BALANCE

You’re just starting out, and balancing at slow speed feels like one of the hardest things right now - Especially when things get tight.

Don’t worry about standing still just yet. Focus on developing a feel for dynamic balance. Play around and ride as much as you can!

If you want quick progress, include acceleration and braking exercises, easy drills for quick weight shifts and learning everything about proper peg loading (you'll need it for basically any technique in the future).

You quickly discover that trials is not only about riding slow, but also about coming to a complete standstill, regaining your focus and setting off perfectly.

Naturally, you start training it — but like most things in life, it takes time.

We advise against putting hours on end into the same drills. Instead, work on it for a few minutes each time you ride — and even in the garage. Learning to 'stand' is best done by 'just standing' - And doing so many times.

But: More advanced techniques you can basically steal from competition riders include locking your wheels in different ways. We cover this in depth on Day 7 of THE FOUNDATION.

Pro tip: Training a good body posture early on will help a lot in making static balance easier.

After learning how to balance while standing still, it’s time to step it up a bit. You now constantly scan the environment for little helpers that can make balancing easier — but beware, each of them comes with their own technique.

Perfect for you right now are advanced exercises, like taking away one of the pillars that normally supports your balance: Steering. Train on small beams & make it a challenge with friends who can easily ride over the whole length of that next log.

Copy what works: Do drills and ride sections in areas with lots of changes in the ground — small bumps, roots or edges where you can apply pressure with your wheels.

This way, you’re both building experience for how your bike behaves on different ground - And you're building brake and clutch control at the same time (Ever noticed how pros do these tiny back & forth movements?).