Kiss of Death Tips!

KISS OF DEATH
"KOD"

This is a Kiss of Death / big Tsunami off of a rev2 at 65 feet. The "Steve Wagner" name and fade out at the end are because this particular clip is taken off of the Trepidation video. The video clips for this trick are included with the FMXschool.com membership.

Coming up the ramp I am normal body positioning, but I am letting the bike get slightly ahead of me, while I put a little back pressure on the bars with my arms, pulling them in slightly to my chest.

Only a foot off the ramp, you can see my knees pop as I start pulling back hard on the bars, while at the same time I am jumping and pushing off of the pegs in order to loop the bike out. This is referred to by many as the "circle motion".

I allow my arms to pull the bars up to my head as my chest closes in on the front number plate. I am already bringing my butt up high, which is possible by transferring my weight to the handlebars. This is all helped by "popping" off the pegs as I left the ramp.

I am unintentionally doing a massive fenderkiss right here because I am pulling myself up and over the bike so hard, in order to keep my weight centered. All the while my feet are balled up, ready to extend when I get my body in the right position.

Right here, my body is at a 45 degree angle, which is peak energy. If I kept my head straight here and extended my legs by straightening up my back and butt, I would have a Kenny Bartram style Kiss of Death. I want to look back and get my body verticle on this one..

In order to look back, I must straighten my arms a little to make room for my head, other wise my helmet will hit the front number plate. Your biceps and upper arms will only move slightly, as your elbows will extend here to give your head room. This will also force your body above the bike, as you can see how high this one little move put my butt up above the seat.

I am almost peak extension, with my arms out to allow my head to move back. My legs are beginning to straighten up. As I push back with my arms, the motion makes a circle...my legs are straightening as I am doing this.

Presto! My arms are straightened, behind my head, which forces my body to go vertical. As I do this I straighten my legs and lock them together.

Pause for a second and enjoy this moment.... I'm actually focusing on my rear fender with my eyes looking up from my head.

To come back, I relax my knees and allow my legs to begin a fall. I also start to bring my head up to get my bearing.

As I bring my head up, I focus on my front fender. My legs are falling on their own, and to control them I bend my knees to lower my center of gravity.

I straighten my upper body out above the front fender, which will allow me to stay in control as I bring my but down. This is the most important part of getting back on... bringing your weight forward.

Here my legs fell quite a bit, but as you can see my butt is still high. This comes with experience, and confidence that your body will drop at the last second, and that the bike is coming back. If you loose your bearing here, you could start to "scramble" or "run" back to the bike. Keep your arms strait here and stay focused on the front fender, but don't be afraid to peer around the fender to see how much time you have until touchdown.

About 7 feet above the landing, I am just moments away from my wheels hitting dirt, but I am well practiced, and confident I have the right timing. I start to bend my arms and pull my head closer to the fender, and further in front of the bike, which will force my weight distribution to push down on the bars, causing the bike to level out. I don't actually force the bars down, unless I am late coming back and am in a bind. Sometimes, you do have to bring yourself over the front of the bike, and push down on the bars to get things back to normal .

By rotating my shoulders slightly, and keeping a firm grip on the handlebars, I have brought my butt down slightly. My feet aren't on the pegs, but I know that as I level the bike out, my legs will fall to the bike slightly. If you panic at this point, you can grip the sides of the bike with your heels. Keep your weight forward as the bike prepares to land.

My feet hit the pegs just as the rear wheel hits, and my front wheel will follow shortly. All the while my weight stays over the fender, to keep the front end dropping, even as I go down the landing. You wouldn't want to be back on the bike here, as it could cause a wiskey throttle and an ensuing crash.

Coming up the ramp I am normal body positioning, but I am letting the bike get slightly ahead of me, while I put a little back pressure on the bars with my arms, pulling them in slightly to my chest.	Only a foot off the ramp, you can see my knees pop as I start pulling back hard on the bars, while at the same time I am jumping and pushing off of the pegs in order to loop the bike out. This is referred to by many as the "circle motion".
I allow my arms to pull the bars up to my head as my chest closes in on the front number plate. I am already bringing my butt up high, which is possible by transferring my weight to the handlebars. This is all helped by "popping" off the pegs as I left the ramp.	I am unintentionally doing a massive fenderkiss right here because I am pulling myself up and over the bike so hard, in order to keep my weight centered. All the while my feet are balled up, ready to extend when I get my body in the right position.
Right here, my body is at a 45 degree angle, which is peak energy. If I kept my head straight here and extended my legs by straightening up my back and butt, I would have a Kenny Bartram style Kiss of Death. I want to look back and get my body verticle on this one..	In order to look back, I must straighten my arms a little to make room for my head, other wise my helmet will hit the front number plate. Your biceps and upper arms will only move slightly, as your elbows will extend here to give your head room. This will also force your body above the bike, as you can see how high this one little move put my butt up above the seat.
I am almost peak extension, with my arms out to allow my head to move back. My legs are beginning to straighten up. As I push back with my arms, the motion makes a circle...my legs are straightening as I am doing this.	Presto! My arms are straightened, behind my head, which forces my body to go vertical. As I do this I straighten my legs and lock them together.
Pause for a second and enjoy this moment.... I'm actually focusing on my rear fender with my eyes looking up from my head.	To come back, I relax my knees and allow my legs to begin a fall. I also start to bring my head up to get my bearing.
As I bring my head up, I focus on my front fender. My legs are falling on their own, and to control them I bend my knees to lower my center of gravity.	I straighten my upper body out above the front fender, which will allow me to stay in control as I bring my but down. This is the most important part of getting back on... bringing your weight forward.
Here my legs fell quite a bit, but as you can see my butt is still high. This comes with experience, and confidence that your body will drop at the last second, and that the bike is coming back. If you loose your bearing here, you could start to "scramble" or "run" back to the bike. Keep your arms strait here and stay focused on the front fender, but don't be afraid to peer around the fender to see how much time you have until touchdown.	About 7 feet above the landing, I am just moments away from my wheels hitting dirt, but I am well practiced, and confident I have the right timing. I start to bend my arms and pull my head closer to the fender, and further in front of the bike, which will force my weight distribution to push down on the bars, causing the bike to level out. I don't actually force the bars down, unless I am late coming back and am in a bind. Sometimes, you do have to bring yourself over the front of the bike, and push down on the bars to get things back to normal .
By rotating my shoulders slightly, and keeping a firm grip on the handlebars, I have brought my butt down slightly. My feet aren't on the pegs, but I know that as I level the bike out, my legs will fall to the bike slightly. If you panic at this point, you can grip the sides of the bike with your heels. Keep your weight forward as the bike prepares to land.	My feet hit the pegs just as the rear wheel hits, and my front wheel will follow shortly. All the while my weight stays over the fender, to keep the front end dropping, even as I go down the landing. You wouldn't want to be back on the bike here, as it could cause a wiskey throttle and an ensuing crash.