Motocross Training Blog

Ski Jumps

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).

Traversing Flat Corners

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.

Rutted Corners

There are two obstacles you will always have to face on the track: ruts and corners.  Combine the two and traversing themcan be frustrating.  The power and torque that modern four strokes produce is pretty incredible and lines get dug out quickly.  Corners are the backbone of speed which makes it essential to be extremely proficient in riding at any situation.

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.

Rough Jump Faces

There is nothing better than a freshly groomed track in the morning that is perfectly tilled.  The track might as well be an interstate which can make anyone feel like a pro.  However, once things get rough, you have pick and choose lines as well as deal with the challenging jump faces.  Those who ride in softer soils know that by mid day, getting airborne can be a tricky ordeal.  Kickers, uneven angles and countless other variables can turn a simple table top into a treacherous obstacle.

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.

Uphill Battles

A grassroots motocross track is long, rough, and has plenty of elevation changes.  Just thinking of Glen Helen brings  monstrous and power robbing hills to mind.  Even if your local track doesn’t have steep uphills, the same technique is needed to efficiently maintain speed.

The foundation of proper motocross technique tells you to keep your head up and vision fixed on the next obstacle.  If there is a corner before the uphill, look for the smoothest line possible that will set you up for your line up the hill.  Remember to flow through the turn clean and smooth as this will maintain drive and the rear wheel provide plenty of traction.

As you exit the corner or previous section, keep your rear wheel on that ground as much as possible.  This will give you constant, linear drive up the hill.  This can be done by riding in a gear high than normal.  This doesn’t mean to chug up the hill, but you want to keep your bike in an RPM range where the power allows the front wheel to lighten up and skim the surface.  If you are in too low of a gear and revving, the suspension is going to load and bounce, not absorb the bumps.

When you are approaching the top of the hill and begin to lose power, your best bet is to fan the clutch.  Remember, when you fan the clutch, there is no power going to the ground.  So, fan the clutch only when necessary and if things slow down too much, shift down.  However, be aware that down shifting may put you too high in the RPM range.  Most uphills are going to be rough, so grip with your knees.  This and the right gear can keep you out of trouble.

Uphills are simply straights with some vertical grade as body position should be just behind the neutral attack position.  It is important to look ahead so you set up for smooth line and start your drive off right. This ensures a faster way up the hill than your competition.  Smooth throttle application and the right gear is something that is different for every uphill situation.  So, experiment with different lines and gears to get an idea of what the optimal combo is.

Mastering Whoops

Whoops are one of the toughest objects on a motocross course. Period.  They are intentionally designed to slow you down and rob you of momentum.  Because of the degree of difficulty, many riders struggle through them and are intimidated to practice them.  If you watched the Supercross Final in Las Vegas, I’m sure seeing Stewart and Windham go down in the whoops makes you want to get out there and practice them!  However, if you apply a few techniques and gather up some courage, you can be blitzing whoops quicker than you think.

The first part to successfully traversing a whoop section is having the correct body position.  Simply leaning all the way back and pinning it through will not end well.  You will be surprised to find that you can be slightly behind the center of your bike and still keep the front wheel up.  It is extremely important to grip with your knees to control the bike from your lower body and keep your head up.  If you get caught looking at the whoop right in front of you, you will end up on the ground.  So constantly look way ahead.

When you find the rhythm of the whoops, you can adjust your body back more or even forward.  When you let the bike just go through the motions, it saps energy from you slowly as the bike ends up riding you.  Once you get the flow of the section, you can “row” back and forth to help stabilize the bike’s rocking.

The hardest part of entering whoops is commitment.  Being timid on the first whoop slows you down and makes every hit harder and more intense.  If you come in a gear high, get the front wheel up and charge through them, whoops become easier to ride through.  When you start slow, the whoops just rob you of speed exponentially greater than coming in with more momentum.  You can get on top of them and skim on top, rather than try to soak each one up.

Remember to start small and work your way to faster speeds.  Don’t get to cocky as they can come up and bite you in the butt.