How To 360 a BMX Bike
The 360 is one of those staple tricks in the BMX world. It is such a versatile trick that can be done in so many different situations and combined with any other trick. Everybody has their own unique style on their 360 and some riders can make it look absolutely beautiful!
Where to learn?
One of the great things about a 360 is they can be done anywhere. Similarly, we believe they can be learned anywhere. Some riders like to learn on flat ground, others out of a bank, and others out of a fly out ramp.
Flat ground is usually seen as the safest place to learn as there's less of a fall. While this is true, it's also probably the most difficult. With a flat ground 360, you have to generate all of your air time yourself from a bunny hop while learning the spin.
Learning out of a fly out (quarter pipe or box jump lip up to the deck) is great because you can allow the ramp to give you your air time rather than powering up a bunny hop. If you go this route we strongly suggest staying low. While learning you don't want to go full send and crash hard. Fly out just enough to get a little air. After a couple attempts you will know if you need to get better at the spin or if you do in fact need more air time.
While there isn't a clear best choice, we suggest learning out of a bank / wedge ramp. This gives you a bit more pop than flat ground while also teaching you how to generate some pop with the spin, and it also doesn't send you dangerously high like a fly out could.
Which Way Do I Spin?
The great thing about BMX is there are no rules! You can spin whichever way you want!
But...let's be real here. There's always a proper way of doing things. If you ride right foot forward you're going to want to spin to the left, or counter clockwise. Left foot forward, spin right. This is the standard, and for good reason. As you advance, learn more tricks, and begin incorporating tricks within spins, you will find that spinning this direction simply makes things easier.
It's also helpful because if you stand with your feet positioned like your on a bike with your right foot forward, it's easier to look to your left. We will get in to this more later about looking where you want to go.
Math Class
Before you're ready for the 360, it's certainly recommended to be comfortable with the 180. Once you're good at those you can begin to spin a bit more. Work your way past 180° to 3/4 of a spin at 270°, and eventually 360°.
Somewhere between the 180 and 270 mark you may begin experiencing your back wheel landing before the front. You can use this to turn it in to a sort of 360 tail tap, where you spin to about 180 or 270 then finish out the rest of the spin on your back wheel. This 360 tail tap is a great trick to have on it's own but is also a great stepping stone on the way to a regular 360.
Carve the Takeoff
Let's talk physics. You can't begin rotating once you're already in the air. The spin is initiated off the takeoff of the jump. You don't want to carve too much or too early, rather you want to learn to time it to begin the spin at the peak of the takeoff.
If you travel straight up the ramp and begin the rotation at the peak, you are likely to travel in the direction you spin. So, if you spin left, you're likely to also travel a bit to the left. This can be dangerous as you may miss your landing.
**Disclaimer**: The following tip varies from rider to rider. Some riders implement this technique, while others do not, but we certainly want to provide this tip as it can potentially be very helpful.
When we say carve the takeoff, you want to slightly travel up the ramp the opposite direction than you spin. For example, if you spin to the left, you want to travel up the ramp slightly angleing to the right, then carve to the left to initiate the spin. This is demonstrated (and a bit exaggerated for demonstration purposes) in the gif below. The amount of carve and spin needed is learned first-hand over time, so start small and feel out how much effort and carve is needed to get the spin around while traveling the direction you want to go.
How To Get The Bike Leveled Out
With spins, it's all about looking where you want to go. To initiate the spin, you want to carve the takeoff and look in the direction you want to spin. Getting the spin is just the first part. Getting the bike level so you can land properly is a big part of the 360.
Not only do you want to look in the direction you want to go, but the position as well. Notice in the gif above that the rider is not only looking over their left shoulder, but also down towards the take off. A good tip is to try to look at your back axle. Doing this helps you drop your shoulder, which is another big tip, especially when spinning out of a steeper take off.
When spinning on flat or out of a wedge, you really want to focus on tucking up the back end. Around or just before the 180° mark, much like a bunny hop, you want to suck the back end of the bike up by scooping the pedals, tucking your knees and pushing the bars away. Notice in the gif below that Derek is keeping his head turned the entire time, looking down at his axle until he spots his landing, has his knees bent and back wheel tucked up nice and high.
In Conclusion
Start small. Take the spin step by step and really focus on getting the bike leveled out. This helps get the spin around and prepares you for the landing. Keep your head turned until you spot your landing. Remember, the bigger the jump / the more air time you have, the slower you need to spin. Start small and work your way up to bigger sends.
And of course...HAVE FUN!