[BMXracer 107]

i started racing about a year and a half ago. i race 14 novice but the problem is that im small. i dont have the power that the kids in my class are putting down. so right now im trying to work on my technuiqe. we also change gears alot to get the right amount of "speed" for me. but i have no jump. any tips on the gates or what i should do with my gearing?

 

[Arkayne]

My dad built me my own starting gate. Practicing with my friends really helped my game.

Get comfy on the gate. Sit down, whistle a tune, take a hand off, just relax and loosen up your upper body. Don't look at your front wheel! Look forward down the track and your peripheral vision will take care of the rest.

Get that holeshot and knock your opponents over with your rear tire, like Bart Taylor. Hmmmm, you know who Bart is?

 

[BMXracer 107]

i built my own to i can sit on the gate an everything like you said but the power isnt there yet and yes i no who bart is. i can hold my own everywhere else but the first 30 ft is killin me!! lol

 

[Arkayne]

i built my own to i can sit on the gate an everything like you said but the power isnt there yet and yes i no who bart is. i can hold my own everywhere else but the first 30 ft is killin me!! lol

Looks like you are going to have to start playing some psychological warfare on those guys. Let them know that their tires suck, spokes are loose, they have a big pimple on their face or their kit doesn't match.

Other than that, strength training might be your best bet. Check out http://mtbstrengthcoach.com/

Biking specific workouts may be your savior. Build up that explosive power!

 

[pnj]

When I was your age I wrote to Stu Thompson and asked the same question. We didn't have the internets back then, so writing to pros was the only way...

He wrote back and someplace I still have that letter.... basically, he just said to pedal your balls off.

 

[Arkayne]

When I was your age I wrote to Stu Thompson and asked the same question. We didn't have the internets back then, so writing to pros was the only way...

I bought Greg Hill's BMX Skills Book

edit: daaaamn, that was published in 83. I'm old.

 

[BMXracer 107]

Thanx guys and thanx for that link, i think it might do some use for me! and the mind games sound fun. moowahahaha

 

[SuspectDevice]

Getting a good gate is all about leg speed. Don't chop wood! Run a smaller gear and shorter cranks and turn your gear over quickly. We all know the second pedal gets pull- when that second pedal comes quicker and the 3rd pedal comes quicker... Well, you get more pull.

Remember, power, the kind you measure in Watts is force times velocity. Yes, your limiting factor appears to be overall force production. There is an old saying, Race your strengths, train your weaknesses.

You can develop a greater capacity to apply force to the pedals by doing things like uphill sprints. Find a hill that you can hit from about 2mph that takes about 8-10 seconds to get up. Slay the damn thing, and make sure the hill is short enough that you can attack over the top and once again spin out that gear. 8-10 seconds for the hard part, and then another 2 or 3 seconds to spin out is about the right duration.
Start with two sets of 8, and quit when your form starts to deteriorate.

A few things you can do to improve your leg speed include doing 8-10 second seated sprints on the rollers and sprints from a rolling speed, about 2 mph until you are on top of the gear and keeping your legs spun out for a little bit.
2 sets of 8 are a good start. You can add more reps and more sets as you start getting stronger.
With any interval training quit before you are fully exhausted and loosing your form. Training past the point where you are loosing your form and working at peak power output doesn't help.

Mental skills are also important. Work on visualizing good starts before bed- watch the cadence of the lights like a hawk while you are waiting to race. Make sure your mind has the cadence down. Being psyched up and confident when you get into the gate, and just a little bit nervous is the right mindset to really slay the snap.

I'm a lightweight skinny dude, but I can pull A pros fairly regularly out of the gate and beat national champion road sprinters in a 15 second sprint from a dead start They have better track skills than me, so I'm stuck in Expert and Cat2 on the road.
Get out there and move your legs over, and get smooth as hell on the track. The roadies have much better aerobic fitness. I can't get anywhere near the front of the race when it counts to unleash my sprint. Heck, I can't even ride fast enough (about 35-40mph) to get to the sprint. In endurace racing it is all about how well you can turn oxygen into energy. In bmx it's all about how much energy is stored in your muscles, how well you can transfer that energy into the pedals and how quickly you can turn the pedals over.

(disclaimer- I used to coach full time for a living and have all sorts of fancy degrees in this stuff. That mtb strength coach guy knows a ton about strength- but his understanding of the specifics of BMX racing may be a little cloud. Make sure your primary focus is on riding bikes, especially at this point in your development.)

 

[BMXracer 107]

thanks for all the help, hust what i needed to hear. Cant wait to hit the track now!!!

 

[nick hop]

if your like me just forget about the gate starts and pass them down the second striate.
i am in the 19 to 27 x class and still race "flats". i dont like clips.

i also built my own frame at the place where i work. so the bike fits me perfectly.

 

[ZoRo]

Getting a good gate is all about leg speed. Don't chop wood! Run a smaller gear and shorter cranks and turn your gear over quickly. We all know the second pedal gets pull- when that second pedal comes quicker and the 3rd pedal comes quicker... Well, you get more pull.

Remember, power, the kind you measure in Watts is force times velocity. Yes, your limiting factor appears to be overall force production. There is an old saying, Race your strengths, train your weaknesses.

You can develop a greater capacity to apply force to the pedals by doing things like uphill sprints. Find a hill that you can hit from about 2mph that takes about 8-10 seconds to get up. Slay the damn thing, and make sure the hill is short enough that you can attack over the top and once again spin out that gear. 8-10 seconds for the hard part, and then another 2 or 3 seconds to spin out is about the right duration.
Start with two sets of 8, and quit when your form starts to deteriorate.

A few things you can do to improve your leg speed include doing 8-10 second seated sprints on the rollers and sprints from a rolling speed, about 2 mph until you are on top of the gear and keeping your legs spun out for a little bit.
2 sets of 8 are a good start. You can add more reps and more sets as you start getting stronger.
With any interval training quit before you are fully exhausted and loosing your form. Training past the point where you are loosing your form and working at peak power output doesn't help.

Mental skills are also important. Work on visualizing good starts before bed- watch the cadence of the lights like a hawk while you are waiting to race. Make sure your mind has the cadence down. Being psyched up and confident when you get into the gate, and just a little bit nervous is the right mindset to really slay the snap.

I'm a lightweight skinny dude, but I can pull A pros fairly regularly out of the gate and beat national champion road sprinters in a 15 second sprint from a dead start They have better track skills than me, so I'm stuck in Expert and Cat2 on the road.
Get out there and move your legs over, and get smooth as hell on the track. The roadies have much better aerobic fitness. I can't get anywhere near the front of the race when it counts to unleash my sprint. Heck, I can't even ride fast enough (about 35-40mph) to get to the sprint. In endurace racing it is all about how well you can turn oxygen into energy. In bmx it's all about how much energy is stored in your muscles, how well you can transfer that energy into the pedals and how quickly you can turn the pedals over.

(disclaimer- I used to coach full time for a living and have all sorts of fancy degrees in this stuff. That mtb strength coach guy knows a ton about strength- but his understanding of the specifics of BMX racing may be a little cloud. Make sure your primary focus is on riding bikes, especially at this point in your development.)

Great writeup!

I would add that gate technique is pretty crucial. Your form, pedal placement, thrust, etc... Gates aren't the easiest skill to get down, but as with anything, practice the most you can.

Yeti Cycles has a good tutorial on how to gate with one of the best in the buisness, Graves.

Good luck!