BMX racing - techniques in brief
Intro
BMX racing is very technical, and incredibly intense.
If we think about the facts of a BMX race, it consists of 100% effort for 100% of the time.
It cannot be compared directly to a 400m running race, as runners may be at around 85% effort for 320m, with an 80m-sprint finish.
BMX is more like a 100m race, where every pedal must be at 100%, and pedalling must be done as much as possible.
BMX is also not just about your leg muscles, as time can be made up by being strong in your upper body and core too, which all works together to help with jumps, manuals, pumping etc.
Track craft
Every time you ride (not race), try to think about pedal action, body position, how tight you hold the bars, where your foot is on the pedal, where you aim to land a jump, how fast you need to go, which beep are you going to go on on the gate etc etc etc.
Every time you race don't think about anything.
During a race you have to be completely focused on the job in hand, thinking just makes you lose time and mistakes happen, even if your at the back of the pack trying to get through, DON'T THINK TOO MUCH, just let it flow and relax, and look for the gaps.
A race can be easily broken down into several chunks each worth their own bit of attention.
" Gates
" First Straights
" Cornering (berm skills)
" Passing
" Jumps
" Rhythm Sections
There are many ways that all of the above can be tackled, but there is no true right or wrong way to do any of it.
It is down to you the rider to listen, watch and repeat a thousand times to get the best out of yourself for each section. For each track there will be local riders who often know the areas to pedal, how to jump their jumps, how to ride the berms etc, these are generally the people to watch, along with the top guys in 19+, junior men, and elite.
BMX racing - techniques in brief
Section 2: First straight
At least as important as the gate, the first straight must be practised until you are sick and tired of it, but its crucial as to who will probably dominate the rest of the lap.
The problem is, I have a rubbish first straight due to a lack of power, so I will need to use experience of my situations as examples!
Often as I am getting set up on the gate I will look down my lane to the first jump, planning my route exactly, looking for stones, bumps and also looking at where I want to be on the track into the first corner.
In an ideal situation, Its almost like eyeing up your opponent in a boxing ring, you want to know exactly where you are going and how, have a plan from each gate, aim to keep your lane and your race the way you want it to be, with full power all the way down.
There are many things that can happen down the first straight, the guy next to you could get an amazing snap and cut across leaving you to pause then get going again, just make the pause as small as possible then patiently eye up where you are going to attack him again.
If you are left at the start don't panic, the race is not over, use smoothness through the jumps and stay relaxed, being tight and stressed will bring on more mistakes and drop you further back.
Just try to get as much power through the pedals as possible, remember yet again not to chop wood!
Use patience to find your way through the pack, you cant always pass and keep your momentum, which is essential for getting you down the next straight and over the jumps as fast as possible.
As for race practice, don't do too many full power gates and first straights, it kills your legs for when its time to race, if your tired or feeling the pace, your doing too much, so cut down a bit and save it for the racing.
During practice try getting your gate dialled in, then do maybe 5-10 race pace runs, take in the first jump to see how it feels when you hit it at full speed.
Peterborough and Chesterfield are good examples of hitting the first jump correctly. It is very difficult to get the timing from gate to first jump perfect so you can pedal without stopping.
If you can do it, it makes a big difference and sets you up for the rest of the first straight.
When hitting the first jump, the intention if possible is to always pick-up and pedal over it without stopping.
Bulwell seems to work well for this as the first jump is pretty mellow and rounded, which means you don't really need to put too much effort in, but helps learn the method.
Again with regards to P'boro first straight, I find I need to pick-up for the first jump then pedal straight off the back of it, as I cant pedal completely over it, the ame for the second jump too.
Something I remember a certain Geth Shooter saying was to be able to pick-up, manual and jump with either foot forward, although I find this impossible and dangerous when I have tried it in the past.
I always start with my strongest leg forward (right) on the gate, but when I tackle a pick-up, a manual or a jump I always lead with my left leg, it just feels natural to do it this way.
The first straight power can be gained in the gym and through specific exercises, although its no good having bags of power if you cant control it on the track.
Training has to be combined with track skills, as soon as you hit a jump you need to be in total control.
Stay loose
Section 3: Cornering (berm skills)
Cornering & Passing.
Ok first of all a suggestion to some of you who are the better gaters and more powerful riders, Try giving everyone else a chance now and then.
Yes I know, that sounds silly, but if your used to winning from the front, at some point, maybe a National, or a Euro race, you may not be the fastest to the first berm!
Instead, concentrate on a really good gate, but don't push quite as hard down the first straight and let the other riders get infront of you (probably best to do this at a club round or regional).
Once you're round the first berm, begin to work at 100% again, and pick off riders bit by bit until the finish line.
You may or may not get everyone, but the main thing to try is not be too hastey, berms are the obvious place to go under someone, but this move can also lose you all your momentum.
Sometimes its best to use good smooth berm speed to help you overtake down the next straight.
Sometimes you can go underneath another rider in a berm, or "high-low" them instead, other times you have to use your momentum round a berm to pass riders down the next straight, eitherway its not easy, and this is were real track craft comes in.
You will always be focussed and concentrating on the race from before you leave the startgate, but you also need to be using your senses of sight and sound to know where people are on the track.
Making a pass is not easy, so you need to pick your move in advance and then MAKE it stick.
Spot a chance by seeing how wide or tight someone has gone, if they have gone wide on a berm, you may be able to go underneath them and keep the line and your speed when you exit the berm.
Low-High
If you are going underneath someone, get close to them without touching them, you need to be JUST underneath them, otherwise you will go too low in the berm and lose all your momentum, and they can just pass you right back down the next straight.
Keep close to the other rider, so you can use as much of the berm as possible to keep your exit speed, it will also put them off if they see you coming up close to them (especially if they are clipped in!).
Railing
If you need lots of speed into the next straight, or you are clear in 1st place, 2nd, 3rd etc you can RAIL a berm. Railing is using the mid part of the berm all the way round, this is the fastest path round any normal berm as you keep lots of speed through onto the next straight.
The only problem with railing is that someone may try to pull a low-high on you, so again you need to know who is around you by listening and just peaking a look from the corner of your eye sometimes.
If someone looks like they want to low high you, then defend by moving more towards the inside of the berm, then moving back towards the middle (or halfway up) the berm, you will have faked them into thinking you will be taking the low line into the berm.
High-Low
Everyone seems to talk about high-lows in berms but not many are able to pull them off.
The idea is to enter the berm as if you are going to rail it, while you closely follow the guy or girl infront. As you get to a third to half-way round the berm, you drop down the inside of the person infront and get pedalling as soon as you can, which gives you lots of speed out of the berm and down the next straight.
This same thing can also be done if someone has tried to get down the inside of you.
Allow the person to ride up on the inside of you, and watch them closely, soon as your front wheel can clear their back-wheel, drop down inside them and pedal, they will have lost speed and you will have kept yours for the next straight again!
Passing on straights
Smoothness is the key to becoming a faster and more consistent racer, some of the best riders other than Kelvin for smoothness and track speed are Dan Clifford and Ant Tuffs.
These guys can win a race from behind just by concentrating on being smooth and relaxed and using the fastest and quickest lines without panicking.
If you get passed on the track, or are behind in the race, maybe 5th in a semi, DON'T PANIC!
This is where your pumping, pedalling and smooth skills come in.
Everyone else will be stressing about making it through, apart from you.
Pedal hard but make sure your making circles with your legs, choose your line down the straight, pump as hard as you can with arms, bum and legs, and pedal until you cant pedal anymore (this obviously applies to every final too).
Preventing getting passed.
Maybe someone is trying to pass you in a berm or on a straight, if you think you may be losing a place to someone in the next couple of seconds there are things you can do to reduce their chances.
Blocking- moving across on someone to block them out, not aloud on the last straight, and not a cool move if its done deliberately. If you know someone is at the side of you but just behind, move a couple of inches over bit by bit, it will make them hesitate while you are still pedalling!
Block pass - if you have made the low-high move in the berm, stay close to the person you just passed, it makes them hesitate again while you are pedalling out of the berm.
10metre startlanes - it is illegal to move over while in the first 10metres, BUT, if you have a great gate you can move slightly to use your handlebars and elbows to block your lane neighbour, without touching them.
Your wheels stay inside your lane, but you can be across and blocking quickly if you need to.
Things to remember:
1. You can't always win from the front
2. You don't always need to win a race, something I try to teach when we do mini-knockout races when coaching and training. JUST DO ENOUGH UNTIL THE FINAL, then its everything into that one last race of the day!
3. If your gates arent super sharp, or maybe your power is lacking a little on the first straight, you will need to make it up round the track somehow. This is where your track craft and passing skills come in to play.
4. Always be aware of what is going on in front, riders often clash and whether it's a moto or a final, you can gain vital places just by staying cool and taking advantage of others misfortunes or untidiness.
5. When coming up to pass whether its on a straight, jumps or berm you need to keep calm, judge your next move and then go for it.
6. You don't have to pass the rider on this straight, or by going underneath on the berm, you can wait and take them down the next straight or berm.
7. Use your skills to their full potential and if you're a powerful rider use it, if your good at jumping or cornering and you have the next section dialled, then do it there, if not wait till you are in a good place to make the move.
8. Remember what you learnt in practice and how good you are on the next berm or the next double!
Stay calm but make sure you make that pass
Jumps
Jumps are a major part of winning and losing races nowadays, when I raced a lot the tracks were much flatter and races wouldn't normally be won or lost by who could jump or manual the best, but that is different now.
Jumping is a pain in the bum because the essential part to great jumping technique is confidence and the only way to build confidence is to jump!
Most jumps are easy, even the big ones, the only problem is (and I suffer this too) is that you can talk yourself out of it easily.
The one thing that will decide wether you will make it across a set of doubles, or triples or anyother jump with a risk factor (tabletops not included), is your speed.
Once you know how to pull up, and control your bike and body in the air, you have cracked it, and speed is then the most important component.
We all have to start somewhere and the best way is to go and practice controlling your jumping on a tabletop or step-up, basically a low-risk jump.
And then the next stage is to find a set of doubles at a track, not too big, and go for it!
If you can jump say a tabletop, which is of similar size, then it follows that you can jump doubles of the same size.
Jumping step by step:
1. Approach the jump you have chosen at a medium speed, too slow and hardly anything will happen, infact it makes it harder to take off and land. Too fast and you can eat dolomite, or dirt, or tarmac etc…
2. Pedals level, this will put even pressure on both pedals, and both feet are at the same height for take off.
3. Compress your body slightly, you don't need to bend right down, just bend your legs and arms a bit!
4. Pick your take-off point, normally when your front wheel gets to the top point of the take off, no later, you will know when your at the top point of the take off.
5. Pull the bike up towards you, stay in the middle of the bike until you start heading towards the landing, then push the bars forward and down a bit to land at the same angle as the landing.
6. Float like a butterfly, land like a ….. butterfly! Try to land smoothly and gently, eventually you can even pump the landing to gain more speed, which is exactly what every trails rider across the world has to do.
Styling it up!
Once you have your technique sorted try some extra things for fun, which also hone your skills incase you need to change the direction or angle of your bike while in mid air:
1. Start to jump and add a bit of style, flick whip the back end out, or try and get loads of height.
2. Try jumping a set with the shortest run up you can.
3. Try jumping them and being so smooth down the other side that no one can hear you land, perfectly placing your front and back wheel just over the landing peak.
All these things will greatly improve technique and with it your confidence.
Then next time you go to jump bigger doubles you may still be hesitant, but as you make your run up just thing 'sod it I know I can do it, I'm fast enough and I know I can jump good'.
Dirt jumps or "trails"
The alternative and an important but not essential part to jumping skills are dirt jumps.
If you have any local ones get in with the lads and spend time down there, if you have a good section of two, three or four sets this will help in jumping and with rhythm sections too.
Trails are all about not pedalling, ok so it's the opposite to racing, but trails give great technique, as you HAVE to pump every landing so you can make it over the next set.
The biggest problem with trails is they are even less forgiving than doubles at the track, because there are no middles at all between trails doubles.
The trails are also the place where you learn to bail-out properly (trying not to hurt yourself).
To summarise jumping
1. You will only get better from practice.
2. learn the basics first on easy jumps
3. try to land down the landing slope at the same angle
4. If in doubt, Land flat or 50/50 by landing your back wheel first.
5. Be brave, you have to start somewhere and build up with more speed and confidence.
6. Make shapes in the air to learn how to change your angle and position. (or if your Phil Evans just throw in some backflips!
7. Smile, jumping is the best!
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Rhythm sections
Something I need to spend time on perfecting myself.
The overall technique is simple but rhythm sections vary greatly at every track.
The idea is again to concentrate on being smooth, staying loose on the bike and pumping and manualling through the section.
You will need to spend quite a long time getting your perfect routine through them, possibly something like, jump, manual, manual, pump, jump…
Watch the pros do it, and the local lads, they will have it sorted, then memorise their method and try it until you can do it. If they jump something too big then manual or pump it, just replace the bits you are uncomfortable with.
The idea is not to pedal but to gain speed through technique of pumping and manualling or jumping.
Pumping
An essential part of a BMX race, and especially rhythm sections which often appear towards the end of a track (or the first straight chesterfield!)
Pumping races are brilliant for learning the correct technique, because unless you're really good, it's difficult to make it all the way round a track.
I also find pumping races to be a good way to improve general track technique, keeping the wheels glued to the ground, and its suprising how hard a pumping race makes you work!
Technique
Its not easy to explain the pumping technique, as it is an automatic (sub concious) action, which comes from practice but the way I think of it is in several stages:
1. Approach jump with pedals level balanced and in the middle of the bike.
2. Pull the handlebars up towards your chest and lean forward slightly. (don't lean back, you need to keep your wheels fixed to the floor, not manualling).
3. As your pulling up on the bars, raise your elbows upwards too.
4. As soon as the front wheel moves up and over the peak of the jump, push the bars away from you and drop your elbows again.
5. At the same time, push your bum downwards and back, and bend your legs.
6. The way you will know for sure that it has worked will be that your speed will increase as you come down the back of the jump, its almost like you are riding down the back of a steep hill!
7. If you are pumping through a rhythm section and the jumps are closer together, you do the whole motion faster, to suit the rhythm of the jumps.
8. Once you can do it, try to really pick up for jumps with the front wheel, your wheel may come off the floor slightly but that's ok, as long as you push your whole bike down and through the backside.
In a race if you're fighting for places, remember you can pedal through rhythm sections, but don't clip your pedal on the jumps, as when you're tired its easier to make mistakes.
You can still pick up lots of speed if your pumping is good, and when your tired, pumping can be the best option.
There are many combinations through rhythm sections, but if your not sure about jumping, go for manuals and pumping, or just pumping.
To summarise, remember a few main points:
1. Practice, Practice, and Practice! It's always best with mates when you can keep it happy and relaxed while you learn. You wont even know your training!
2. Watch the pros and locals, you can learn a hell of a lot from them.
3. You can often get an extra pedal in before a jump, BUT make sure your feet are in the correct position especially if your going to jump.
4. Gates must be an automated routine, your positioning, your set position, your lean back, the pull on the bars and the forward lunge, you shouldn't need to think at all until your into your 3rd or 4th pedal down the first straight.
5. Concentrate on the track ahead, use your eyes and ears to know what's going on around you.
6. Spin your legs with power, smooth circles at all times, clips or no clips.
7. Above all, BE SMOOTH. All your skills, gates, jumping, passing, rhythm sections rely on it.
8. You have to be calm, gates are a smooth routine, jumps must be jumped with the front and back wheel placed just right, pass someone by smoothing through the track up to them using natural speed and balance, rhythm sections can only be ridden correctly if your smooth.
9. Get your raceface on! Don't get angry just use your energies to kick some ass, people will want to talk both before the race and after, It doesn't matter, just make sure your totally commited to your race.
10. Stay loose!
Cheers
Rich Camm
