How to pro: Scrubbing jumps
Step-by-step:
1. Spot the take-off
In order to stay low over a jump you can’t just shut your eyes, hope for the best and peel the thing out up a take-off ramp. You need to help your cause by selecting a low line up the ramp that hopefully doesn’t have any kickers going on. A steep up-ramp, especially with a kicker, will throw you a massive curve ball if you are hoping to scrub.
2. Absorb the impact
Before you even start thinking about turning your bike inside out up the take-off ramp you need to prepare to soak up the impact when you hit the face of the jump. Try not to be too stiff in the body, particularly the legs as this will only force more weight into the bike on take-off and make it pop higher off the ramp.
3. Turn down
This is where it gets technical. While you are going up the ramp you need to start to lean the bike over. But don’t pull your body and head to the inside as this will certainly turn into a whip and piff the bike sideways. Try to keep your chin over the outside of the handlebar, like you would on a flat corner, at the same time as you turn your front wheel so it points to the ground.
4. Crank her in
This is the cool part of the jump where you can really get some angle on the bike and allow it to stay nice and low. Don’t forget to use your legs to start to bring that bike back for the landing.
5. Don’t panic!
It is this part of your flight where the front starts to dip and can give you a bit of a fright. Don’t panic! If the front starts to dip a bit too much then give the throttle a nice punch of power and the front will come up a little bit. Most awesome looking scrubs will quite often end with a massive panic rev to help bring the bike back straight.
6. Use your legs
It may be the upper body that initiates the scrub but the legs play the most important role once you get airborne as they will help to bring the bike back nice and straight when you land. Remember that the earlier you start your scrub up the take off ramp the earlier it will start to come back straight for you. For those of you out there that haven’t mastered the art form of being able to bring the bike back when it steps out to the side then it is very important to take baby steps when doing this initially. If your smaller ones work well then step it up a notch.
SCRUBBING TIP:
It is important to remember why we scrub when you approach a jump. Is it to look cool or is it for a specific reason, such as staying low? Most people get so caught up in the ‘looking cool’ side of things that they forget what the technique was designed for in the first place.
DOs
• Pick a low line on the jump
• Turn the front wheel towards the ground once airborne
• Use your legs to bring the bike back nice and straight
• Keep your chin up on the high side of the handlebar once you tip the bike in
DON’Ts
• Lean your body to the inside of the bike when you take off
• Gas it up the take-off ramp
• Hit any kickers on the take-off ramp if you can avoid them
• Forget what the main reason is that we scrub
