One of the most common reasons for head shake is fatigue.  When you are fatigued, your form goes out the window and it gets worse as the moto progresses.  Your elbows drop and you cannot get enough leverage to keep the bars straight.  As you get more and more head shake, you begin to grip harder with your hands and the forearms pump up to bricks.  Sound about right?  When your upper body feels like rubber, the need to grip with your legs becomes even greater.  Again, the quadriceps and hamstrings are a much larger muscle group that can support greater loads of stress for longer periods of times.  Start the moto out with a conscience effort of using your legs more than your arms and you will be better off.

Another problem is RPM range.  The relationship between the motor and suspension is pretty crazy when you really think about it.  When you hear pros run through whoops and moguls, they are running a higher gear.  The RPMs are lower and take some of the load off of the forks and shock.  They travel smoother and won’t bind, which gives you that bouncing effect through the rough stuff.  If you shift down AFTER the braking bumps, you allow your suspension to ride with you, instead of against you.  The forks will travel through the entire stroke and do their job; soak up the terrain.

Weight distribution is also important.  Maintaining your attack position through the rough chop will help keep your elbows up and in good form.  This attack position will place your weight evenly over the bike, allowing you to make changes if need be.  As I have said before, riding on the balls of your feet will give you some extra “suspension” and forces you to grip the bike with your legs.

By throwing good form and the right gear together, head shake will be a thing of the past.  Of course, making sure your sag is set on the shock and your clickers are dialed is important, but the rider can make a big difference.  As always, remember the basics and keep it fun.

Telling yourself to hold the gas on a split second longer is easier said than done, but it can be a life saver on the start.  Unlike road racing, there are no markers to tell us how close the corner is.  However, we can use simple objects like rocks, fencing or foliage.  Finding a marker can help you visualize your spot on the track and help you hold the throttle down longer.

Many people have their own theory on how to brake properly.  Some prefer just the front while others like the back.  I believe that there is no definite answer.  Each brake has different purposes.  The front brake is great for diving into inside ruts and coming to a stop quickly, while the rear keeps the rear wheel planted to the ground and keeps your momentum up.  Another interesting thing that seems to help me is to “push” the bike in the ground.  Trying to weight front or rear down will put more force on the ground to get that extra friction for added stopping power.

One thing that aids in your momentum and drive is to avoid locking the brakes.  When you lock up the rear brake, there is no control over the traction and where the wheel goes.  All of your RPMs drop and it just creates braking bumps even faster.  Your best bet is to “chatter” the rear.  This is a method where the rear wheel is spinning, but at a much slower rate.  This is great for maintaining drive in deep soil and it squats the rear end down to avoid swapping out.

Each situation is different, but remembering how your brakes control deceleration, you can utilize each one to its maximum potential.  If you have an outside line in a corner that looks good, use more rear brake than front.  For insides, you would be better off grabbing the front and getting that front end down.  Becoming comfortable with both brakes can allow you to have faster entry speed in any corner.

If there is a berm already there, you don’t have to do this, but if the inside is flat off the downside, this technique will come in handy.  You want to make sure that you have the jump sized up before trying to sit down and set up mid air.  If you come up short or over shoot it, this will hurt.  Especially guys.  Once you have everything timed right, you want to loosen up in the air, trying to get the back end of the bike out just slightly.  You can let the outside leg out and lean in to get the rear end moving.

As you approach the down side, you want to start moving into the correct position for the corner.  You don’t necessarily have to be seated in the air, but as long as you are ready for the landing and corner, this transition will be smooth.  When you land, make sure that your inside leg is ready for the forces of gravity; keep it high and stiff.

If traction is not a problem, you can apply a handful of throttle and accelerate towards the corner.  Remember to keep weight on the outside foot peg and outside elbow up as this will plant you into ground for more traction.   If the downside is harder, you will have to apply the throttle with grace as you don’t want to the rear end to break loose.

This is something that you should start small on and on a jump you are comfortable with.  No sense in trying this on a new jump and getting hurt.

One of the most important things to remember is to stand up.  I know this is probably a no brainer, but some people will still ride as though the track is still smooth.  Most of the time, you will have to stand up later into corners and then get up sooner when exiting.  For rougher corners, it is even a good idea to stand up through the whole turn and look to the edges of the track for smoother lines.  Many European riders will do this because the course gets so brutal, if you sit down; your back will take all of the impact.  This is not the best idea because your back could tense up and result in some serious pain.

This next tip goes hand and hand with standing up: gripping with your legs.  I have said many times before that you will save yourself from arm pump and getting tired quickly if you squeeze the tank.  The quadriceps are large enough to take the impact from a rough course and they can handle this stress much better than your forearms and biceps/triceps.  You almost want to think of your arms as hinges to your core.  Relaxing your grip on jumps will also keep your “hinges” from cramping and pumping up too much.  To help get through extra tricky sections; you can even apply pressure to one side of the tank with your leg to help steer the bike.

If you watched the 250’s, then you saw Barcia killing it everywhere.  Other than his crazy style, he was doing something that caught my eye more than a few times during the second moto.  If you notice, he was riding on his back wheel, a lot.  The deep holes and moguls were not as bad when he could get the front wheel up.  The back wheel would just roll over the bump and the rear shock absorbs the tire’s vertical travel.  If you go through a rough section with both wheels down, it just rocks you back and forth.  I am not saying to do a full blown wheelie here, but just getting your front tire to skim or get over the rough stuff will make life much easier.  Remember that riding in a high gear will help the suspension work properly in the chop and provide you with more traction to get the front tire up.

One final tip is to just relax!  If you know that the track is rough, just accept it and ride.  When you tense up, any bump and hole you hit is sent throughout your entire body.  If your breathing is deep and even, you should be able to roll your shoulders back and ride smoother.  By your rolling them back, you can keep that attack position much easier and you open up the diaphragm for this more efficient breathing.  Like I said earlier, this is not hard stuff.  Keep it simple and remember the basics!

A lot of people can go fast on a straightaway.  It’s pretty simple; open the throttle as far as possible.  That’s generally how ruts get formed on straights.  People actually use the power of their bikes and it trenches out the soil.  Obviously, the main line will get dug the deepest.  In the beginning of the day, this won’t be a bad choice to use.  It just depends on how it sets you up for the next section.  However, a majority of the time, the main line usually gets too deep and ends up slowing you down.

When the whole straight gets rutted out, things start to get a little tricky.  The middle of the track is going to have deeper ruts than the edges of the track.  So, by taking the edges of the track, you can avoid the choppy mess made by the slower riders and you can save your energy for more important times in the moto.

As with any rut, approaching it with both wheels in line is very important.  You want to keep both wheels in the rut, preventing you from getting cross rutted.  You also maintain your momentum and forward drive, as well.  Once, you have both wheels lined up, keeping your head up and vision ahead is very important.  Staring at the ground right in front of you will only send you one place, the dirt.  That is not where you want to be.  A good guide is to keep your vision a few bike lengths ahead of you.  The faster you go, the further you want to look.

Depending on how deep the ruts are, a good idea is to ride on the balls of your feet (and point your toes in, gripping the cases).  This prevents your feet from getting caught in the rut and ripping your leg off the peg.  As always, you want to be gripping the bike with your knees and applying steady, consistent throttle.  As you get to the end of the straight, there are more than likely going to be braking bumps.  This is where you want to start shifting your weight back slightly to keep you from going over the bars.

Like I said, if you can conquer ruts, you can conquer anything.  It is mind over matter and just keeping good form and looking ahead.  Stay loose and relax; you’ll get through them sooner than you think.

The first thing is to approach the face at a slight angle.  If you plan on leaning to the right, you want to angle yourself to be pointing slightly to the left.  This allows you to turn the bars and lean the bike without scrubbing off of the track.  As the front wheel comes off of the lip, you want to begin to turn the bars the same way you are leaning.  You don’t want to try and make this like a turn.  That will only throw the rear end out and you will still be upright, defeating the whole purpose of this.  Keep this in mind and just lean.  As I said before, this is a unique technique, so it you prefer to stand, stand up.  If you like to sit down, have a seat.

Once you feel you are off of the jump, you want to keep turning the bars down.  This gets the motion of the whip going.  You really want to try and pivot and squeeze with your legs.  This is not just a movement with your arms; you want to help the bike through the flow with your hips and legs.  As you approach the peak of your flight, you will start to feel a point where you need to bring it back.  I have not brought it back in time and I can tell you, it hurts.

You will feel the bike want to come back to its normal, upright position.  To get this process going, simply turn the bars back the other way.  Combine this with a little bit of gas (to get the rear wheel spinning) and the centripetal motion of the wheels will get you back to the right position.  Don’t forget that apply pressure on the foot pegs so you can help bring the bike back with your legs.

When you get the bike straight, be sure to get on the gas.  This will help you drive through any swaps or any problems you have with the scrub when you land.  Like I said, this is a one of kind technique.  You need to practice this and start small.  Jumps that are slower and have long faces will help you out a lot and when you feel comfortable enough, transition to faster, shorter jump faces.  Everything should be a fluid, smooth motion.  It will come faster than you think and you will be throwing scrubs like James himself.

The best thing about riding a motocross track is the elevation change.  This gives you more dimensions to the track and allows you to “spice up” some obstacles.  One of these obstacles is the ski jumps.  Most of the time, you find these jumps right before a downhill and there is no real lip or face.  This sort of jump can be used to your advantage, if you do it correctly.

The most important part of this type of jump is approach.  You want to be in the attack position so you are ready for the upcoming drop.  Depending on the situation, there could be a lot of braking bumps, and being in the attack position really helps you get through the bumps without the bike dancing underneath of you.  Don’t forget to grip with the knees and look ahead.

As you are about to make the drop, you want to be slightly leaning back.  If you are leaning to far forward, your front end is going to drop because there is no lip to give you that “pop” and raise the front wheel.  It also helps to be on the gas, if possible.  If it’s not, stay in a higher gear so the engine braking doesn’t drag the front down.

As you leave the ground and make the descent, you want to make sure your front tire is slightly higher than the rear.  When landing down a hill, you don’t want to land front wheel first.  This throws a lot of your weight and momentum to the front wheel and you have a greater chance of going over the bars.  So, land rear wheel first and be on the gas.  Most down hills are going to be rough; so, getting on the gas when you land gives you forward momentum through the rough stuff.  It helps to jump a little further than everyone too.  This isn’t normally the case with average jumps, but in this case, when you jump further, you keep your speed and momentum up.  Plus, you have a chance to jump past the slower riders’ bumps.  These jumps are usually low visibility, so make sure you know what the next obstacle is or you could end up like Doug Henry (i.e. broken back).

One of the great things about a worn down track is the help from ruts and berms.  Sure they can make things difficult, but they essentially help us keep our speed up in the corners.  Just like in NASCAR, the angled surface allows the bike to lean over and still find plenty of traction.  However, there are situations where you don’t always have this luxury and you must bring out your inner flat tracker.

Since you don’t have any help with your leaning, the entrance needs to be a little bit different.  When approaching the corner, take a wider approach than you normally would.  If you have ever watched any kind road racing, drives use wide lines that are smooth arcs.  Traction is very important here, so you want to get all of your braking done before you start to lean in.  When you are upright, the tires have the most bite for better braking.  Just like normal turns, you want to be in the attack position and keep looking ahead.

When it comes time to sit down, remember that this is one, fluid motion: get off the brakes, sit up on the gas cap, leg out and apply the throttle.  The smoother you are, the easier the corner will be.  Sitting up close to the gas cap will put as much weight on the front wheel as possible for optimal traction which will give you some confidence when you lean in.  The best way to sit is on the outside edge of the seat.  This keeps your weight centered and straight down, rather than out and away.

The basics really play a big role in this situation.  That outside elbow better be up and the outside peg should be weight.  Again, this puts more emphasis on traction.  If you feel that the rear wants to drift out still, you can drag the rear brake to weight the back end down.  This is a great technique to use on the exit when power is put to the ground.  However, if you have a steady throttle hand, you won’t need to use this as often.

Drifting out too wide can leave the door open for a pass.  Keeping your elbow up and weight on the outside peg gives you the traction to power through the turn and avoid drifting out.  Unlike riding through a wide arc, squaring up flat turns robs momentum and drive.  It is time consuming and a waste of energy.  Once you find that balance between leaning and twisting the throttle, these corners become excellent passing opportunities.

One thing that has always helped me is to concentrate on one corner that is giving me problems.  Try to get to the track later in the day when it is rougher and not as many people are there.  Find your corner and enter the track safely in the section before, then hit the corner and go back to the previous section to repeat.  If there aren’t many people, this will allow you plenty of time to find what you need to work on.

The first aspect you need to look at is your entrance technique.  You want to be in the attack position all the way through the chop.  Braking should be gradual; do not lock the back tire up or the rear end can sway side to side.  For inside ruts, putting more emphasis on the front brake will get your front forks to squat lower so you can carve harder.  As for outside lines, it is better to use the back to keep more momentum up.

When it comes time to sit, the process from standing to sitting should be one, fluid motion.  You sit, put the inside leg up, and apply the throttle smoothly.  Some have a tendency to blip the throttle and it bounces them around.  The suspension throws the rider from the flow of the turn as leaning and steering become out of sync.  A simple way to help with this is to just look ahead!  When you approach the corner, look at the apex.  As you get closer to the apex, begin looking further and further ahead to the next obstacle.  You go wherever you look.

One overlooked method is to stay relaxed.  Ride with the turn and don’t try to blast through it.  Don’t tighten up so much and worry about messing up.  You know how to ride a bike so have confidence in your abilities.  Take some time to get this down and you will be making up time on every one.

To begin with, correct body positioning is essential.  Normally, keeping a neutral position over the seat will give you room to adjust.  The attack position is a sure way to get over an obstacle cleanly and jump faces are no different.  You should be squeezing the bike with your legs to begin with, but you need to put more emphasis on this as the track becomes rougher and rougher.  This will give you more control over the side to side movement of the rear tire.

Another piece of the puzzle is power.  When the track is smooth, you can get away with small mistakes.  However, when that same jump face gets chewed up, applying a steady dose throttle is vital.  When there is no forward drive, all of the weight wants to throw everything forward (especially four strokes).  To ensure you are getting the proper momentum, the right gear helps tremendously.  Trying to rev the bike out will create a bouncing effect in the suspension, which could amplify any mistakes you make. When you put the power to the ground effectively and tract through everything, you prevent the rear wheel from any kind of hopping.

One of the most overlooked aspects is just trusting your ability and remembering that the fundamentals are the best ways to get through anything.  As with most rough tracks, hitting the sides or any line other than the main helps keep you away from the holes, bumps and kickers.  Keeping a consistent amount of throttle will reduce will spin and maintain a straight drive up the face.  Confidence combined with fundamentals will have you ready for any situation.