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A keen sense of balance is essential
if you want to advance anywhere in Trials. Without balance,
nothing else can be accomplished (or at the very least will
be very dificult to pull off correctly). Every other Trials
move depends upon being able to maintain balance, both to
start and end a move. Fortunately, balance is one of the
things you can practice anywhere, anytime. For those of
you who live in the Northern climes, you can make good use
of the cold winters by perfecting your balance in your basement
(or living room, for that matter).
There are two basic ways to balance: trackstanding and "rocking."
In the process of learning both of these methods, it is
helpful to ride on a smooth, relatively flat surface such
as a parking lot or driveway. Another helpful tip is to
start your balancing by slowly rolling forward then locking
the brakes. If you feel as if you are going to fall over,
simply let off the brakes and roll forward a few more inches
to regain your balance. It's much better to roll forward
a bit instead of putting your foot down.
Another key point to mention here is determining what your
"good foot" is. Your good foot is simply the one
you would leave in the forward position while coasting,
or going down a steep hill. While balancing, hopping, etc.,
one should try to keep the pedals level, and the good foot
forward. Get used to having that foot forward, pick a foot
and stick with it.
Trackstanding is when you turn the front wheel to the side,
usually away from your forward foot. For example, if your
right foot is forward and you are looking down at your bars,
you will turn your wheel counterclockwise. From this position,
with your body generally centered over the bike, you will
make subtle tilting and pedal adjustments to maintain your
center of gravity (see the video example for a much clearer
idea of this). Trackstanding is generally most useful on
stable, flat surfaces such as the ground or the top of picnic
tables. It's ideal for giving yourself a breather during
a competion, since you do not expend as much energy.
The other method, rocking in place, is better suited to
balancing on smaller, less stable, or uneven objects. Rocking
is accomplished by small weight shifts and lifting the front
and rear wheels in succession, making small adjustments
to keep the bike balanced. Note that these adjustments should
not be large or exaggerated. Concentrate on lifting and
moving in small increments of an inch or so. Larger movements
will only make it harder to maintain your position. As with
trackstanding, this is much more difficult to explain in
words. Check out the video clip to see what we really mean.
Related to these skills would be hopping in place, which
you can view in the hopping section.
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