PART 2 - JUMPING WITH CONTROL

Squashing a jump is the flipside of getting big air, and while it may not have the same glamour, it’s crucial for taming rowdy trails at speed

- Andy Barlow

If you read last month’s issue then hopefully you’ve had a chance to go out and put a more stable way of jumping into practice. With any luck you’re already feeling like you have more stability in the air, and that you’re able to drive off of larger faces with more time to control your trajectory.

If you’re new to the mag, or you missed last month’s article, we’re looking at three main skills when it comes to jumping. Last month’s issue was all about jumping with confidence, this month we’ll look at when and how to absorb a jump to stay low, and finally next month we’ll explore how to boost a jump in order to go bigger and reach further down a trail.

This issue we’re going to focus on the middle-skill of our three: how to absorb a jump. By understanding more about how and when to stay low, you’ll be able to decide for yourself whether or not you leave the ground. We’ll follow the same format as the last issue where we’ll identify an enabler skill that unlocks the bigger skill, look at the bigger skill in more detail, then talk about how this fits into a bigger picture to help you control parts of the trail that have nothing to do with jumping. With a bit of focus on absorbing jumps, you’ll be able to stay neutral while riding larger features on a trail and use your drive to your advantage in other places. Sound good? Read on.

THE COACH

ANDY BARLOW