A hop is built from smaller pieces
A bunny hop lifts both wheels off the ground, and it is a jump, which means it carries more risk than balance drills. The good news is that it breaks into small pieces you can practise separately at walking pace. This article lists ten steps in order. It is general information, not coaching, and a qualified instructor at a skills park can teach it more safely than text can.
Before you begin, wear a helmet, and consider gloves, knee pads and sturdy shoes. Practise on flat, smooth ground away from traffic, and do not try the later steps until the earlier ones feel easy. Any of these steps can still lead to a fall, so go slowly.
The ten steps
- Check the bike. Brakes working, tyres in good condition, nothing loose. A short pre-ride bike check is enough.
- Find a neutral stance. Pedals level, knees and elbows slightly bent, eyes forward. This ready position is the base for everything else.
- Practise rocking. While rolling very slowly, shift your weight back and forward a few centimetres without lifting anything. You are learning how the bike responds.
- Feel the front brake. Gentle, controlled braking while rolling teaches you how weight moves forward. Use light pressure only.
- Do small front wheel lifts. Roll at walking pace, lean back slightly and pull the bars toward your chest so the front wheel rises just a little, then lower it smoothly. Keep it low, with your fingers near the brake lever so you can slow down at once.
- Repeat until calm. The aim is a gentle, repeatable lift, not height. If the wheel ever rises further than you expected, ease off and lower it.
- Practise rear wheel unweighting. Shift your weight forward and push your hips back and up slightly so the rear wheel feels lighter. The wheel may barely leave the ground, and that is fine. Some riders describe it as a small spring or a quick shift of weight.
- Isolate the timing. Practise the front lift and the rear unweighting separately, noticing the order and the rhythm of each.
- Try both together in a tiny movement. Link the front lift with a quick forward push, aiming to clear the ground by a very small amount. Many riders find this takes numerous sessions.
- Roll over a flat line on the ground. Try to lift both wheels over a painted line or a flat piece of chalk, never a raised object. Only increase difficulty after consistent success and with an instructor if possible.
Things that commonly go wrong
If the front wheel lifts too far, the rider can tip backwards, so keep a hand near the brake and be ready to step off. If you lean too far forward, a rear wheel that does not unweight can lead to a hard pedal strike. Flat pedals with suitable shoes are often easier than clipless pedals while learning, because a foot can come off quickly. Fatigue makes timing worse; take breaks and stop when concentration fades.
The science of lift and timing is covered elsewhere under bunny hop mechanics, and a fuller walk-through of the technique is a later step. Here the goal is simply the foundation.
Pacing your sessions
Treat each step as its own goal and give it several sessions before moving on. Short practice blocks, with rests in between, help you keep your attention on timing and body position. If a step starts to feel frightening or sloppy, drop back to the previous one. Skipping ahead is a common reason beginners fall, and nobody is watching the clock.
What to wait for
Do not try to hop over obstacles, kerbs or gaps until you can lift both wheels cleanly and land them softly, ideally with an instructor watching. Kerbs and drops involve landing forces that are larger than they appear. For a first-time learner it is also worth reading about falling off safely, since you are more likely to land on grass or pavement than you expect. Nobody can promise you will master a hop, and progress varies a great deal from person to person.