Skipping tutorial
02-05-08 | 10:27 PM
#28
affix pistol bayonets!
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 252
Likes: 0
From: Milwaukee
Bikes: Early-Mid 80's Peugeot Super Competition, 1981 Basso, Mid-80's Peugeot Course
Skip stops: get off your bike. Have one foot in front of the other and try to jump 6 inches forward without bending your knees. This is the same motion you use to unweight the rear wheel / "skip" while the pedals are at 3 and 9 o clock. Learn it with both feet forward, than learn it with your feet at different positions than 3 and 9 o clock.
02-05-08 | 10:35 PM
#29
70mm4$!n!
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 1,757
Likes: 0
From: DC
Bikes: Sworks E5, ritte Bosberg
Jumping rope is a very good calorie burner and is also a fun playground activity. You can have a total body workout without leaving home and without the feeling you are actually exercising. It develops excellent footwork and coordination and also gives a very efficient cardiovascular workout and muscle toning. Before you get in over your head, work on your skills with these tips.
Steps
Solo Jumping
Choose a rope appropriate to your size. With the rope folded in half, it should reach up nearly to your shoulders. It also helps if the rope isn't too light.
Grab the jump rope by its ends, or the handles, one hand for each handle.
Put the jump rope behind your back and let the loop hang behind your feet.
Throw the jump rope over your head and when it meets your feet, jump over it.
Repeat and see how long you can do it without tripping up. As you practice, you will get better at timing. It might help to do a small hop in between jumps, count jumps, or chant a verse. As you learn to move the rope faster, the in-between hop will become unnecessary.
Tricks
Try some tricks. When you get better at jumping rope forwards, try going backwards. Start with the rope in front of your feet and throw it over your head to the back. Jump over it when it reaches your feet again.
Try crossing your arms in front of you and then do some jumps. Also known as the "Criss-Cross" trick. It takes practice with the timing, but you can get to where you alternate between crossed and uncrossed. If you're having a hard time, let someone else show you how to do it.
Attempt the "Side-swing". This is a trick which consists of folding the rope in half, then holding it with one or both hands and swinging it.
Do several tricks together. If you're feeling adventurous, you might like to try making up a routine using one or two tricks.
As a Group
Choose a longer rope. With the turners a comfortable distance apart, it should still go over the head of the jumper easily.
To get started, stand between the turners. Face one of them and place the rope to the right or left of your feet. Have them throw the rope over your head, and jump when it reaches your other side. Get the rhythm of this jumping before moving on.
Try running into the turning rope. It takes some timing, but it can be done. If you would like to try a trick, think of it before you run in.
Tell the turners what you want them to do, so that they will know instead of messing you up. Run into the rope first, and jump for a few turns to get the rhythm, then move on to the trick.
Try running back out of the rope to give somebody else a turn. Take the next step and try double dutch, with two ropes turning in opposite directions!
Tips
Try to keep your eyes on only one thing. This will help you focus more and helps you to keep your balance. You can judge where the rope is without looking directly at it.
Agree on non-verbal signs with the turners. For example, if you want to go faster, then clap your hands twice and to go more slowly, clap once.
Pretend you're jogging in the rope.
Try to jump with an even rhythm, if you need to, listen to some music while jumping.
Get comfortable with the basics before you try some tricks.
Have your rope light-weight and/or adjustable.
Start out with a rope. The better that you become, move onto a speed jump rope, as this weighs more, meaning that it will be less affected by the wind and can go faster than a normal rope.
Take small jumps, it will save your energy and you will be able to jump for longer. Good jump ropers take such small steps that you can't see their feet moving.
Consider going to or starting a Jump-Rope Club! A Jump-Rope Club is for people who meet once or twice a week to jump rope because they enjoy doing it.
Keep your heels off the ground, stay on your toes. Use your ankles as a spring action...this eliminates your feet from smacking the ground hard.
Warnings
A speed rope swung very fast can sting. Start slowly.
You may get tripped by the rope, be sure to jump where the landing is soft enough that you probably won't get hurt.
Choose an open area to jump rope and be aware of who and what is around you to avoid whipping someone.
Steps
Solo Jumping
Choose a rope appropriate to your size. With the rope folded in half, it should reach up nearly to your shoulders. It also helps if the rope isn't too light.
Grab the jump rope by its ends, or the handles, one hand for each handle.
Put the jump rope behind your back and let the loop hang behind your feet.
Throw the jump rope over your head and when it meets your feet, jump over it.
Repeat and see how long you can do it without tripping up. As you practice, you will get better at timing. It might help to do a small hop in between jumps, count jumps, or chant a verse. As you learn to move the rope faster, the in-between hop will become unnecessary.
Tricks
Try some tricks. When you get better at jumping rope forwards, try going backwards. Start with the rope in front of your feet and throw it over your head to the back. Jump over it when it reaches your feet again.
Try crossing your arms in front of you and then do some jumps. Also known as the "Criss-Cross" trick. It takes practice with the timing, but you can get to where you alternate between crossed and uncrossed. If you're having a hard time, let someone else show you how to do it.
Attempt the "Side-swing". This is a trick which consists of folding the rope in half, then holding it with one or both hands and swinging it.
Do several tricks together. If you're feeling adventurous, you might like to try making up a routine using one or two tricks.
As a Group
Choose a longer rope. With the turners a comfortable distance apart, it should still go over the head of the jumper easily.
To get started, stand between the turners. Face one of them and place the rope to the right or left of your feet. Have them throw the rope over your head, and jump when it reaches your other side. Get the rhythm of this jumping before moving on.
Try running into the turning rope. It takes some timing, but it can be done. If you would like to try a trick, think of it before you run in.
Tell the turners what you want them to do, so that they will know instead of messing you up. Run into the rope first, and jump for a few turns to get the rhythm, then move on to the trick.
Try running back out of the rope to give somebody else a turn. Take the next step and try double dutch, with two ropes turning in opposite directions!
Tips
Try to keep your eyes on only one thing. This will help you focus more and helps you to keep your balance. You can judge where the rope is without looking directly at it.
Agree on non-verbal signs with the turners. For example, if you want to go faster, then clap your hands twice and to go more slowly, clap once.
Pretend you're jogging in the rope.
Try to jump with an even rhythm, if you need to, listen to some music while jumping.
Get comfortable with the basics before you try some tricks.
Have your rope light-weight and/or adjustable.
Start out with a rope. The better that you become, move onto a speed jump rope, as this weighs more, meaning that it will be less affected by the wind and can go faster than a normal rope.
Take small jumps, it will save your energy and you will be able to jump for longer. Good jump ropers take such small steps that you can't see their feet moving.
Consider going to or starting a Jump-Rope Club! A Jump-Rope Club is for people who meet once or twice a week to jump rope because they enjoy doing it.
Keep your heels off the ground, stay on your toes. Use your ankles as a spring action...this eliminates your feet from smacking the ground hard.
Warnings
A speed rope swung very fast can sting. Start slowly.
You may get tripped by the rope, be sure to jump where the landing is soft enough that you probably won't get hurt.
Choose an open area to jump rope and be aware of who and what is around you to avoid whipping someone.
02-05-08 | 10:37 PM
#31
70mm4$!n!
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 1,757
Likes: 0
From: DC
Bikes: Sworks E5, ritte Bosberg
02-06-08 | 12:54 PM
#33
Yes This is my Arm...
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 67
Likes: 0
From: California one of 925's Finest
Bikes: I have a really old road bike i want to build into a fixie then i have a bmx bike a terribleone
it's all in your legs, feet, and hands. weight transfer will determine how fast you stop and how easy it is to hold the skid.
the skids that people tell you to do with your nuts on the stem are pointless except for show. they don't slow you down much at all.
to actually use a skid to stop to slow you down you need your weight back by your seat and you're gonna have to use lots of leg muscle to stop the wheel.
you want both legs bent a little like an aggressive sporting type stance...
you use your back foot to keep the pedal from rotating forward, push forward on your bars some to help get more power into your back foot and pull up on the strap with your front foot. don't worry about trying to hold this for a long distance. it doesn't matter. just hold it for a second or two and then relax your legs, the pedals will bring your feet around and you can do the same thing in a half pedal rotation with the other foot forward or you can wait a full rotation do it again with the same foot forward. as you get stronger you can hold the skid longer and stop faster. once again, your weight is still mainly on the back wheel. remember to use your hands to push on your bars, it will help. your front and back feet should work together to almost act like you are trying to pedal in reverse.
the skids that people tell you to do with your nuts on the stem are pointless except for show. they don't slow you down much at all.
to actually use a skid to stop to slow you down you need your weight back by your seat and you're gonna have to use lots of leg muscle to stop the wheel.
you want both legs bent a little like an aggressive sporting type stance...
you use your back foot to keep the pedal from rotating forward, push forward on your bars some to help get more power into your back foot and pull up on the strap with your front foot. don't worry about trying to hold this for a long distance. it doesn't matter. just hold it for a second or two and then relax your legs, the pedals will bring your feet around and you can do the same thing in a half pedal rotation with the other foot forward or you can wait a full rotation do it again with the same foot forward. as you get stronger you can hold the skid longer and stop faster. once again, your weight is still mainly on the back wheel. remember to use your hands to push on your bars, it will help. your front and back feet should work together to almost act like you are trying to pedal in reverse.
02-06-08 | 01:03 PM
#34
Lamb of God
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 447
Likes: 0
02-06-08 | 02:21 PM
#35
Raving looney
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 2,482
Likes: 0
From: Toronto, ON, Canada
Bikes: 70s Leader Precision w/Shimano 600 (road), IRO Rob Roy (Fixed)
I think it's been implied already, but for those new to skid/skip stops - you do NOT need clips/straps/clipless pedals? I'm currently running platforms and I've been able to skid on snow (surprise, surprise) regular asphalt is still really tricky for me - and I'm only running 66GI (my legs are reasonably strong) - it's all in the weight transfer/technique?
No, I'm not riding anywhere crazy with platforms - it's a temp. setup and it frankly half-disgusts/scares the crap outta me.
No, I'm not riding anywhere crazy with platforms - it's a temp. setup and it frankly half-disgusts/scares the crap outta me.
02-06-08 | 09:31 PM
#37
Senior Member
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 134
Likes: 0
From: Toronto, Canada
Bikes: small Alpha Mercury with flatbar
Before you learn to skid, decide what skid you're learning to do. That's probably where a lot of the confusion comes from....
Skidding without clips:
Since you can only apply downstrokes without clips, you skid by pushing BACK on your back pedal with your back foot. The front foot is just for control. When your strong foot is at the bottom of its pedalstroke, START pushing back and down against it. Pushing won't be nearly enough to stop the wheel, so don't kill yourself. but you should start to bleed torque from your cranks and get ready for...
Locking your leg! When your back pedal STARTS to come up, lean forward and try to lock your leg when the pedal is farthest from the handlebars--in other words, between 4 and 5 o'clock (from the left side.) This way, there should be a straight line from your foot to your pelvis--which should be making contact with your handlebars. In other words your entire leg should be straight. The pedals will throw you forward until this happens. The handlebar is for your leg to brace against. Picture throwing a stick between your handle bar and the back pedal as it comes up. If you use the stick to push back on the pedals, it won't work. But if you jam it against something fixed--the handlebars, then the wheels will lock.
This is pretty useless for actual stopping. This is for drifting around the road like an ass or just coasting while you decide what to do. It's super fun on hills and after riding brakeless with no clips, you caaan use it to stop but you have to bank the bike really hard and basically hockey-stop for it to be useful at all.
CLIPPED-IN SKIDS
Wayyyy harder to do the first time, since you're actually muscling the pedals backwards instead of letting a fixed object--your straight leg--jam them. Since you can use an up AND downstroke with clips, both of your feet will be involved!
It starts kind of like not-clipped in skids. When your strong foot is at the bottom of its downstroke, start pushing back and down, but before it gets as high as you let it when skidding on platforms, lean BACK and pull UP with your front foot as hard as you can. Twisting your hips and turning the bike a bit to the direction of your pulling up foot doesn't just look cool, it will help you break traction easier.
For me, my legs don't lock when I do this kind of skid. I'm ever so slooowly pedalling backwards, because just resisting will make you tired but pedalling backwards is actually an easier motion for your legs. You can only backpedal until about 12 o'clock and 12 o'clock before you don't have the posture to keep the wheel stopped and your wheels will start moving again. I pull up until my knee is bending and then I can't pull up anymore, and then I start pedalling again. Make this motion really slow for long skids and make the revolution fast for quick (actually effective) skids.
Will provide pics of each skid and the posture required for each!
BTW, what's this idea that you need clips to be safe on a fixed-gear bike? Unless your feet fall off on a freewheel, they're not going to slip on a fixed bike. I was reading an old roadie book and Greg Lemond thinks it's really dangerous to get out of the saddle without having clips--what nonsense is this?
Skidding without clips:
Since you can only apply downstrokes without clips, you skid by pushing BACK on your back pedal with your back foot. The front foot is just for control. When your strong foot is at the bottom of its pedalstroke, START pushing back and down against it. Pushing won't be nearly enough to stop the wheel, so don't kill yourself. but you should start to bleed torque from your cranks and get ready for...
Locking your leg! When your back pedal STARTS to come up, lean forward and try to lock your leg when the pedal is farthest from the handlebars--in other words, between 4 and 5 o'clock (from the left side.) This way, there should be a straight line from your foot to your pelvis--which should be making contact with your handlebars. In other words your entire leg should be straight. The pedals will throw you forward until this happens. The handlebar is for your leg to brace against. Picture throwing a stick between your handle bar and the back pedal as it comes up. If you use the stick to push back on the pedals, it won't work. But if you jam it against something fixed--the handlebars, then the wheels will lock.
This is pretty useless for actual stopping. This is for drifting around the road like an ass or just coasting while you decide what to do. It's super fun on hills and after riding brakeless with no clips, you caaan use it to stop but you have to bank the bike really hard and basically hockey-stop for it to be useful at all.
CLIPPED-IN SKIDS
Wayyyy harder to do the first time, since you're actually muscling the pedals backwards instead of letting a fixed object--your straight leg--jam them. Since you can use an up AND downstroke with clips, both of your feet will be involved!
It starts kind of like not-clipped in skids. When your strong foot is at the bottom of its downstroke, start pushing back and down, but before it gets as high as you let it when skidding on platforms, lean BACK and pull UP with your front foot as hard as you can. Twisting your hips and turning the bike a bit to the direction of your pulling up foot doesn't just look cool, it will help you break traction easier.
For me, my legs don't lock when I do this kind of skid. I'm ever so slooowly pedalling backwards, because just resisting will make you tired but pedalling backwards is actually an easier motion for your legs. You can only backpedal until about 12 o'clock and 12 o'clock before you don't have the posture to keep the wheel stopped and your wheels will start moving again. I pull up until my knee is bending and then I can't pull up anymore, and then I start pedalling again. Make this motion really slow for long skids and make the revolution fast for quick (actually effective) skids.
Will provide pics of each skid and the posture required for each!
BTW, what's this idea that you need clips to be safe on a fixed-gear bike? Unless your feet fall off on a freewheel, they're not going to slip on a fixed bike. I was reading an old roadie book and Greg Lemond thinks it's really dangerous to get out of the saddle without having clips--what nonsense is this?
02-07-08 | 02:12 PM
#39
Me too
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 7
Likes: 0
From: Right Here
All you really got to do is to put one of your feet across the backtire and apply some force, depending on need. Platforms are best for this kind of braking. Another method might be to put one of your hands along the top of the fronttire. Need gloves for that.
02-07-08 | 11:59 PM
#40
Thread Starter
Senior Member
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 692
Likes: 6
Sorry I didn't keep up with this thread. I now can skid to my little hearts content, and am having fun getting better and better. I definitely agree that skidding is more natural than skipping. Mostly, for me the trick in learning was watching some youtube videos and having a nice large, traffic-less parking lot to practice in. Thanks for all the tips, guys!
-Steve
-Steve
02-08-08 | 12:29 AM
#41
Post-modern sleaze
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 259
Likes: 0
From: Boulder, CO
Bikes: Fuji fixed, Browning fixed, MTB
Look up videos of people skidding on youtube. I think there is/was a video thread floating around on here too. That'll probably make it a little easier to visualize.
Also, try it on wet pavement, or gravel, or a bit of snow. That'll give you the feeling, and once you get used to that it'll be easier to do it on dry pavement.
Edit: Hah, now I feel like a jerk for not reading page 2. Glad you worked it out.
Also, try it on wet pavement, or gravel, or a bit of snow. That'll give you the feeling, and once you get used to that it'll be easier to do it on dry pavement.
Edit: Hah, now I feel like a jerk for not reading page 2. Glad you worked it out.
02-08-08 | 03:12 PM
#43
prolly is not probably
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 1,117
Likes: 0
From: brooklyn | NYC
02-08-08 | 05:55 PM
#44
lifewaster.
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 980
Likes: 1
From: Georgia.
skipping isn't a beginer thing. learn to skid first. skid by pulling up with one foot and pushing equaly as hard with the other to lock the wheel so it is strong enough to break friction with the road, lean forward to take your body weight off the back tire and put it more on the front.
if you still can't get it hose down your driveway and try there but don't die skidding on waters easy to eat **** on.
if you still can't get it hose down your driveway and try there but don't die skidding on waters easy to eat **** on.
09-10-08 | 05:46 PM
#45
Junior Member
Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 20
Likes: 0
From: SLC
Bikes: Bianchi, Felt, SenderoLuminoso
skidding is not really for stopping, more killing off speed very slowly and for being "fancy."
skpping really slows you own quick. if your bombing a hill, you gotta be able to do it with both feet, very quickly.
skpping really slows you own quick. if your bombing a hill, you gotta be able to do it with both feet, very quickly.
09-10-08 | 05:51 PM
#46
8 Full Hours of Sleep
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 640
Likes: 0
From: Hayward, CA
Bikes: IRO Mark V, Yeti 575, Italvega Nuovo Sport
09-11-08 | 01:51 AM
#47
Senior Member
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 97
Likes: 0
From: SLC
Bikes: Bianchi Pista 08. Felt f80.
10-13-08 | 02:54 PM
#49
:)
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 3,391
Likes: 1
From: duluth
Bikes: '07 Pista, '09 Fantom Cross Uno, '8? Miyata, '67 Stingray, '0? Zoo mod trials, Tallbike, Chopper, '73 Schwinn Collegiate, '67 Triumph Chopper, '69 CB350, '58 BSA Spitfire, '73 CB450
Front brake helps to learn too. Hit brake a bit and lock up legs. Work towards control with rear wheel only.
Seriously, if you can't do a panic stop at speed, run one.
Seriously, if you can't do a panic stop at speed, run one.
