Beginners guide to dirt jumping

[asd]

This is a guide for beginners who want to learn how to build and start jumping dirt jumps.

What you need
-Land
-A couple shovels
-A couple people (or you could do it by yourself but its always easier and funner with someone else)
-Water
-And a wheelbarrow is always helpful

Land
Your going to want to find a place where the jumps are not going to get in anyone’s way, and no one will take them down. Private property is the best, as long as it is your (or someone you know, and you have permission from's) property. Preferably this land will have a small hill, or incline on one end, and be straight or at least straight enough to build a couple jumps. It doesn't matter if it is in the woods, or in a field, both have their positives and negatives. In the woods there is shade, the trees calm the wind way down, but their are trees to run into. In an open field it can become windy, and the sun can be hot, but your not going to run into any trees.

Shovels
Your going to want to use some spade shovels, and some flat head shovels. Spade shovels for building dirt, and flat shovels for forming and packing.

(Spade shovel on the left, flat shovel on the right)

Dirt

The dirt you use will determine how well your jump packs. The better it packs the easier it will be to work with. STAY AWAY FROM SAND. Sand does not pack easily, and will be horrible to work with. Sand will take a long time to get stable enough to hit day after day without having to fix it. To determine if your dirt is good, take a handful of it and try to make a snowball and throw it at a tree. It should stay in one clump until it hits the tree, and then some of it should stick to the tree. Another option is buying dirt, but its not all that cheap, and alot of times pointless.
Using things like logs, old couches, etc. to use as fillers works, but I would not recomend it. These things makes the consistancy of the dirt not all the same, and makes it pack in weird places, and takes more time to form good.

Here is where we begin

Make sure the area that you are going to build your dirt jumps is flat (free of bumps), and clear of all brush/grass/tree stumps/anything else that is in your way. You can do this by taking the flat shovel and scraping it against the ground so that the shovel takes all the impurities out of the ground. You can use that dirt to start with the jump.


For the Jump
Get dirt from a hole that you will make close to the jump, but make sure it will not get in the way of the jump you are making, or any other jumps you plan on making. (You don't want to start digging in-between the jumps yet) Put the dirt into a pile, and once the pile gets about a foot and a half high, 2 feet wide, and 2 and a half feet long start packing it down and make a little lip out of it. Make sure you pack it down enough, and if your dirt is not moist, putting water on and in the jump is a real great idea. For the first couple jumps you don't want it too steep, just a little launch pad. Hitting this little jump will teach you basic skills to hitting jumps, and you will teach yourself how to hit a good jump. Once you get it all packed down, start hitting it. Make a note to where you land so you know where to build your landing.

The Landing
Don't get lazy on the landing. A nice landing will make a big difference on how nice your trails are. A nice landing is one that is tall and wide. You want your landing to be at least as tall as your jump. To start the landing you will basically do the same thing with the jump, except make it wider. Pack it down ALOT, and give the landing a nice gradual slope, nothing to steep.

Packing it down
A well packed down jump and landing is crucial to some good jumps. If the dirt you are using is not moist, you will want to make it wet. Wet dirt packs better. Just make sure that you don't turn the dirt into mud. Packing the dirt can be done in several ways. Stepping on the jump, or wacking it with the backside of the flat shovel works good. After packing it down like that, take the flat shovel and carve your lip and make it all smooth. Then pack it some more. Take your bike and roll it up the jump putting pressure on your front wheel to make sure that you will not sink in, causing you to mess up horribly. Also, packing the sides and the back of the jump are just as important as packing the top.

Your takeoff jump should now be about a foot high, foot wide, 1-2 foot gap, and foot high, 2 foot wide landing.

Here is where it is up to you

Now I can't tell you exactly how you want your jumps, and exactly how to make them because I can not see what your using or how good you are, etc. Once you get used to the jump you have now, start putting more dirt on it, and play around with the lip to see what you like. Some people like dirt jumps that almost look like a quarter pipe, that launches you really high, but only like a 5 foot gap. Some people like long jumps, some people like both. Just play around with it, and see what you like. Once you feel comfortable with the jump you have, build it up. Move the landing back, and then you can start digging out the pit inbetween the jump. The jump size will progress with your riding ability, which is a big pluss when making your own jumps.

Be patient. Good trails take time to make, and alot of digging and patting.
Here is a video of my trails. The end clips (smaller jumps, when its sunny) were taken about 9 months before the other clips (bigger jump, night time) Our trails look different now, but they need some work. lol.

http://media.putfile.com/BMX-dirt-jumps

The main thing to keep in mind is to have fun with. Play around with the formation of your jumps, and you will teach yourself much more than anything that anybody can tell you.

Good luck, and here is a thread with pictures of some REALLY nice jumps. Keep in mind that these jumps were more than likely built with bobcats, or over many years time.
Dirt Jumps

And Remember, just by going out with a couple shovels, and getting a little dirty, over time you will teach yourself everything there is to know about building, forming, and riding good dirt jumps.

Any questions, either PM me or post in this topic.

[BenMINI]

Dirt

STAY AWAY FROM SAND. Sand does not pack, and will be horrible to work with.

Sorry to do this, but Woburn Sands and Chicksands are some of the best jumps in the United Kingdom, i would correct that.

[asd]

I'm sure they didn't use sand to build their jumps though. Or else they used bobcats and stuff like that to pack it down really good.

Go to the beach, and try making a jump. It will fall appart VERY fast.

[BenMINI]

Im a local at both, and they are both made out of sand. Not the kind of sand you find on a beach, lets be honest, where in a field are you going to find sand like it is on the beach. The jumps are made out of pure sand, no bobcats to build them or anything. Chicksands used a bobcat as they owned the land, but Woburn was built by locals, and the council would never let anything like a bobcat in there. It is actually very very easy to pack with a little help from water. We built a jump of about 3 foot high, in half an hour. If its the right sands, its better than dirt

[asd]

And if it is the right sand, it will pass the snowball at the tree test.

[highflyerbmx]

Now that is helpful! Now all you need to do is tell people how to jump (pushing the front down and landing rite etc and telling them that the first time they jump they will most likely fly over the take off and land on the back wheel and not to et discouraged)

[asd]

Thanks^.

It is still being written. I'm going to add a couple more things, like jumping once I get some more time.

It will be done in less than a week though.. Maybe even sticky worthy seeing as half the articles in "Dirt Jumping" are "how do I start building jumps?"

[NEWRIDE]

Ok, I really need help here. I love riding dirt, but there's no place near me I can build anything. However, I recently found a nice large field several miles away from me where riders built some nice trails. I went to check them out a couple months ago when no one was there, and the the jumps look pretty big. Not any bigger then yours, but I haven't ridden dirt since I was 12 and they look damn scary. I ride street so I don't get much experience in launching transitions. So, how should I learn on these jumps? Should I just huck myself and hope to land? Starting small is not an option and I cant wait for the locals to laugh when I try and ride there this summer. Any suggestions?

Shit, I need to get medical insurance too now.

[asd]

I don't know what to say to you to be honost. lol. Is it like a set of jumps? if so, then try to find the smallest jump their, and do that one first. But if it is impossible to do only one, yeah your just going to have to huck it. Since your used to riding bmx already you should know how to fall, and how to get away from your bike and all that if you need to.
When you are hitting the jump, go with the transition. Don't lean to far back or to far forward. Then level out in mid air, and land smooth on the landing so that both tires hit the dirt at the same time.

Or what you could do, is just pedal up to the jump, hit it, and bail away from your bike in midair, and land on your feet on the landing just to get used to the transition and check your speed and stuff like that. Just make sure you land so you don't hurt yourself. (don't lock the knees) Sometimes when I bail midair, I land on my feet and then roll. It doesn't hurt as long as their isn't any rocks or anything.

But its just going to take guts to try it first time.

hope this helps, and
Good Luck!

[highflyerbmx]

^ yea asd got it in that one but just watch your ankles! if u land on one wrong after bailing you wont be riding for a while... but good job to you asd!