The tailwhip is probably one of the hardest tricks you will come across to dial and add to your trick bag. I have been riding for about four years and have only landed my first one this May. There are so many techniques you will find for doing the tailwhip, but I think almost every riders first attempt, you will jump of the bike, give it a good old boot, and land on your feet right off the back of the bike.

The worst thing you can do while learning the tailwhip is getting into your head just to get you outside leg over the bike. It is the worst habit to get into as it will never work and is extremely hard to stop yourself doing it.

The easiest way I find to do it, and also the way I learnt it, is to firstly approach a ramp at a decent speed as if you were to get around three to four foot air. I think it’s also better to learn out of a quarter pipe, on to the top of a deck or flat land rather than over a gap or jump box.

I try to stay on the bike and both feet on the pedals until both wheels are clearly off the ramp. Once your up and the bike is level I take my right foot off and let it drift behind me and give the bike a slight nudge with my left foot. (when I tailwhip I rotate the bike anti clockwise, so if you find you natural rotation is the other way, just reverse these instructions).

You’ll find the harder your kick the bike, yes the quicker the bike will rotate, but it is a lot harder to control and stay on top off, and will also be a lot harder to find both pedals. I try and keep most of the body movement in my arms and shoulders. This way the bike stays underneath you and a lot more in your control. The bike will rotate a lot slower but it gives you more time to watch the pedals and place your feet on to them with control.

This trick is great once you have it dialed. You can throw in variations like clicking your feet together, mid-whip, or scissor kicking them giving it an Indian air look. You can also adapt it to other tricks you already have like 360’s or back flip’s.