BMX Discipline
Park
Park BMX is the discipline of riding skateparks, linking airs and tricks across ramps, bowls and box jumps, and is the format used in most major contests.
Updated 4 min read968 words
Park is the BMX discipline of riding skateparks: quarter pipes, spines, hips, box jumps, bowls and wall rides built from concrete or timber. It combines the airs of vert with the technical tricks of street and is the format used by nearly every major contest, including the Olympic Games.
What it is
Park riding is about using transition to generate height and speed, then linking tricks across a course. A typical run might go from a quarter pipe air into a spine transfer, over a box jump and into a wall ride, all in under a minute. The rider is judged on difficulty, variety, use of the course, amplitude and how clean the landings are.
Park sits between two older disciplines. It took its airs and transition skills from vert, which was dominant in the 1980s and 1990s. It took its spins, grinds and bar tricks from street, which exploded in the 2000s. As public skateparks spread through the 1990s and 2000s, park became the discipline most riders actually practised day to day.
Contest park is sometimes split from everyday skatepark riding. Contest courses are large, fast and built to a formula, while local parks vary enormously. A rider who grows up in a small concrete bowl develops a very different style from one raised on a foam pit and resi ramp.
Where it is ridden
Park is ridden in:
- Public skateparks: council-built concrete parks are the backbone of the discipline worldwide. Australia has an unusually high number per head of population.
- Indoor parks: timber ramp parks with Skatelite or plywood surfaces. These matter most in wet climates such as the UK and northern Europe.
- Training facilities: parks with foam pits and resi landings where riders learn flips and spins safely.
- Contest courses: temporary builds for events like X Games, FISE and the Olympics.
Many parks now include a street plaza alongside the transition section, which blurs the line between park and street riding.
Typical bike setup
Park bikes are close to street bikes but tuned for speed and flow rather than grinding.
| Part | Typical choice | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Frame | 20.5 to 21 inch top tube, 75 to 75.5 degree head angle | Slightly shorter than street for quick spins in the air |
| Weight | 9.5 to 11 kg complete | Lighter bikes are easier to whip and flip |
| Rear hub | Cassette | Instant engagement for pumping transition |
| Brakes | None, or rear brake with a gyro | Brakeless for spins; a gyro allows bar spins with a brake |
| Pegs | Zero to two | Fewer pegs save weight; some run two for rail tricks |
| Tyres | 2.2 to 2.4 inch, 80 to 100 psi | Firm tyres roll fast on smooth surfaces, see BMX tyre pressure |
| Bars | 9 to 9.5 inch rise | Taller bars help with control on big airs |
| Gearing | 25 to 28 tooth with 9 tooth driver | Fast enough to pump a course without pedalling |
See frame geometry for how length and angles affect handling.
Key tricks and skills
The core park skill is pumping: using the body to gain speed through transition without pedalling. Once a rider can pump, airs follow. Key tricks include:
- Airs and grabs: straight airs, tabletops, can-cans and no-handers.
- Spins: 360s and 540s on quarter pipes, and 180s with fakie rolls back into the transition.
- Whips and bars: the tailwhip and barspin are standard, often combined with spins.
- Flips: the backflip and the flair, a backflip with a 180 done on a quarter pipe.
- Transfers: using a hip or spine to move between ramps.
- Grinds and stalls: on coping and sub boxes, see feeble grind and icepick grind.
- Flyouts: a flyout from a quarter pipe onto a deck is where many riders learn their first spins and bar tricks.
A good park rider also reads lines. Knowing which ramp feeds into which, and how to carry speed around a course, is as important as the tricks themselves.
Culture and media
Park has been the public face of BMX since the 1990s. Dave Mirra and Ryan Nyquist became household names through X Games park contests. Dew Tour and FISE built global series around the format. Simple Session in Estonia became the riders' favourite because of its creative course design and relaxed judging.
The biggest change came in 2017 when the UCI brought BMX freestyle park into its world championships, and then in 2021 when it debuted at the Tokyo Olympics. Logan Martin won the first men's gold and Charlotte Worthington of Great Britain the first women's gold, with Hannah Roberts of the United States taking silver. See Olympic BMX freestyle and UCI BMX World Championships.
Olympic inclusion brought funding, national teams and coaching to a discipline that had been mostly self-taught. It also brought debate. Some riders worry that contest park is drifting away from the culture that created it. Others point to riders like Chase Hawk and Kevin Peraza, who are respected for style as much as results, as proof that park can stay true to its roots.
In media, park appears constantly in web edits and contest broadcasts, but it has fewer landmark full-length videos than street. Mirra's sections in late 1990s videos and the Props contest coverage are the closest thing to a canon.
How to get started
- Find a local skatepark with a small quarter pipe and a mellow bank.
- Learn to roll in and pump a quarter pipe. Start low and work up to the coping.
- Learn to bunny hop and manual on flat ground.
- Learn a flyout air, then a 180 flyout.
- Learn x-ups and small airs on the quarter pipe before trying spins.
- Wear a helmet. Most parks require it and every serious park rider wears one.
How to start riding BMX and what size BMX bike do I need cover the basics.
Related
Frequently asked questions about Park
What is the difference between park and street BMX?
Park is ridden on purpose-built ramps in skateparks and is the main contest format. Street is ridden on urban architecture and is judged mostly through video. Many riders do both and the bikes are nearly identical.
Is BMX park in the Olympics?
Yes. BMX freestyle park made its Olympic debut at the Tokyo 2020 Games, held in 2021. Logan Martin of Australia won the first men's gold medal.
Do I need a special bike for park riding?
No. A standard 20 inch freestyle BMX works. Park riders tend to prefer lighter builds and many remove their brakes, but a stock complete bike is fine to start with.
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