. The keys to stay on the edge without going over are in the items listed above.  You must maintain a positive attitude and “play to win”, know and have confidence in your ability, focus and visualize and thereby direct your emotional energy toward a positive end. And you should always keep it fun and enjoy your accomplishments.
Maybe you won’t be a many times national champion or have anyone mistake you for Geoff Aaron, but you will get a great sense of accomplishment and enjoyment in your riding when you get your mental game in balance. And if you remember these tips you will be on your way to better riding and developing a positive winning attitude!
A special acknowledgment is made to Dr. Jack Llewellyn, Center for Winning Performance, noted sports psychologist to the Atlanta Braves baseball team, and author of several books on coaching and the mental aspects of sports.

 from Trials Training Center