Tricks are a later stage
Air tricks are not the place to begin. Adding a trick to a jump means taking one risky thing and putting a second on top of it, in the part of the jump where you have the least control. A fall from height can lead to serious injury, and nobody can promise that a trick will work or that practice will prevent a crash. Wear a helmet and suitable protection, and make sure your plain jumping is calm and consistent before considering anything else. Some tricks, such as flips, are only for trained riders at skills parks with qualified instruction, and they are not something to learn from an article.
What “ready” looks like
Before trying a trick, a rider can usually do most of these things without thinking:
- Roll a jump of the same size many times, landing smoothly each time.
- Hold a level, balanced bike in the air.
- Pick a line, check the speed and walk the feature first.
- Fall or bail out in a controlled way when something feels wrong.
If any of these feel shaky, the best trick is a better basic jump. Skills drills and practice on small features build the control that tricks demand.
Why foam pits and instruction matter
Many skills parks offer foam pits, airbags or similar soft landings, where riders can try new movements with far less risk of hitting hard ground. A coach there can watch your technique, suggest changes and tell you when a step is too big. Learning a new air move on dirt without any of this is a larger gamble. Getting a feel for the park’s rules also helps, since skills park etiquette covers waiting your turn, checking the landing is clear, and respecting other riders’ space. If you have never taken a skills lesson, it is a good way to learn where the limits sit.
The table top
A table top is when you lay the bike flatter in the air, pushing the bars to one side while the bike’s body tilts toward horizontal, then bringing it back before landing. It is called a table top because the bike looks like a table seen from the side. Think of it as a more advanced version of a jump style move.
Cautions that matter here:
- It needs plenty of airtime. On a very small jump there is no time to lay the bike over and recover.
- The bike must come back to level before the wheels touch down. A bike that lands sideways, with the wheels not in line with the direction of travel, can throw you.
- The movement should be small to start with. A slight tilt is a long way from a flat table, and it is perfectly fine to stop there.
Do not try a table top for the first time on a large feature. Many riders first practise the body movement on flat ground or on a pump track, so they know how the bike feels when tipped.
One-foot moves
Taking one foot off a pedal in the air, sometimes called a one-footer, shows control and relaxation. The risk is that your foot is not ready when you land, and the pedal can hit your leg or you can lose balance. Hold the bars firmly, keep your weight centred, and put the foot back on the pedal well before touchdown. Because it takes your attention away from landing, it should only be tried on a jump that is already easy and comfortable.
Similar thinking applies to one-hand moves in the air, which belong in the same later stage. A rider who is nervous about taking a hand off should simply leave it for another day.
Learning order for air movements
A sensible way to approach new moves is to keep each change small:
- Repeat your regular jump until it is dull.
- Practise the movement of the trick at ground level, on flat, safe ground.
- Try a tiny version of the trick on a small jump, ideally at a skills park with a soft landing.
- Increase size or exaggeration only after many clean repeats.
Between steps, rest. Fatigue is a common cause of crashes. If your landing starts to look worse over the session, stop for the day.
Landing every time
Whatever you do in the air, the landing is where the consequences arrive. Learn to return to a stable stance early, with the bike lined up and your arms and legs ready to absorb the impact. If you realise mid-air that a trick is going wrong, the safest habit is to abandon it and prepare to land. Practising a bail is therefore part of learning tricks: the habit of bailing out of a trick helps limit the damage if something goes wrong.
Equipment and care
Tricks put extra stress on the bike. Check bars, stem, wheels and tyres before every session, and be honest about worn parts. A bike that has been crashed should be inspected, and any damage should be looked at by a bike shop. Pedals that fit your shoes well and grips that are not worn make air moves less slippery. Protective gear for bike tricks, including a well-fitting helmet, gloves and pads, is worth wearing even if the jump seems small.
A realistic mindset
Progress with air tricks is typically slow, and plenty of riders spend years enjoying clean, controlled jumps without adding a trick. That is a perfectly good place to stay. If you do want to explore further, take a lesson, use a soft landing where possible, and treat each small success as enough for the day.