TIPS
THE ART OF BALANCE Think of your bike as a platform on which you are standing. No matter which way the bike leans, you keep your body upright and centred. With use of handlebar pressure, peg weighting and body position you can achieve excellent balance. Don't position your legs too close to the frame. This makes it hard to correct your balance. Allow room to move the bike between your legs. Try to remain relaxed, if you are stiff and tense balancing will be harder.
TURNS Be aware that the rear wheel will always turn inside the front turn. Look for the smoothest line for the back wheel. Make use of all the room that the section markers will permit. Lean your bike into the turn by laying it against your inside leg. Keep your body centered over the bike at all times. The amount of bike lean required will depend on how tight the turn is. To stabilise the bike or recover your balance use pressure on the outside handlebar or footrest.
Example of Ian Newsham displaying correct balance technique.
TIGHT TURNS Use the clutch and rear brake to accomplish tight turns. Practise balancing the clutch against the rear brake. Don't use the front brake suddenly as it may throw you off balance.
SMALL OBSTACLES Gain speed before obstacle if going is slippy. As the front wheel rolls up the obstacle back off the throttle and use momentum to coast over the step.
CLEANING STEPS WITH DOUBLE BLIPS For a moderate sized ledge or rock, it is usually possible to blast up and over with a single aggressive move and not much technique. The double blip is used to go over a modest sized obstacle with a minimum of speed and a maximum of control. This technique is very useful for moderate sized ledges or logs in which there is another turn immediately after and so you need to be at slow speed or stopped after the obstacle. It is especially useful on slippery logs or rocks, especially those at a sloping angle so that you don't want to skid pan on them. If your skid pan touches on a ledge sloping off to one side, it will throw you to the side and cause you to dab or tip over. The term "double blip" refers to the two distinct blips of the throttle associated with this technique. The double blip involves a first blip to initiate a wheelie into the obstacle, followed by a second blip (along with body movement) to achieve vertical lift up & over the obstacle.