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Definitions: A "lip" is the part of a jump that launches you. A "double" is a jump with a space between the launch and the landing. A "table top" is a double with the center filled in for safety (basically). Today, we're going to learn how to do jumps. We'll start with the basics, for absolute beginners, and then go over some techniques for getting more air. The first rule of doing jumps is that you must be standing. If you try to jump sitting you'll have a real bad time, and for that matter you should drop your saddle lower than usual. If you're new to jumps, I assume you'll be starting with little ones like these, which feature a launch, or a "lip" followed by a flat area to land on. You may have also encountered table tops, which have a lip, a landing, and a flat top connecting them. When there’s a gap between the lip and the landing it’s called a double. These require a little more experience to master. Before you start doing these, you can learn the basics in the street. The driveways along sidewalks are a perfect place to start, assuming they're not actively being used. Try riding the lip at a moderate speed, and landing with both wheels at the same time. You’ll need to pull back a little. Actuallly doing a half assed manual should be enough to accomplish this. You’ll notice areas where there are two lips pretty close to each other. These can serve as mini tabletops to train on. Because the landing area will be pitched down, try to let the front end of your bike drop slightly to match the the grade of the pavement. The goal here is to refine your landings so that you can adjust your pitch on bigger jumps. Now you can take what you’ve learned to the trails. Scope out the landing area first if you can, and make sure you hit the jump dead straight towards the area you want to land on. I recommend you start on a table top so that you don't have as big of a drop for starters. Start small, and work on making a perfect landing. Once you can nail your landings consistently you can work on getting more air. If you know how to bunny hop already, you’ll be a natural at this part, but it’s not necessarily a requirement. Let’s go back to the street and hit one of these lips again. Instead of just riding off the lip into the street, you’re going to crouch down and explode upwards as you ride up to the top. To be more specific, you're going to compress your suspension while crouching down, pop up with your arms straight out, and then pull the bars to your waist. If this looks similar to a bunny hop, that's because it is, however a lot of riders learn this on jumps first. There are tons of things you can practice on in the street, but ultimately you’ll be using these skills at the trails. If you’re able to get height on sidewalks, you may be surprised at how effective a well crafted lip can be. If you’re not prepared, you can go down in flames. Repeated practice is the most important part about jumping. Sure, this is the case with everything, but gaining experience on a large variety of lips and landings will sharpen your reflexes and improve your judgement. Have fun out there and don’t try any jumps beyond your skill level. The sidewalks are there for you learn the basics on, so have a few street sessions to prepare yourself.