Footplant

A footplant is a BMX trick where the rider takes one foot off a pedal, plants it on the ground, a ramp deck, coping or another obstacle, and uses that foot to push off, hop or turn before putting it back on the pedal. It is one of the oldest freestyle moves and still turns up in street, park and ramp riding.

Overview

The idea is simple. Your planted foot becomes a third point of contact, a bit like a kickstand you can push from. That push can lift the bike higher, turn it around, or carry it onto or off an obstacle.

Footplants show up in a few common forms:

• Flat footplant. On flat ground, the rider plants a foot and hops or spins the bike around it.
• Ramp footplant. On a quarter pipe, the rider rides up, plants a foot on the coping or deck, and drops back in.
• Wall footplant. The rider plants a foot on a wall, often while the bike is near or on the wall, and pushes away.
• Obstacle footplant. A foot goes on a ledge, box or bench to boost the bike up or over something.

Because the rider has one foot on solid ground, a footplant can feel safer than many tricks. The hard part is timing: the foot has to come off, land, push and return to the pedal in one smooth move.

How to do it

Start on flat ground at walking pace. Wear a helmet and shoes with good grip.

1. Roll slowly. Keep the cranks level, with your planting foot on the leading or obstacle side.
2. Take the foot off. Lift the planting foot off its pedal while the other foot stays down and steady.
3. Plant it. Put the foot flat on the ground, slightly ahead of and beside the bike. Bend that knee.
4. Push. Push down and slightly up through the planted foot. Lift the bike with your arms and the other leg at the same time.
5. Move the bike. For a basic footplant, simply hop the bike forward. For a footplant 180, turn the bars and hips as you push so the bike swings around the planted foot.
6. Return the foot. Bring the foot back to the pedal before or as the wheels land. Ride away.

Taking it to a ramp

On a quarter pipe, ride up with moderate speed. Near the top, lift your planting foot off the pedal, plant it on the coping or the edge of the deck, and push yourself back into the transition. Many riders turn the bike as they push, so they come back in forwards. Others drop back in fakie. Start on a small ramp with a wide deck.

Footplant and footjam

The two names sound alike, so they get mixed up.

	Footplant	Footjam
Where the foot goes	Ground, wall, deck, coping or obstacle	On the front tyre, against the fork crown
What it does	Pushes the bike up, over or around	Stops or holds the front wheel
Common follow-ups	180s, drop-ins, wall plants	Footjam tailwhip, footjam endo moves

Both are foot tricks, and both teach you to move a foot off the pedal without losing the bike. That is why riders often learn them around the same time.

Variations

• Footplant 180. Plant, push and swing the bike 180 degrees. See 180.
• Wall footplant. Plant a foot on a wall and push off. It pairs naturally with a wallride.
• Double footplant. Both feet come off and plant at once, usually on a deck or a ledge. Names for this vary.
• Footplant to fakie. Plant on the coping and roll back in backwards.
• Footplant barspin. Plant, push and spin the bars before landing. See barspin.
• Combined taps. Some riders link a footplant with a tyre tap on a wall or deck.

Common mistakes

• Planting too far from the bike. A wide plant pulls the bike off balance. Keep the foot close.
• Locked knee. A straight leg cannot push. Land the foot with a bent knee.
• Slow return. If your foot is not back on the pedal when the wheels land, you can lose control or catch a pedal on your shin.
• Looking at your foot. Look where the bike is going.
• Slippery surface. Wet or dusty concrete can make the planted foot slide. Pick a dry spot.
• Pedal strikes. The free pedal can spin and hit your leg. Shin guards help while learning.

History

Footplants come from the early freestyle era, when riders were working out ramp and flatland moves in the late 1970s and 1980s. Similar moves exist in skateboarding (the boneless and footplant family), and BMX and skate riders shared ramps and ideas at the time. Who first did a footplant on a BMX is not recorded with any certainty, so this page does not credit one rider.

The trick stayed popular through the freestyle boom. It became less of a focus as street riding moved toward pegs and grinds, but footplants still turn up regularly in creative and old school influenced riding.

Related tricks

• Footjam tailwhip
• One-footer
• Wallride
• Tyre tap
• Fufanu