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In motocross
riding, there are two fundamental groups all techniques come from, the first is Mastering
the 5 Controls (3 if you ride a pee wee), and the second is Maintaining
the Center of Balance. Riding with the bike and body in perfect balance is
crucial for maximum control and speed, not to mention the safety of the rider.
One technique
that is a great tool to have and use is front wheel placement. Front wheel
placement is just like it sounds, placing the front wheel where you desire it to
go. This technique starts with a simple wheelie, just lifting the front wheel
off the ground and starting to learn the balance point of the bike on just the
rear wheel. You will start to find the correlation between being in the right
power curve and the position of where you place your body weight. A good drill
is just to go out in a flat field and start out in second gear, slowly move
along and start to roll the throttle on while gently pulling back on the
handlebars. You should be able to lift the wheel off the ground, then start to
test where to stand (pretty centered), and what throttle positions to use. Once
you get comfortable with this first step, you can now try in third gear, then
put a cone out in the field and try dropping the front wheel right at the cone,
this will start teach accuracy. Most all wheel placements in motocross will be
standing up, so sit down wheelies aren’t as important.
Now that you
are comfortable with the balance and accuracy of wheeling, you can start to
apply these techniques out on the track. Front wheel placements, manueling
(pulling the handlebars up into and away from your chest), and wheel taps (going
across the tops of whoops and other obstacles on the rear wheel) are most
commonly used in the whoops. I try to teach any capable rider to try and enter a
whoop section in a wheelie, lifting the front wheel off the flat ground before
the first whoop, thus enabling them to place the front wheel onto the top of the
second or third whoop. There are some great advantages to this technique, first
you are entering the whoops with the gas on, and so the weight will transfer
back to the rear of the bike keeping the front wheel light. Secondly you are
getting on the gas earlier out of the corner, instead of waiting till you
actually get into the section, and lastly by not clipping the first whoop or
jumping into the section, your bike will settle on top of the whoops much
sooner, so you will float across the tops instead of riding a bucking bull
through the section. Figure one part skill and one part commitment.
Once you have
total confidence in these techniques, you will be able to see many opportunities
with other sections around the track. The more you ride on the back wheel, the
more you will be absorbing the shock and punishment from the rear shock and your
legs (strong muscles), and not from the handlebars and arms (weak muscles).
So think
balance, body position, knowing your power curve and motor strengths, throttle
control and visualizing and timing when to lift the front wheel and when to set
it down. It takes time, patience and practice, but see it through and you will
be rewarded.
On another
note, Carrell and I will be relocating down to New Braunfels, Texas (half way
between San Antonio and Austin) to take over the motocross operations at the
Texas Ski Ranch (www.texasskiranch.com)
. We will continue to build the facility, make frequent track changes, hold
practice days, hold some races, and have clinics, schools and camps. We are
moving towards a full service motocross training facility, with dorms, a
kitchen, a multi purpose gym, meeting rooms, drill areas, and much more. Hope
you can come and see us!
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