TROLL TRAINING: REDUCING ARM PUMP THROUGH TECHNIQUE

BY ALEX MARTIN

Good riding technique is essential to managing arm pump. It will allow you to attack the obstacles at your local track safely, effectively and with increased confidence. Although these tips may seem basic in nature, they can significantly help alleviate arm pump when executed correctly.  

1. Elbows. Getting your elbows up will give you increased control of the bike at all times, allowing you to corner faster and helping you in high-speed situations where you may be susceptible to “head-shake.” This also forces your body to be farther forward, putting more weight on the front tire, which in turn helps keep the front end from washing out. 

2. Head centered over the bars. This goes hand in hand with elbows up. You can’t have one without the other. If you look at all the top Pros, one thing you will notice is that no matter where they are on the track, their heads are almost always directly over the handlebars. Keeping centered increases your control and stability on the motorcycle.

3. Grip with the legs. The quadricep muscles are some of the biggest muscles in your body, which means they can put in more work before tiring compared to your upper body. Gripping with your legs and standing on rough areas of the track and in rutted corners will allow you to minimize the energy demands on your upper body. Energy is a finite resource, so save it for the parts of the body that can utilize it most effectively and give your upper body a break!

4. Unlock your hips. I learned this from Ryan Hughes back in the day! This is critical if you want to hit a set of Supercross whoops and come out the other side alive! Think of your hips as a bowl of water and you are trying to tip the water out of the front of the bowl—weird analogy, I know, but I hope you get the picture! 

5. Balls of your feet. Whether sitting or standing, you always want to be on the balls of your feet. This allows your body to be more responsive and ready for whatever comes your way. 

6. Look ahead. Get in the habit of looking a good distance ahead so you will be prepared for what’s to come, not what you’re already hitting. If you’re looking 30 to 50 feet down a straightaway instead of only 10 feet, it can make a huge difference. This will also make finding alternate line choices easier.

7. Breathe. We all tend to hold our breath when navigating a tricky section of the track. Actively telling yourself to breathe can be a big help in delivering fresh oxygen to those muscles you’re working so hard. Have someone write “breathe” on your pit board or write a message on your bar pad. These are great ways to remind yourself to breathe while riding. Riding is hard enough without starving yourself of oxygen. In Supercross, I would remind myself to breathe every time I went through the whoops or off a Supercross triple. By the end of a 15-minute moto, this can translate to breathing roughly 30 extra times! 

8. Relax your grip. Make a mental note to relax your grip on almost every part of the track, including whoops, jumps, ruts, choppy corners and straightaways. You’d be surprised how tight you may be gripping the bars without knowing it. But, as with breathing, selecting key areas of the track where you make relaxing your grip a focus will be very helpful throughout your race or practice session.

Alex Martin raced on the AMA Pro circuit for 15 years. He has won AMA Nationals and has over 20 podium finishes under his belt. After Alex retired from Pro racing, he started a training company called “Troll Training.”  Alex wrote 16 training articales for MXA before taking over the management of his families Spring Creek National track. You can reach Alex about training advice by going to  www.trolltraining.com.