An ultimate guide to freestyle motocross

Freestyle motocross, often referred to as freestyle MX, FMX or Moto X, is a discipline that appeared in the United Stated of America in 1990s and became extremely popular among thousands of bikers. This sport involves performing various stunts, such as jumping off the trampoline. This discipline has a lot of peculiarities. With that being said, let us get into the description of this sport.

Types of freestyle motocross

Freestyle motocross itself involves performing a particular program consisting of different stunts and elements. Sportsmen have approximately two minutes to show their abilities. It goes without saying that every sportsman desires to include as many elements as possible in the program. The number of them reaches 10 to 15 elements per performance. Usually professionals subdivide this discipline into five types of crosses. What are they?

1. The Best Trick Contest is usually held separately from the original competition. Its name speaks for itself. Such championships are spectacular because all sportsmen have two attempts to perform a particular stunt. Each element has its own basic value. The most valuable stunts are the newest ones, so if a sportsman invents a new stunt, he will probably receive the biggest number of points.
2. The Highest Air, or, as the Americans would say, the Step Up, is a competition that involves jumping through a plank. This plank determines the height of the jump. Whoever jumps higher than everyone else, becomes the winner of the competition.
3. The Best Whip Contest is a competition, which requires jumping and trying to perform the element called “Whip”. This element means that the bike is close to the horizontal position and is almost parallel to the ground when in the air.
4. The Speed and style, or, as the European would say, Race and style, is a championship, in which two sportsmen compete simultaneously. Not only do sportsmen do their best to cross the finish line as soon as possible, but also they try to perform the most difficult and stunning elements possible. To win the race, it is necessary to be much faster or to have a much more difficult program.
5. The Freeriding involves covering a distance in the mountains. Actually, this type of freestyle motocross is the best choice for those who want combine doing sports in the mountains and performing different stunts. This discipline is one of the most challenging varieties of freestyle motocross.

Bikes for freestyle motocross

It goes without saying that the qualification and the experience of a sportsman plays an important role and affects the success of the competition. Yet, the bike and its technical characteristics have a huge impact on the race as well. The best models for freestyle motocross are produced by Honda, Red Bull and other famous companies. Such a bike costs $5000 or even more. After buying a bike, it is necessary to tune it by attaching the handlebar to the frame with the help of a special clip, so that it should not break during the race.

An average freestyle motocross bike weights 90-95 kilograms. It should not be extremely fast since the discipline focuses on performing various stunts, so there is no need in modifying the engine. It is better to improve the suspension to make it more durable.

Stunts

As it was said earlier, there are many stunts, and sportsmen can invent new elements on their own. However, there are some basic moves that can be included in the program.

• “Backflip” is a basic element for a professional. It involves making a 1/1 turn when jumping.
• “Cordova” is a well-known move. A sportsman has to hold the handlebar with his or her legs and hands simultaneously. The back is bent. Usually this trick is added to the backflip.
• “Heart Attack” is an element, in which bikers hold the handlebar with one hand. Another hand touches the seat. The body should be stretched out fully upside down.
• “Cliffhanger” is the complete opposite to the “Heart Attack”. To perform this stunt, it is necessary to hold the handlebar with the feet while stretching out to the sky.
• “Can can” is very similar to the self-titled dance, but it is performed off the ground.
• “Body Arial” is a 1/1 turn above the bike. It is the most dangerous element in freestyle motocross because a sportsman has to be very concentrated.
• “Indian Air” is a rather simple element. It involves holding the handlebar and the seat with two hands and imitating walking in the air.
• “Oxecutioner” is an element, which requires holding the seat with one hand while touching the legs with another one.
• “Heel Clicker” involves putting the legs in the front and hitting the feet with each other.
• “Rock Solid” is the element that requires flying close to the bike without touching it.
• “Ruler” involves turning the bike upside down, holding the handlebar with both hands and hanging in the air in this position.
• “Stripper” involves holding the handlebar with both hands and one leg while stretching another leg.
• “Whip” was the very first element in this discipline. It involved jumping and trying to place the bike as promptly as possible. Nowadays, this element is rarely included in the programs since there is a separate competition for it.

It should be mentioned that these elements are rarely performed in their initial form. Each sportsman modifies them and makes them look different. Almost all these elements have up to 15 modifications. Sometimes they are changed so much that it can be hard to imagine what they originated from.

Judging

Several judges evaluate the value of each element performed by the sportsmen. There are five aspects that affect the success of the program. The technical aspect makes it possible to evaluate the accuracy of the stunts and judge whether they were performed correctly. The difficulty aspect is one of the most important because this is where sportsmen receive points for modifying the stunts and inventing new tricks. There are three more aspects that help to evaluate how spectacular, diverse and eye-catching the moves were.

Competitions

There are both international and national freestyle championships. The most important race is called “Red Bull X-Fighters”. It was the very first freestyle motocross event, which took place in the USA. Ever since then, this race has been held annually throughout 2001-2017. This event attracted a lot of sportsmen and awoke people’s interest in this discipline. The “Summer X Games” is another annual championship. It is held every summer and unites many extreme sports, including skateboarding and some other disciplines.

The “FIM Freestyle Motocross World Championship” is the official event that took place in 2006 for the first time. It consisted of a series of events, which ended up with the biggest and the most desirable race. Now this event remains as popular and attractive for sportsmen. This is one of the most massive events as well.

All in all, freestyle motocross is a captivating discipline, which attracts thousands of bikers. On the one hand, this sport is very dangerous, as it requires performing various stunts off the ground. On the other hand, those who train wisely and take their time to learn to perform these elements manage to win gold medals and get incredible emotions.