Before you start
Jumping is a risky skill, and even a small jump can end in a fall. Wear a helmet that fits and suitable protection such as gloves and pads, and use a bike in good working order. Do your first steps on flat, traffic-free ground with a forgiving surface, and move on only when each step feels easy and dull. Nothing here promises a clean first jump or a crash-free session, and you can stop at any point. If you can book a lesson with a qualified instructor, that is usually the safest route.
A quick pre-ride bike check is worth doing each session: brakes working, tyres in good shape, wheels and bars tight. If something feels loose, see a bike shop before riding.
Step 1: Learn the ready stance
Stand on level pedals with your knees and elbows softly bent, hips slightly back, head up. This is often called the attack position, and everything else in this guide builds on it. Roll slowly along a flat path in this stance and practise shifting your weight forwards and back without moving your hands from the bars.
Step 2: Roll over small bumps
Find something low and forgiving, such as a flat rubber mat or a smooth, shallow dip in the ground. Roll over it in your ready stance and let your legs and arms absorb the bump. Do not pull on the bars. The aim is to feel the bike move under you while your body stays calm. Repeat until it feels boring.
Step 3: Pump a gentle roller
Next, try a smooth, rounded roller if you have access to one, perhaps at a pump track. As the front wheel climbs, press down through your hands and feet, and as you crest the top, let the bike rise toward you. Then push through the back side. You are learning the rhythm of loading and unloading, which becomes the pop in a jump.
Step 4: Practise a small manual lift or front-wheel lift
Some riders like to feel the front wheel lift a little at low speed before they try a jump. Keep this very small and slow. A brief lighten of the front wheel on flat ground teaches you that the bike can respond to your weight. If you are not comfortable with it, skip it and spend longer on rollers, because manual progression is a skill of its own.
Step 5: Choose a tiny take-off
Pick a very small, smooth ramp or lip with a landing that slopes gently away. Beginners often choose features that are too big. Whether it is a built tabletop at a bike park or a purpose-made kicker, the take-off should be low enough that you could almost roll it. Walk the feature on foot first, checking the surface, the length of the top, and the landing. Walking a feature before riding it is a habit that stays useful at every level.
Step 6: Approach at a steady, modest speed
Speed makes jumps harder, not easier, for a beginner. Roll in at a speed where you could stop if you needed to, and keep your pedals level. Do not pedal hard into the lip, and do not brake on it. Look past the end of the landing, not at your front wheel.
Step 7: Press and release over the lip
As you meet the base of the ramp, compress slightly and then extend as you leave the lip, keeping your weight centred. Do not yank the bars upward. On a small tabletop the shape of the ground does most of the work, and your job is to stay smooth. Keep your hands and feet in the same positions the whole way.
Step 8: Stay balanced in the air
For a small jump, the flight is short. Keep your head up, arms soft, pedals level. Avoid braking, which can tip the bike and shift your weight at the wrong time.
Step 9: Land with soft arms and legs
Aim to touch down on the landing slope with both wheels at about the same time, or with the rear slightly first, and let your arms and legs bend to absorb the force. Look ahead, not down. The details of matching the bike to the slope are a topic of their own, but even on a tiny jump, a nose-heavy landing is what to avoid. After you land, roll out and brake gently once you are on flat ground.
Step 10: Review and repeat
After each run, think about what happened. Was the approach too fast? Did you pull up on the bars? A short video of your run can help show what you cannot feel. Repeat the same jump many times before changing anything. If you crash, check yourself and your bike carefully before riding again.
Knowing when not to move on
Progress should be slow and boring. If you feel nervous, tired or rushed, stop. Bailing out of a jump you are unsure about, by rolling off the lip or putting a foot down, is a skill in itself, and learning to bail out of a trick is part of learning safely. If the next step feels like a big leap, repeat the one before it. Larger jumps, gap jumps and tricks in the air are for later, with experience and ideally with coaching.