Bunny Hop

A bunny hop is a BMX trick where the rider lifts both wheels off the ground at the same time, using only body movement and timing. It needs no ramp, kicker or lip, and it is the base for almost every other trick in street and park riding. If you can hop high and level, you can clear gaps, reach ledges and rails, and set up spins and bar tricks.

Overview

The hop turns a rolling bike into a bike in the air. You compress the bike down, throw your weight back to lift the front wheel, then jump and pull forward to bring the rear wheel up. Done well, both wheels leave the ground and land together.

The bunny hop is the first thing worth drilling on a BMX. Height and control decide how far you can take barspins, tailwhips, spins and grinds, so time spent here pays back across your whole riding.

How to do it

Start on flat, smooth ground at a slow roll. Ride in a straight line with your pedals level, feet in the middle of the pedals, arms relaxed and knees slightly bent.

1. Get low. Crouch and push your chest toward the bars. Your arms and legs load like springs.
2. Pull the front end up. Drive your hips back and pull the bars toward your chest as you rise. The front wheel lifts first.
3. Jump. As the front wheel reaches its peak, spring upward and push your feet into the pedals.
4. Level out. Push the bars forward and away from you while you drag your feet forward and up. This brings the rear wheel off the ground and levels the bike.
5. Absorb the landing. Bend your arms and legs and aim to touch both wheels down at the same moment.

Practise over a painted line or a small stick first. Once you can clear it every time, raise the target little by little.

Where the lift comes from

New riders often think the legs do the work. In practice, the front wheel comes up from your hips and arms, and the rear wheel comes up from your feet dragging forward and the bars pushing away. Think of the trick as two separate movements that merge into one.

How high do pros hop?

Top street riders can hop onto ledges, rails and high obstacles that sit around waist height or higher. Contests and jams sometimes run a bunny hop high competition, where riders clear a bar that is raised after each round. Results depend on rider height, frame size and gearing, so there is no single figure that applies to everyone. What stays true across levels is that height comes from timing and a strong pull, not brute force.

Variations

• Hop to manual. Lift both wheels, then land the rear wheel first and roll into a manual. A good drill for balance.
• Fakie hop. Hop while rolling backwards. See fakie.
• Hop 180. Add a half turn in the air and land rolling fakie, or ride out. See 180.
• Barspin hop. Spin the bars during the hop. See barspin.
• Hop over a gap. Hop across a crack, a step or a gap between two obstacles.
• Hop up and over. Hop up to a ledge or hubba from flat, then land on the top or ride off the end.
• Tailwhip hop. Rotate the frame around the bars at the top. See tailwhip.

Common mistakes

• Leaning too far back. Pulling past balance flips you backwards. Keep your weight over the pedals.
• Skipping the rear wheel. If the back end stays down, you pulled the front wheel only. Drag your feet forward and push the bars away.
• Stiff legs. Locked knees mean a harsh landing and little height. Stay loose and flexible.
• Jumping too early. Jumping before the front wheel lifts creates a flat, low hop. Pull first, then jump.
• Looking down. Eyes on your target keep your hips and bars aligned.
• Wrong bike setup. Very low tyre pressure makes a flat landing feel worse. Check your tyres and make sure your handlebars and stem suit your height.

History

Hopping a bike is as old as riding one, so the exact origin is unknown and debated. In BMX it became a core skill as freestyle riding grew through the 1980s, and street riding later made hop height a measure of skill. For more on that era see freestyle BMX boom 1980s and rise of street riding.

Related tricks

• Manual
• 180
• Barspin
• Tailwhip
• Fakie