madnez

hi people
so i'm new to this forum and sorry if my english is bad, i just wanted to ask few questions because i just don't get it and it frustrates me like... ALOT xD
i'm a girl and i started with bmx 1 month ago and i tried bunnyhop alot of times and i don't get it what am i doing wrong. i can lift front wheel but i can't lift back wheel and my front wheel is only like half of second in air and it's just not enough time for me to ''think'' about back wheel and lifting it up. i've watched tons of videos on youtube how to do it, my friends showed me but i don't know what i'm doing wrong. when i try to jump, first step is that i've got bent arms and legs and then i pull front wheel and i'm stuck right here : https://www.bmx-zone.com/articlePic.php?id=321 if you understand what i'm trying to say... i can't pull bars to my legs and my stomach because my wheel is only half of second in air

Stuntex

you have time untill you'll get it.
just practice always.
i bought my new bike 2 weeks ago and i barely can bunny hop and when i succeed its like 20-30 cm only

Coprone

It's easier to first try on rear pegs, (if you have them) with these you mostly can just hold your legs on pegs & hold them to frame close as possible, then lift your front wheel up (it's easy as hell on rear pegs) & try to keep it up atleast for half a second. When the front wheel is up, pull up your legs (hold close to frame) & rotate your hands on grips to front a bit.

If you don't have rear pegs, then just try to get up your front wheel longer by being not on seat (ofc) & lean back with your body. If you can stay on rear wheel longer as you did, that's good. When your in air with front wheel, do same thing with hands & try pulling your legs up (not so much they'll fall off lol). No matter how heavy you have your bike, you can lift it.
It's quite hard to explain verbally, but I hope you got it (sort of). Try these tips & tell us did you archived anything

meanwhile

From wikipedia (because I am lazy):

The bunny hop is executed by approaching an obstacle with a medium rolling speed, arms and legs slightly bent. Upon reaching the obstacle, the rider first needs to shift their center of gravity towards the rear wheel of the bike and pull back on the handlebars, causing the front wheel to lift as if doing a manual. As the front wheel reaches maximum height, they 'scoop' up the rear of the bike by pointing their toes downwards and applying backwards and upwards force to the pedals, while pushing down and forward on the handlebars. It helps to think about the lifting of the back tire as snapping one's wrist forward and shifting their weight at the same time. The combination of these two motions allows the rider to first raise their centre of gravity, and then tuck the bike underneath them, to achieve greater ground clearance.

..It sounds to like the part in bold is where you're having problems. (I'm a poor hopper myself and that's the bit I struggled to even semi-master.)

zx108

How high you hop is based on how much you pull up your front wheel. If you only pull it up a little you'll be in the air for a second. You need to pull up harder and then scoop the pedals and push forward with your arms. At first pulling the wheel up is going to feel awkward. Ride down the street, 'pump' around, and send yourself off some curbs. Get your front wheel off the ground a bit so you feel more comfortable on the bike, trying to hold manuals and stuff. Once you get the feel of riding around, learning how to pull up off stuff and all that you'll feel more confident on the bike. So just cruise around and hop manhole covers, hop off curbs, onto curbs, until you can hop higher and higher.

Don't learn bunny hops on your back pegs its not the same idea as on pedals. However manuals are easy on back pegs and fun to do.

+how the post above this one says push down after your in the air, don't do that. Push up.

Bradleykd

This thread caught my attention on my way to the road bike forum, so forgive me for not ever posting in the BMX section before but when I was younger I had a hard time learning this too!

What I did:

Start with your pedals at 6 and 12 o'clock (one down and one up). Pedal hard about 1/4 turn until your feet are even while pulling up on the bars. This will get your front wheel a lot higher. Once you get the hang of getting the front wheel in the air, then it is time to work on the back. When you are comfortable with a high front wheel, you will have much more time to twist your hands forward and jump with your feet. Your bike should naturally follow.

It will take time to build the confidence and get over the fear of falling backwards when practicing for the front wheel, but that will all go away with time and once you start lifting the rear, there is no chance of going backwards! Now-a-days I can impress my old fogey friends by bunny-hopping a road bike into the back of my truck after a ride!

Good Luck!