Part 1 of “Break It Down” features Yinka Thomas
Here is a Flatland line broken down into stages/segments. Learn a combination easily by adding stages one at a time, until you have your own original link. Give it a go and stay tuned for more videos for Jason Forde and the TGM crew.
Category Archives: Flatmattersonline How to’s
Episode 7: How to Mega Spin
Welcome back to episode 7 of how to flatland, this episode I teach you how to mega spin. A back wheel trick invented by the one and only, Kevin Jones.
This trick I feel is all about your set up, and as you will see in the video. The importance of the balancing leg swinging into the direction you spin. If you stand on the peg with your left foot like me, your swinging leg will be your right foot. If you spin the opposite direction, vive versa.
Learn the swinging motion and to control the bike with one stiff, two scuff, three scuff as shown in the video. Once you have those dialled, then move on and try and add more scuffs, paying attention to the fact the more you scuff the faster the spin goes.
If you have a brake, the only time you really would even think about using it is on the rideout. But bear in my mind if you are spinning quickly and lock the brake, you will spin even faster. Thats another variation right there.
Tips:
Focus on the swinging leg going into the spin.
Learn the 1,2,3 scuffing technique.
Learn to use your scuffing foot as straight as possible, this helps control the bike a lot more,
To ride out, slow the spin down and spot your pedals. I set up my pedals right foot forward so the pedal is easily reachable when it is time to ride out.
The mega spin is a fun one to learn, this trick is all about the entry to it and getting into the spin as quickly as possible.
Have learn learning this one, and let me know in the comments any problems you are having, or if this helped.
Enjoy flatland.
Flatmattersonline: How to Foot Jam Tailwhip
It’s been a while with the flatland how to series, yesterday was my first day out in San Francisco and what better time to get the first how to of the year done. Today I teach you how to foot jam tail whip.
This trick is all about commitment, and getting your head over the stem and bar area whilst kicking the frame round and keeping the bike straight. I’ve broken this how to into four steps, hope this helps anyone trying to learn this trick. It’s useful trick to learn as leads to show much, like every trick in flatland there are no boundaries other than what you out on yourself. Get learning and drop me a message and let me know how you get on.
Episode 5: How to BMX Flatland / How to Peg Wheelie
It’s been a couple of weeks since our last how to….
How are you all getting on so far? Have you learnt all the how to’s so far, if you have… Well done you’ve been putting the work in!
Today it’s time to teach the peg wheelie.
Steps to learn:
If you learnt the backwards peg wheelie I taught in Episode 4 whatever you foot you stand on the peg with, go with that foot. My prominent foot is left foot, with right foot my balance foot.
Take one push off or pedal, straight line.
-Use your standing peg foot as close to the dropout as possible, this helps with the bikes stability.
– Start with your arms bent, pull up straighten arms.
– Your balance foot will swing back and forth as you work out the balance point.
– Try and keep the front wheel just a few inches off the ground. Don’t pull the front end up too hard, you will flip off the back of the bike.
– Try not to touch any brakes on this trick, I use my thumb on the bar as shown in the video.
– Set yourself a target, one parking space, two parking spaces. Have some fun with it.
Guest rider: Ben Walton.
Let me know how you are getting on in the comments section…
Enjoy flatland and building your skills!
Episode 4: How to BMX Flatland / How to Backwards Peg Wheelie
Hello everyone!
Back from Colorado and back to my second home at Southsea Skatepark. What better place to get Episode 4 of my how to BMX flatland series done, today I teach you how to backwards peg wheelie on a rare dry November’s day in Southsea.
Episode 3: How to BMX Flatland / Learn to Infinity Roll
Welcome back to episode 3 of how to BMX flatland. A change of location for this episode, I am out in Monument, Colorado and today I am teaching you how to do the infinity roll.
The infinity roll is a trick that I first learnt back when I was 10 years old, I am now 44 years old. The infinity roll is an entry level scuffing trick, useful to learn and will eventually help you combine tricks together.
The technique for the infinity roll is relatively simple, here are some useful steps below:
1. Begin with a foot jam with your left foot on the left back pegs. Applying pressure to your right foot when you “foot jam”, get a little end to gain little speed for the infinity roll.
2. Learn to foot jam and rollback (as shown on the video).
3. Once you have step 2, keep your wheel locked in a position that would make your bike rotate in a circle. Using your left foot on the left back peg and your right foot on tyre kicking the wheel backwards (known as “scufffing”.)
* Scuffing essentially acts as brake on the tyre, so you don’t need to touch the brakes on this trick.
4. Get the scuffing part of this trick down and try to rotate in circles as many times as possible, hence the infinity roll name.
5. To ride out, slow down your scuffing and aim for the right pedal and try to keep your body weight over the bike and ride away. Refer to the video for a reference.
This is relatively more of a simple how to than episode 2, one you learn the scuffing technique and get used to licking your bars in a circular motion you will be good to go on this trick.
Good luck with the infinity roll!
Thanks to Mates Tucek for filming.
Episode 2: How to BMX Flatland / Ride In & Out of Front Peg Balance
We are back with the 2nd episode of how to bmx flatland! With your host, Effraim Catlow teaching you how to ride in and out of the front peg balance move as shown in episode 1.
I filmed the majority of this video, before Arthur arrived so there’s kind of two things going on in this how to.
There’s the how to and a visual story of Arthur learning the trick himself, with tuition from myself.
Trick tips:
1. Set yourself up on the left side of bike, right foot on back left peg.
2. Take one push and roll forward, left pedal half way up.
3. Left foot to left foot peg.
4. Once you feel you are slow enough to control the bike, turn your body anti clockwise turn 90 degrees and get your right foot to the tyre as quickly as possible ( there are multiple views on the video to help you).
5. Once in balance point, get yourself steady, stand up straight, give it some no handed raditide.
6. Hands back on and start thinking about the ride out.
7. Stay in the balance position and twist the bars back towards the posit they would be if you were riding forwards.
8. The space between your right foot and left pedal will be quite small, so time your movement taking off the right foot and placing on left pedal when you think are comfortable keeping your body weight over the right side of the bike as the pressure from pedal can cause you flip backwards.
To perform the ride in and ride out front peg balance with front brake is much easier, as the brake gives you more time.
The only real difference is the ride out, where you will be in the front peg balance position and reach for the seat clamp area on top tube instead of pedal, keeping hold of the brake and reaching for the left pedal to ride away (refer to how to or drop me a comment if you are having problems.
Follow the how-to: there are point of views, and numerous repeats on how to perform the balance ride in and ride out. Is this helpful, or is the video too long?
Thank you for watching, really stoked on the feedback on episode 1. I thought I would push the boat out somewhat for episode 2. Hope you all enjoy it, and mostly enjoy flatland. Once you get past this stage, so many tricks await you, which is more fun!
Big thanks to Eastney Community Centre, and Arthur’s mum for filming some of the coaching sections in this video.
Flatmattersonline How to: episode one. How to front peg balance.
Hello everyone,
I am getting a few requests to show more how to’s on Flatmattersonline and not only high level riding. So I figured I would branch out with my flatland coaching sessions to instagram, then Youtube. Today I launch episode one of the Flatmattersonline how to, where I describe how to do the balancing stage of the front wheel peg balance to one of my students at my Eastney flatland sessions. Enjoy and have learning flatland.
1. The obvious to begin with, have a bmx bike with pegs. (Here Arthur borrowed my bike).
2. Turn the handlebars at a 90 degree position, notice how Arthur is stood at the beginning of the video.
3. To begin balancing, put your left foot on the peg, left hand on left grip and have your right foot on the floor sideways next to the tyre.
4. Elevate your right foot to the middle of front tyre with your left foot on the front peg.
5. As you elevate your right foot,try to be relaxed and move your foot slightly up and down on the tyre to create the balance point. (refer to Arthur’s technique on video).
The key to learning the front peg balance is to get the following points aligned at the same time, relaxed with point 5, stand up straight, helps also have a focus point to look down (normally the stem/ this may different according to your stance and height).
6. Once you learnt to balance one handed, once you are comfortable. The next stage is no handed balance, use your left leg against the bar to hold the balance point make sure you stood up straight as possible and slowly take your hands off the bars.* it’s really important to remember to keep as still as possible on this trick. Refer to the video, and let us know how you get on.
Flatland is a puzzle, learn to balance first, we shall be back shortly with a how to ride in and out. Then a whole world of flatland fun awaits you! Good luck everybody, tag us when you can balance. Have fun! #bmx #flatland #howtobmx #flatmattersonline #flatmatters #bmxflatland #flatlandbmx
*Arthur appears with permission from his mum.