Hey it's all about having a good time anyway. I picked biking up late and have never progressed beyond a whip or occasional one-hander. But I just like trying anything new I can with the bike, be it park, trails or dirt. I learned some cool stuff at the park in TN but like you I had trouble just going big all of the sudden. That's when I get hurt and that just sucks. That's why I like about building trails alone, you can progress at your own pace and never get that pit in your stomach feeling when you just now you're not going to gap it. Also I've heard that small trail like jumps actually are more helpful when it comes to mtb skills.

I actually was out near GFT and checked it out. It was kind of a mess b/c it had just rained. There was a lot of stuff there though. I was kind of blown away, but bummed it was too wet to really learn much. I'll let you know if I'm out your way.

If there's ever a day you can't get to your jumps you should try out this pump thing. It's weird but ridiculously fun. And I've talked with the expert Lee at Leelikesbikes.com (he featured my question) and he says it's the cornerstone of everything else he teaches. I have no idea what the top speed is with this on flat, but I aim to find out. I can see people some day having pedal-less races with obstacles or something. I'm sure some BMXers have already done it - probably in Australia. Or in Germany, those crazy Germans, you can't trust them.

 couldn't have said it better myself with building and progression..

ah really? I wouldn't even make the trip unless it's been atleast 3 days between the last rain.. I'll bet it was a huge disappointment.

I found a fun thing to do on a slanted driveway, doing circles without pedaling.

could do a race without chains

 Yeah, since the vid I've been using my hips a lot more and getting faster. Cheers.

 I've found that Self filming is a great tool for learning. Combined with a smartphone on which you can see directly on some video of some ripper, how it SHOULD be done, it can be a little skills clinic.

 I know, I talked to Lee at Leelikesbikes.com and he highlighted this in his article yesterday. Check it out. Danny Hart has this pump idea down. Who knows flat pump track racing may be next. I'm not going anywhere near as fast as I feel there's potential. If you look closely, I'm pumping way better to the left.

How's your jumping these days? Any new tricks? Obviously I still haven't visited. Frankly I'm a little intimidated but it looks like you guys have some small ones to learn on. Your jumps look so pristine.

Oh and check this out, not to brag, but I totally will: My four year old jumped off his first plank brick combo, eventually landing on both wheels.