Jools – hope the dog is doing better. I got a lab / boxer cross 2 years ago specifically so she could come to our office with me, come riding with me, and fit in with my lifestyle. Had dogs from the rescue before but the lurcher was a nightmare with sheep!

Anyways, got a lot of advice about the running thing from vets, dog trainers and so on because i knew she'd be out in the Lakes with me all the time. In general a dog responds to exercise just like us – if you suddenly go out and work twice as hard as normal you come home feeling every muscle you never knew you had. Difference is, we know why, but the dog doesn't.

So don't beat yourself up too much. Sounds like you're one of the 1 percent of lab owners who keeps their dog slim, trim and out doing sport.

As for karin0fNine and the "dogs should be at home" I have to disagree. A dog is a pack animal and just because it is running with its pack it doesn't mean it believs that being in the lead is a sign of leadership. Banjo trots at heel when told, runs ahead when allowed and slows to let me catch up on really long climbs. Bike rides wouldn't be the same without her.
Chris

Lot of people workin on jumps…

@Lowey – without wantin to be too pushy, check out the courses we have on jumps, pumps and drops at http://www.cycleactive.co.uk or get a private day of tuition if you prefer.

@tron – great! I wrote that article so I'm glad it worked for you.

About pullin up, or pushing "down". Neither is the answer. Think about having a bouncy ball and droppin it onto a ramp – it bounces off forwards. Now push it hard down onto the ramp – it bounces further. reverse that process and that's what your tyre does – push it into the face of the ramp and the harder you push, the higher you go. Pump=Push but it's a short, snappy push.

As for pushin down, if you do that a lot of your energy is soaked up by the forks, especially if they're 5 inches plus and well damped. So you push forwards and just a bit down so the energy is instantly turned into lift.

Goin off drops is similar. This time you definitely push forwards and down into the ground, and the instant, smooth rebound from the tyre (not the forks) gives your lift.

@younggeoff – As for the bike choice thing, you definitely get more height and quicker response from a hardtail because much less of the pump from both hands and feet gets absorbed by the bike. However, the flip side of this is that it responds much more quickly, so is maybe a bit harder to control than a full sus bike.

But you can perfect the technique on any bike…especially with a good coach….check out the courses run for us by Rich Barnard, Jon Chalmers and James Richards at http://www.cycleactive.co.uk We cover Cannock, the Lakes, Malvern and Ae Forest.

Cheers
Chris

Reading your comments it sounds to me like you're pulling up, and pulling unevenly, as you hit the jump. This is a common cause of nose-diving over jumps, often leaves you badly set up for landing, and the pull makes a twist more likely than a smooth pump.

By pump i mean you should be pushing evenly and snappily into the face of the jump – the rebound of your front wheel into the air as you do this is what give smooth and controlled lift.

You say drops are ok but what may be happening is the exaggeration of minor problems in your drop technique – again this often happens when you are under pressure (ie hitting a jump knowing you're not sure about it).

Do you have a video or small camera that shoots video? If you do then – if this is useful for you – get a friend to shoot you doing a couple of jumps and drops, put the footage on youtube, and email me the link at chris@cycleactive.co.uk We coach this stuff an awful lot and it'll only take a minute or two to see what you're doing and make a couple of more meaningful suggestions.

Hope this helps.
Chris

If you want to check out another coaching option then give us a call / email – we run a whole series of Jump, Pump and Drop courses out of Ae Forest. We settled on that as a coaching location because those last runs down to the carpark provide a great mix of small to large jumps and drops, plus plenty of room to get in and shoot video for feedback etc. There are weekend dates right through the summer – it's all detailed on http://www.cycleactive.co.uk/courses/skills/trail.html
If you want more natural stuff we're only based a bit further down the road, in The Lakes.