Dropping/ jumping is a topic which seems to come up here on a regular basis and having spent a fair amount of time trying to get to grips with this technique I thought I'd share my experience.

Firstly, I'm relatively new to MTB (18 months) and in my 40s so realistically my aspirations in this area are tempered by a late start, very average ability and the fact that I can't afford to be off work injured! Having learned the basics of general trail riding my objectives around jumps/drops were therefore fairly modest;

1. to be able to join in with my riding buddies as they got a bit of grin-inducing air over the odd bump in the trail, and
2. to stop being the guy who rode up to the drop, hit the brakes, rolled over then pedaled like hell to catch up.

As I started trying to work out how to fix my lack of skills I soon came across lots of conflicting advice in the various mags and even on this very forum – pull the bars up/push the bars away, get your weight back/keep your weight central, move the bars down to land/let it land itself…..etc The worst advice I had was 'just go for it'. I tried that one and it hurt.

In the end I bit the bullet and signed up for a course with one of the guys who gets a lot of good feedback on here from other forum members. This took me through structured approach to drops/jumps which made sense and moved me from small bumps to bigger ones slowly building my confidence. Eventually I was going over drops that I would simply never have attempted previously.

The net of it is that I've now got a technique that works for me : cranks level, weight central, pump into the drop/jump (unweight bars) , head up, let the bike land. More importantly I've now got faith in this approach which helps me to overcome those 'oh sh1t' moments of doubt just before I take off. Bingo and b*gger me it seems to work even weeks after the course finished.

So in summary….
Has this made me an accomplished jumper? – nope. But I now have a basic skill set which I can build on and which I know works. Even when my courage fails I trust in it and it gets me through. I've spent a number of hours sessioning jumps and drops of various sizes and not a single spill. Its amazing how much easier it is to relax when you know you're doing it 'right'. The biggest difference, however, is to my overall enjoyment in riding. When I come to a drop on the trail now I generally manage to sail over and land on both wheels which means a) I keep my speed b) I actually feel more like 'proper' rider.

I've read recent threads where I can see people going through the same process as I did early on and I hope sharing my experience might help someone. My advice would be it's really difficult to learn based on forum postings and magazine articles. If you can stump up the cash a bit of investment in a course you can make a step-change skills-wise and add a whole new dimension and enjoyment to your riding.

Andy

Your course sounds very similar to one I had last week, were you covering your brakes, which I went on for the exact same reasons you list above.

I agree with everything you say about having the "plan" to execute a drop / jump but its putting it all together that I haven't got quite set as yet.

I can see that once it does become natural it will work and I should have the confidence to attack most things I want to, unlike you my first solo attempt post training resulted in a spill which is not uncommon but it still hurts.

How much do these courses typically cost, and whereabouts in the country are they? I don't ride enough drops to make it worthwhile at the moment, but am shortly moving out to Canada, so it might be worth investing before I go!

Could somebody explain "cover your brakes". Is this "cover them up to stop you using them" or "just have your fingers hovering over them, ready to grab if necessary" or what?

Be ready to grab. Terminology comes from driving where you'd "cover" the pedal with your foot.

Cover so you don't grab! If you keep your fingers around the grip you tend to grab or snatch when you go for the brake, whereas if you ride with braking fingers resting on the lever you tend to be ready to squeeze progressively.

Skills session typically costs less than a pair of tyres. Ours is £55.

Speed is your friend 😆 Well atleast until you exceed the maximum gravitational pull of the earth coupled with excessive tangential force and you eat dirt/tree/rock anyway 😳

"Speed is your friend" … there's always one 😉

I think it's fair to say that anyone thinking about attending a skills course wouldn't be disappointed with any of the instructors/companies who reply to posts on here. Whilst no one is going to turn you into Sam Hill in the course of a day, you will leave with more confidence and a far greater understanding of what you should and shouldn't be doing. I'm sure I'm not alone when I say one of the most common comments is "I'd never have ridden that before today".

Courses vary in cost depending on which company you go with, our prices are;

1 day (9.30-5.00) £75 either in a group or on a one to one basis.
2 day £125, again in a group or one to one.

Those prices inc' use of the bunkhouse if you want to stay, T shirt and extensive course notes … and enough tea to drown in.

Stuart

When people say "drops" what are we talking here? 2ft steps or huge great cliffs/north shore stuff?

Well certainly in my case it's much nearer the former than the latter!

Anything from 2 to 5 inches I can nail with no problems 😉

but am shortly moving out to Canada, so it might be worth investing before I go!

Nicko, where are you going? If its the Vancouver area, I recommend Endless Biking (click here). I was very impressed by their All Mountain Course last year and in my opinion, you'll learn more relevant skills by taking the course in your new location.

5thumbs, glad to hear you are building on that foundation we changed and re laid 🙂

We've now got some 'learner drops' in the skills area at Lee Quarry which are good for learning and building confidence on. I run courses there, details & prices are on my site which is linked to by clicking on my name. I also use the downhill tracks at Gisburn Forest which have bigger drops (3-4 feet) for people who want to progress to bigger stuff.

Cheers Jedi – definitely not 'there' yet but its getting better and hey, its all about the journey right?

Ed – Lee quarry sounds fantastic.I live in Leeds so not far away. I'll definitely get over there soon

Andy

Burts – wrong coast, unfortunately. 🙁 I'll be in Toronto, which I think is a little further to the trails, but should still be great! 🙂

5thumbs, don't forget to email me feedback on your riding. it's a beautiful journey too eh 🙂

Where are the 3-4 foot drops in gisburn? I dont remember seeing them last time I rode round it, must have been about 6 months ago.

@julians

if you follow the fire road from the dog and partridge for 10 mins you'll notice them, on yr left