Mountain Biking - Tabletops?

i'm getting cool with bigger jumps now, and i can do all the small tircks,(one handers, x-ups, tailwhips, look backs) but i just cant get tabletops down. i either do a whip or an x-up, but never a table. i know its a combination of both, but i cant master it. any ideas?

I have the same problem.

I have only had it explained to me. Not much of an air person. You really have to bring your inside foot up, push your outside foot down and away and torque the bars you you push down on the outside and pull the inside towards your head. I have a couple of friends that can do them but they tend to be short and tiny so it is easy money.

The way I do them on a dirtbike is right when i feel the rear wheel leave the face I bring my inside foot out and up. Then you push down on the bars and push out with your outside foot. Its fairly simple once youve done one or two times. THis is the trick your talking about right?

Its the one where the bike looks like a moto-whip a bit but is actuall flat to the ground. It actually always remind me of how riders do a hip actually.

http://www.berlinbmx.de/fotos/2003-09-27--mellowpark/hannes_box-tabletop.jpg

Couldn't find a good one of a mountain bike (cho in vancouver does a killer one) but this works

Here's a pic of Brian Lopes doing one.

So its got to do with pushing with your feet? I always thought it was just your arms.

Ill try it next time i'm at the jump track.

I was always told is was both...

Damn there is some kid on the shore that can touch his shoulder with his wheel, I really wish I could find the pic. Almost folder in 2

So its got to do with pushing with your feet? I always thought it was just your arms.


The feet are what make the trick... otherwise you end up with a half x-up. I've always concentrated more on the pulling up of my bottom leg to bring the bike flat. You'll have to play with it to get it right.

One tip I read by Fuzzy Hall was to carve a little bit off the lip to put the bike halfway in the tabletop position when you take off. You end up landing a little off, that way, so make sure your landing isn't sketchy.

I can do those all day long...you all just suck! :D

I can do those all day long...you all just suck! :D
Is that one jump that last all day long :D

Is that one jump that last all day long :D
I'd so end up breaking my neck if I left the ground for more than 2 seconds

2 seconds is actually quite a bit of vertical height :|
Roughly 10 meters per second acceleration of gravity - 1 second to get up to 10 meters, 1 second to get down :P

If you landed badly, let alone on a flat surface, you'd probably get hurt pretty bad.. probably worse than a simple neck breaking :P

it took me a long time to get tables down and some would probably say I still suck at them.....:)

I do them differently depending on what way I lay the bike over. one way I use my arms more, the other way I use my back foot more. but I use my arms and legs for both, just more or less of one or the other, depending on what way I'm laying it over. (that probably makes no sense..)

I would suggest learning them on a hip or bank or quarter first instead of a strait jump like a tabletop or set of doubles. the reason is, when you turn around on say, a quarter pipe, your practicly doing a tabletop, just turn your bars a bit.
and of course, practice practice practice. try to think about what your doing while your doing it.

here is a picture of me from a million years ago.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v157/pnj666/pat_flat2.jpg

here is a picture of my friend from a few years back.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v157/pnj666/mark_table1Small.jpg