Ultimate Flatland League 2021

Exciting news today to start the week from the boss, Martti Kuoppa tells all right here:

“All things I do, I always try to view them with an open mind for progression. That was also the case when I felt it was time to renew the Master Of Creativity online video competition concept which I have been running successfully for many years.

It all started back in 2009 when I launched my first online video competition, Ground Tactics. Many of the Flatlanders still remember the impact what Moto Sasaki did with his groundbreaking 3-minutes combo for the final round of Ground Tactics:

moto sasaki ground tactics final from moto sasaki on Vimeo.

This line (among many other great runs in Ground Tactics) made me feel that there is definitely a place for online competitions in the BMX community.

Then I needed to focus on other aspects of my life and I was unable to organize Ground Tactics again. It took me a few years until I came up with an idea for Master Of Creativity. The idea was born back in 2015 when I joined Instagram and the app did not allow users to post videos any longer than 30 seconds. I felt that we needed to adapt to this modern way of social media and use shorter videos for online competition. Master Of Creativity worked very well. A lot of riders supported me and joined the competition year after year. Last year I had almost 100 riders signing up for it and the level of riding was insane, like every year since I started the Master Of Creativity (click the logo below to see John Yull´s epic entry to 2017 MOC):

Now, after 5 years of running Master Of Creativity, it is time to move forward and refresh the online video competition concept completely to make things more exciting.

Without further explanation, Ultimate Flatland League is here to combine Ground Tactics, Master Of Creativity and MK Format live battles.

Round 1 (Qualification) will be traditional Ground Tactics full run (non-edited).

Round 2 (Semi Final) is Master Of Creativity best trick/best combo round.

Round 3 (Final) is a MK Format live battle.

Ultimate Flatland League combines 3 elements together which are all important parts of competing in Flatland:

1. Build a run of your dreams.

2. Pull a new trick that really pushes your personal limits.

3. How good are you able to perform your full run with a contest pressure on.

There are following categories to choose to compete in:
Amateur Women/Men

Pro Women/Men

Top 3 prizes. I am currently at a stage to find more prize money for the Pro Women and Pro Men. So far my own brand, MK Format is putting money on the table and I am super excited to announce that Kunstform BMX store is also joining in as a sponsor to add up in the prize money count and also gift cards for the amateurs! So the prize money is guaranteed already but to tell you details how much, I need a bit more time to chase down those dollars out there. But don´t worry, I will make it happen and it will be okay.

If you want your brand or you know somebody who is looking into supporting this type of event, feel free to let me know!

It is not easy to find money for Flatland events. For that reason I opened an apparel store inside the Ultimate Flatland League website where riders can show their support for video riding culture. Every order will support the prize money growth, judges fees and other costs running this online competition. All orders are highly appreciated and needed to give these highly talented riders out there an opportunity to earn some income with all the hard work they are putting into Flatland.

And by the way, I am not going to be judging this competition. The judges are: Effraim Catlow, Sebastian Grubinger and York Uno. Now, go check out the site and register yourself for the competition, buy some apparel and have a great day!

Thank you very much!
– Martti Kuoppa

www.ultimateflatlandleague.com

MOC Timesaver Bar ends

This product is a tool that helps you to learn all Hitchhiker based tricks A LOT easier and faster. It can be a very basic Hitchhiker to more complex opposite Cross footed Hitchhikers and many other tricks.

This product has been tested by several riders and the results have been remarkable: The learning time of Cross Footed Hitchhikers have been ridiculously short!! For that reason this product is called Timesaver Barends!

Get yours:
www.mocbmx.com

Martti Kuoppa launches MOC Industries

Plenty of positive news at the moment, Martti Kuoppa just launched his own parts brand under the Master of Creativity label, with a view to giving back to the progression of flatland! So far, he has his signature 33/45mm stem, pegs, and bars that come in 8,5″, 9″, 9,5″, 10″ sizes. Head over to the MOC site, link below.

https://www.mocbmx.com

The Martti Kuoppa Freestyle Tactics Interview

Lionel Cardoso, aka the man behind the Freestyle Tactics videos, catches up with the boss, Martti Kouppa! They discuss Martti becoming a coach, and the teaching methods and experiences MK has learnt along the way to help other riders reach new heights, and of course a whole bunch more. This is pure gold! Sit down, grab a cuppa, and give this one your full attention.

Episode breakdown:

02:40 : Martti’s feelings after the UCI Worldchampionships
03:23 : What made him switch from riding to coaching
04:59 : What made him start MK Format, his online coaching program
06:45 : What motivates him as a coach
07:56 : His conception of success
09:37 : The people that had the biggest impact on him
10:32 : What he teaches
12:18 : The importance of mentors in success
13:40 : The biggest lesson he’s learned
15:22 : Relying on feedback to improve riding
17:16 : What inspires him
19:08 : The importance of routine and repetition in success
21:37 : The proven methods he uses to get results at contests
23:17 : The importance of non-riding practices to support your skills on the bike
25:39 : How to manage the difficult balance between creativity and consistency
26:31 : How to deal with overwhelm
29:45 : The techniques used to maximize energy and stamina
31:47 : His stress management tips
36:56 : The best investment he’s ever made
37:48 : How to make it to the top of the game
39:07 : What most people are not ready to do to become good
41:27 : The book that changed his life
42:16 : His favourite quote
43:48 : The advice he would give his 15 years old self
45:36 : The advice he would give his 25 years old self
46:45 : On longevity in riding
47:58 : Staying at the top after 40 years old
49:05 : It’s not all black and white…
52:46 : On still appreciating riding after all these years and gold medals
53:29 : About coaching in a traditional way, in a live context
54:26 : Coaching in person at contests
54:46 : More advices
57:02 : Master of Creativity
57:17 : Last words

The John Yull Flatmattersonline Interview!

Intro: Effraim.
Interview: Todd Carter.

John Yull won three awards for the 2017 Flatmattersonline Year end awards, editorial and reader choice Most Progressive Rider and Line of the Year editorial for his Master of Creativity 2017. Being at the top, it is interesting to dig beneath and talk about the mindset riders are in to get to that level, this kind of level doesn’t just happen often and only a few make the sacrifice to achieve that level. John Yull is one of the chosen few, via some brainstorming with John and Todd Carter we came up with the following interview. Sit back grab a cuppa and show some love to John! Todd Carter caught up with John Yull during the AFA Texas weekend to talk all things Master of Creativity. Thanks a lot Todd for taking the time to interview John, this is a good one!

00:48: In this day of age of everyone being online constantly, sharing almost everything they do on a daily basis. John made the decision to stay offline.

2:13: Not stacking clips and using a strategy but instead going in hard round to round right up until the deadline.

4:07: Which round of the MOC was John most happy with?

4:46: Which round did you not like as much?

5:56: Personal satisfaction, not being happy with clips.

7:13: Riding early morning in Japan before any riders were at Meriken park so no one would see what he’s trying.

7:52: The impact of the no handed decade on social media. Did he peek in to see what was going on online during this time period?

9:46: Thoughts on judging this year’s Master of Creativity contest?

10:53: The crash section John posted from his MOC entries was brutal, was the worst slam or at least most memorable?

15:04: Focus this year after competing in MOC for the last years? What can we expect this year?

16:06: MOC not being fun, and shouldn’t be fun.

17:20: Any advice for riders on the fence, should I enter MOC or not?

18:15: If you had to pick one trick from the MOC 2017 what would it be?

19:26: Thank you’s

Jody Temple – Nothing is ever perfect enough, but that’s part of how it fits

Nothing is ever perfect enough, but that’s part of how it fits from jody temple on Vimeo.

I’ve always been a big fan of Jody Temple’s riding, peep this best of his Master of Creativity lines edit from 2017. Love the inside halfpacker jump to hang 5 around the 1:07 mark, and of course there’s plenty more besides. Definitely worth hitting play on this one!

Throwback Thursdays with Martti Kuoppa

This weeks throwback is dedicated to Martti Kuoppa, who would have known that back in 1998 when this Intrikat Linkt video dropped that MK would become a Video contest organiser with Master of Creativity and now it is possible to earn money out of video riding. Many of you will know this legendary section, but nevertheless it is certainly worth rewatching. Loved the Camo theme as well as the riding of course.

The 2016 Flatmattersonline Year End Award Nominees are….

flatmatters2016_600x400-526x400

It’s that time, 2016 was a great year for Flatland. I’m sure I say that every year, but we evolve every year. This is one of the many great things about our art form/sport, it is one of the ingredients that fascinates us all.
The Nominees are as always fascinating, you the readers of Flatmattersonline have spoken once again, it is always interesting to see your views! I personally found the Rider of Year hard to pick just five, so I have six. I decided after much gnashing of the teeth, I would be just taking one rider out for the sake of it. Without further a due, below are the editorial and reader choice for the 2016 Flatmattersonline Year End Awards. Thanks to everyone that voted. The winners will be announced Tuesday January 10th, congratulations to everyone that has been nominated.

– Effraim Catlow / Flatmattersonline

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