Here is a contribution article from my friends from
http://riders.co:
We are going to show
you some important things you can do to become a great BMX rider. From beginners’
advices up to more advanced tips to keep you going.
Start small and aim for the big
You
can find all BMX tricks tutorials on Riders.co. You will
be able to analyze every trick through the best videos available on the net.
From the easier tricks up to the hardest ones.
You
shouldn’t be skeptical when it comes to starting with small steps. You need to
develop your skills as much as you can. And, learning the basics tricks is
going do just that! If you are able to learn as many easy tricks and use it as
a foundation, then you’re on your way to the big leagues. Say no! to shortcuts and
avoid trying things that are way out of your abilities at the current time. If
you really want BMX riding to be as natural as possible for you, then you
should never skip any steps. The goal is mastering as much easy and basic
tricks as you can.
Then
you can work your way up adding some grade of difficulty to your tricks. You
will see improvement effortlessly. You should know that avoiding crazy
shortcuts and instead working your way up, is for your own good, and that
having a strong foundation of tricks and abilities, will get you anywhere you
want on this sport. Don’t be impatient! Aim to master all the basics, working
your way up until you have enough proficiency riding.
How to select your bike?
The
first thing you need to know is, that choosing your bike is a great deal, but
is actually not that problematic by any means. Just choose the bike that is
proportional to your needs. If you’re a big guy, you can choose bigger and
heavier bikes than those that are smaller in size. Although you may feel like
you have to follow some trends or certain bike brands, is best that you stick
to logic here. For instance, your size, weight, style and current financial
capabilities are going to play an important role while choosing.
All
bikes are designed for a specific style, and for that reason, they might work
for some things but not for others. It’s not recommended to go and attempt high
airs on a racing bike. So, stick to the one that is according to your chosen
style.
Another
thing is to try a lot of models, brands and sizes. Ultimately you’re going to
be the sole owner and the only one that should be comfortable on it. If it
feels natural to you and it’s affordable, then you’ve most likely chosen
correctly.
Find a great mentor
It
is undoubtable an amazing strategy to find somebody to teach you every insight
there is, all the trick tips, someone that forces you to step up your game.
Because the reality of the situation is that, if you only find yourself riding
with beginners, your learning curve won’t be as good or beneficial as needed in
order to be a great rider.
Finding
a great mentor can be in so many ways an asset for your learning process. But
don’t stop there. We recommend that once you’re getting the hang of it, return
the favor to others having the same problems and struggles you had at the
beginning. This will well help your ways of analyzing the details of how to
make a trick and avoid certain mistakes. Ultimately you will be on your way to be
an awesome BMX rider.
When you’re reaching
out to someone about starting to ride with them, it’s a good idea to consider
as a possible mentor a person whose skills are just breathtakingly awesome and
has a great future in the sport.
Safety first
Contrary to many people’s
opinion, the best and smarter way to ride is by having respect of the sport,
the bike and most importantly yourself.
You can strongly reduce the risk involved when practicing BMX by simply
being aware to take optimal care of yourself, and we’re going to give you just
three simple tips on how to successfully do it the best possible way.
1.
The first tip is to prevent cramps, muscle and
ligament tearing by just creating an easy, quick and effortless stretching
routine. Before you hop into your bike, just stretch those legs, arms, body and
calves. This advice is way more important than you may think, and people very
often take stretching for granted.
2.
The second tip is to embrace the safety gear. In order
to stay on optimal riding capabilities, you need to use your helmet and body
protective pads. It doesn’t really matter if you believe they look “lame”, they
are heavy (which is simply not true) or that they can cause you to have a heat
stroke. Those arguments couldn’t be farther from the truth. Besides, the reward
of staying unharmed beats by many ways any comfortability you might be
sacrificing.
3.
The third and last tip for optimal safety while riding
BMX is, to stay being a rider and not putting into your head any ideas that you
know more than the doctor. Yes, we know everybody gets impatient when they get
hurt. But if you by any chances do get injured, we recommend to follow step by
step all the recommendations they gave you at the hospital. And let time do its
job, which is healing your body properly. For example, if you happen to sprain your
ankle, please do yourself a favor and leave the cast on, don’t ride before
recommended time and go to every therapy session. We can’t stretch this enough!
There are always going to be those people that have an aching somewhere on
their body, and now you know the reason.
Chubby vs lean
This point’s title
pretty much explains to perfection what we’re trying to communicate. Arguably
one of the best things you can do to ride BMX better every day, is to maintain
on the lean side, as opposed to being overweight. This is not an easy sport and
it definitely involves danger at certain points. You can get really hurt if
your body is not in the best possible condition, and honestly, when you have
those extra pounds on you, chances are not on your side.
Truth to be told, if
you lose weight all of your senses will improve. You’re going to increase your
balance, ability to jump more effortlessly, will make faster and more natural
movements (In other words, won’t be physically restricted) and you will ride generally
better.
If you are indeed one
of those guys that gain weight easily, then, it might be on your best interest
to stop eating unhealthy things and watch carefully what you put into your
mouth. You will definitely feel the difference!
Never stop progression
Progress even in
little bits but steadily. This is a must in order to become a great BMX rider. There’s
no good enough excuse that justifies lingering on the same places with the same
tricks for years. You should show some sort of advancement on your abilities
and capabilities as a rider. You can achieve progression by just simply put in
practice these three advices.
·
Write down your trick
goals: That’s right! A lot of people actually do this, and we certainly
recommend it. Grab a pen and a paper and start writing down all those tricks
you’re aiming to do on the near future. Now, we know you might be excited of
the idea of landing your first backflip when you’re a newbie on the sport. But,
just write simple and manageable tricks that you haven’t been able to land yet.
When you do, move on to the next one and repeat the process. It can be a simple
trick or a combination.
·
Always look for a
variety of places to ride: You should never take this for granted. There are too
many people who find themselves comfortable enough landing a bunch of tricks on
the same park. They might be actually killing it there, but when you take them
to another place, they can’t manage to ride well enough. This is because their
minds are too used to do the same things and place, that they didn’t care
enough to get out of the comfort zone. The best thing you can do for constant
progression is to go ride on all the local parks and street spots you can think
of.
·
Try to go viral: This can be achieved
by many ways nowadays. Get out there and it will eventually happen way easily
than if you were stuck riding on your little comfy park! In other words, get
off your bottom and expose yourself! Go out there and ride on several BMX
competitions, even though you don’t end up winning anything. Another way to get
some recognition is to record and edit a high quality video part, and of course,
uploading it online. Also, one of the most important things to do is, to practice
where all the best are riding. By doing this, you’ll boost other people’s awareness
of you. Trying to achieve this will make you go practice every day and push you
to go the extra mile, and be nothing but the very the best, achieving a whole
new level of skills.
