How Building MTB Jumps Can Improve Your Jumping
Can building your own MTB jumps improve your jumping skills? Learn how shaping takeoffs, understanding transitions, and gradual progression helped me.
SKILLSBLOG
11/1/20267 min read
How Building Your Own MTB Jumps Can Improve Your Jumping Skills
When it comes to improving your mountain bike jumping skills, most people think about spending more time riding jumps. And while practice is important, there's another activity that has helped me improve my jumping over the years: building my own jumps. I've spent a lot of time building and riding jumps, and one thing I've learned is that digging can teach you quite a bit about how jumps work. From understanding different takeoff transitions to gradually progressing to bigger jumps, there's a lot you can learn from building something yourself.
Now, I'm not saying building jumps will automatically make you a better jumper. You'll still need to practice your technique, and not everyone has access to a suitable place to build. But from my own experience, building jumps has helped me become a better rider, and I want to share a few reasons why.
1. You Can Build Jumps to Match Your Skill Level
One of the biggest advantages of building your own jumps is being able to build something that matches your current ability. Sometimes, when you show up to a bike park, jump spot, or unfamiliar trail, it can be intimidating. Maybe the jumps are bigger than you're comfortable with, or perhaps there isn't anything that feels like a good stepping stone between the smaller and larger features. When you're building your own jumps, you have more control over what you're going to ride. You could start with a small tabletop, a mellow takeoff, or another simple feature that allows you to work on your technique without feeling pressured to hit something beyond your ability.
Of course, you still need some understanding of proper jump construction, including takeoff shapes, transitions, and safe landings. But you don't have to start by building something huge. You can begin with smaller features and continue learning as you go. Having a jump that matches your skill level can also make it easier to focus on improving your technique rather than worrying about whether you're going to clear a gap.
2. You Start Understanding How Jump Transitions Work
This is probably one of the biggest things I've learned from building jumps over the years. When you ride a jump, you feel how the takeoff affects your bike. But when you're the one shaping that takeoff, you start understanding why it feels a certain way. For example, you might build a jump with a really mellow transition and discover that it doesn't give you as much lift as you were expecting. Or maybe you build something too steep, and the takeoff feels like it's trying to buck you forward. You might also discover that the transition isn't smooth. Perhaps there's an abrupt change near the bottom or top of the takeoff that makes the jump feel awkward.
That's when you get to go back, reshape the jump, and see how those changes affect the way it rides. Maybe you smooth out the transition, make it slightly steeper, or change the shape near the lip. Then you ride it again and notice the difference. You might think, "Okay, that feels better, but I think it still needs a little work." This process of building, testing, and adjusting can teach you a lot about jump shapes.
Over time, you may even start looking at unfamiliar jumps and getting a better idea of how they're going to feel before you ride them. You begin recognizing different transitions and understanding how they might affect your trajectory and the way your bike leaves the ground. Of course, your speed and technique also play a major role in how a jump feels. But understanding the shape of the takeoff gives you another piece of the puzzle.
3. You Can Gradually Progress to Bigger Jumps
Another thing I really like about building your own jumps is being able to progress gradually. Let's say you start with a relatively small tabletop. You spend some time riding it, getting comfortable, and improving your technique. Eventually, that jump starts feeling easy. Instead of immediately moving to a much larger jump, you can make small adjustments to the one you've already been riding. Maybe you make the takeoff a little taller, adjust the transition, or gradually increase the distance to the landing. Then you spend some more time riding it until you're comfortable again. As your skills improve, you can continue making changes, provided the jump remains properly shaped and the landing is suitable.
After a while, you might look at the jump you've built and think, "Damn, I'm hitting this big jump now?" But the interesting thing is that it didn't start out that big. You gradually worked your way up to it. Now imagine showing up to an unfamiliar jump spot and seeing that exact same jump for the first time. You might look at it and think there's no way you're going to hit something that big. The difference is that when you've built it yourself, you've had time to become familiar with it as it gradually changed.
That familiarity can help build confidence, although it's still important to recognize that a larger jump requires the appropriate skills, speed, and technique. The goal isn't simply to make jumps bigger. It's to give yourself an opportunity to progress at a pace that works for you.
4. Fresh Dirt Can Be More Forgiving, but It Has Its Downsides
Something else worth mentioning is that freshly built dirt jumps can sometimes be a little more forgiving than jumps that have been packed down and ridden for years. If you've ever cased a landing that's practically as hard as concrete, you know how harsh that impact can feel. Freshly shaped dirt is often softer, so certain impacts might not feel quite as harsh. However, there's an important downside to this. Soft dirt can also make you crash.
If the takeoff hasn't been properly compacted, your tires might sink into it, create ruts, or cause the surface to change as you ride over it. A soft landing can also grab your wheels or make the bike behave unpredictably. And while softer dirt may sometimes reduce the harshness of an impact, it doesn't mean crashing on it is safe. That's why properly shaping, compacting, and maintaining your jumps is so important. You want the takeoff and landing to be consistent and predictable, not constantly changing every time someone rides over them.
5. Building Jumps Can Be Enjoyable on Its Own
Not every benefit of building jumps has to do with improving your riding technique. Sometimes, it's just enjoyable to get outside and spend time digging. There's something satisfying about spending a few hours out in nature working on a jump or trail, especially when you get to ride something you've built yourself.
You might spend one day shaping a takeoff, another day working on the landing, and then come back later to make a few adjustments. It's also a different way to enjoy mountain biking when you're not actually riding. And if you enjoy working with your hands, building and maintaining trails can become another part of the sport that you look forward to.
What If You Don't Have Anywhere to Build Jumps?
Of course, not everyone has access to private property or an approved area where they can build jumps. And you shouldn't just start digging on an existing trail or public land without permission. Poorly placed or constructed features can create hazards for other riders and damage the trail.
But that doesn't mean you can't get involved. One option is to look for local mountain bike groups or trail organizations that organize volunteer trail maintenance and building days. You can often find these groups through Facebook or local mountain bike communities. They may post announcements about upcoming dig days where volunteers meet at a particular trail to work on maintenance, drainage, or approved trail features. This can be a great opportunity to learn more about trail construction while meeting other riders who enjoy the same things you do. And even if you're not specifically building jumps, spending time working on trails can give you a better understanding of how they're designed and maintained.
Final Thoughts: Can Building Jumps Make You a Better Rider?
I can't guarantee that building your own jumps will make you a better mountain biker. Everyone learns differently, and there are plenty of excellent riders who have never built a jump themselves. But I can say that it's helped me. Being able to build features that match my ability, experiment with different transitions, and gradually progress to bigger jumps has taught me quite a bit over the years.
One of the biggest benefits is simply developing a better understanding of how jump shapes affect the way your bike leaves the ground. The more time you spend working with different transitions, the easier it can become to recognize what you're looking at when you approach an unfamiliar jump. And even if you never build your own jumps, learning more about how they're shaped can still help you understand the features you're riding.
If you have access to a suitable place to build, or an opportunity to participate in a local trail-building day, it's something worth considering. Just remember that building a jump is only part of the process. Learning proper technique, progressing gradually, and knowing your limits are still important. And sometimes, spending a day outside digging is enjoyable enough on its own.
