Yo Hoots Jay
The elusive bunny hop
Words by Hoots Jay.
If you have a question about technical riding, street, dirt jumping or anything else fire a message to Jay.
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When discussing the art of the bunny hop, one of the first things that comes into general conversation is what is the definition? Some people call it 'ollie', 'Bramma hop', 'bunny hop' and others call it that 'hop thangy'. From my early years of BMX to present, I have always called it a bunny hop. I think the confusion rolls in as to the style of the hop, whether it is a square pulled-up shoulder hop or a lovely timed sequence of pull/push, the proverbial 'wavy gravy' if you will. Different styles of hops are still a 'bunny hop' in the land of Hoots - we just like to think of it as an opportunity to chill and banter amongst ourselves the legacy of given trick names. |
 The bunny is the basis for many cool moves. |
As always, it is important to understand the rules of the game of progress and expect to learn the most when stretched, warmed up and full of energy. Wear a helmet and even armour, and start small and work up to larger goals! Did I mention the helmet?
I have seen riders use a square-pull technique (both wheels going up together) in order to bunny hop, but this is usually because they have a fear of falling backwards and/or are using clip pedals. It is by no means efficient nor stylee; however, I still use it to express myself when I ride and it is a great tool to have in my quiver. When on your bike visualize a digital sine wave (a square wave), compress with arms and legs about the same, and pop straight up twisting your grips slightly. This energy pops you up very square and not usually that high, but play with it.
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Now for the goods - a real bunny hop!!! Visualize yourself an analog sine wave! By the way, if you don't know what sine waves are, consider this Hooty homework!! Remember to start small and work up bigger! For hardtails, compress down on your front end (preload fork/tire shock/arms and even legs), not tons just a quick one, pull your front wheel up with authority and snap through with your elbows. As the front wheel comes up, release your legs up (even to the point where they may extend straight!), GRIP hard and TWIST forward on your grips. Even try to angle your feet, toes pointing down. |
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You have now angled the nose up, then countered by bringing up the rear (by grip twisting and pointed toes). What is important now is to land balanced. The art is to find the right pull combo with arms and legs that allows you better balanced body position to set down both wheels even. When you have reached the high point of your bunny, have your arms and legs slightly bent to accommodate a landing impact, as you would from a small drop. The higher you go the more you must prepare to make the landing stick, silky styles. For a full suspension bike, you preload as you would with a hardtail but when you pull back you sink into the rear shock, loading it up. This is a feel thing and takes practice. After loading the rear shock, thrust forward following the same procedure as the hardtail for grip twist and pointed toes.
Four main variations come to mind with the bunny that directly affect your masterpiece: bunny to flat, bunny to down, bunny to up, and speed vs. height.
When regular bunny hopping, you are taking off from ground level and landing back again so you must adjust your body to stay neutral enough to be balanced. Focus on keeping your shoulders through the centre of the bike as it goes through its travel.
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Bunny to down is a bit different. You need to take off regularly but shift weight slightly to the rear so that you do not have too much pressure on the front wheel when you land (ENDO MANIA running wild!). You can, however, very easily get too heavy on the back and loop out or stretch your arms out really hard!!! Baby steps, remember progression! |
 Bunny down... |
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Next is the bunny to up. This one is great - all you have to do is get over the intimidation of what you must hop on to. If you use one to three extra pedal strokes of speed, your back wheel or bash guard will bounce you up and on, should you happen to clip! I find if I pull extra hard (35 per cent more juice) with a bit more momentum, I can get on an object higher than I can bunny to flat. I usually end up landing on top of the object with my body position heavily weighted back. If you bunny up something, you have no real major landing impact so you can afford to stay light on the bike. |
 ...and up. |
I have never found that speed has ever given me any advantage to height or especially style on a bunny hop. Speed will certainly allow the rider to span distance, but it seriously undermines your technique unless very practiced. Brisk walking speed always proves to give ample momentum and timing for a great bunny. Once you're stylee and confident, then take it to the gaps!
Practicing what he preaches.
I have heard many people tell me that soft-soled shoes allow you to cup the pedals and get better lift. I have seen it, and it's an arguable subject really. I can tell you that after breaking four metatarsals in my left foot, and a broken arch in each foot, support is everything for good foot health! You have to be on your feet for the rest of your life, even when you're not on your bike! There are many excellent riders making consistently unreal bunny hops with stiff soles, so get shoes with stiff soles that have good traction for pedal nibbies! That's the ticket!
Clearance Clarence.
I hope this gives some insight into the bunny hopping madness. There is a great demonstration of bunnying from Norco team rider, Ryan Leech in Torque 3 in the 'trick tip' section. Ryan has always been an inspiration for me and shows wicked examples of great style and technique in his riding. Check it out, y'all!
The Hoots master is a busy guy and unfortunately he won't be able to answer all your emails. He will do his best to cover them all is his column though.
