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Martin Söderström shows you how to whip like a pro
The Ride with the Swedes star turns teacher in this tutorial on mastering the ability to go sideways on a mountain bike, one of the most stylish trail skills.
Do you dream of being able to throw it out sideways in a massive whip, just like Martin Söderström and Emil Johansson do during the new Season 2 episodes of Ride with the Swedes?
Throwing the classic whip is one of the most stylish things you can do in mountain biking, and it’s a skill that everyone wants in their riding locker. Doing it perfectly needs to be learned and practised, which why've asked Söderström for his best tips on nailing that perfect whip. Read on for his six-step tutorial.
Watch Martin Söderström and Emil Johansson visit an indoor skatepark in episode three of Ride with the Swedes below.
9 minuta
Practising in Falun and the Audi Nines
Emil Johansson and Martin Söderström practise at Emil’s local skate park, then Emil goes to the Audi Nines.
1. Protection and a good jump
First things first. Always wear a helmet and some good body protection, the more the better. Secondly, find a jump that you feel super comfortable with before trying to whip it. Know what speed you need and how it kicks you before attempting to go sideways.
Safety equipment is vital
© Harald Goldkuhl
2. Start going sideways before take-off
What many don’t realise is that the whip starts way before getting airborne. In fact, the kick and the take-off is where you decide how big and how sideways you’re going to get once you're in the air. It’s probably the most important part of the jump when you want to whip.
The trick is to start carving up the lip, which means turning slightly so that you are already on a bit of an angle – a little bit sideways – before taking off. You are almost in a whip before going into the air. It’s super important.
You want to start going sideways already carving up the kick
© Hanna Jonsson
3. Pull up on take off
The next thing to think about is to pull up your front wheel when taking off because it basically decides how big the whip will be. The more and the higher you pull up, the more opportunity you have to send your backend out sideways. It opens up for a big whip.
So really focus on the take off – carve up the lip and then pull up in order to prepare yourself to go big and sideways. Remember, it’s in the kick that it happens.
Pull up off the kick to go bigger and more sideways
© Hanna Jonsson
4. Don’t do a 'fish whip'
If you don’t carve and pull up you're very likely to do what we call a 'fish whip'. It means that you take off the jump in a straight line and then, once in the air, throw your hips and butt to one side. It just never looks very good, so no fish whips!
5. Move your body wight from back to front
At the beginning of the whip your body weight should be slightly towards the back of the bike in order to pull up the front wheel as much as possible, but then as you move through the whip and over the jump, your body weight should shift towards the front of the bike. That way you can more easily push back your rear wheel back into line so that you can land straight.
Söderström knows how to get sideways
© Hanna Jonsson
6. Learn to land, but don’t worry too much
There aren’t any golden tricks to landing. Most of it is just holding on. Often when you whip big you land on your front wheel, so even if the back wheel isn’t completely straight it often sorts itself out anyway. But don’t just go and throw it out sideways as much as possible before learning how to bring it back in again as you might land with your rear wheel in 90 degrees and get high-sided and crash. It’s better to start off smaller and learn to do it properly.
But remember, it’s all in the kick, so as long as you practise carving and pulling up, the rest will come naturally.
Të ngjashme
