Keeping your hands light on the handlebars is a fundamental mountain bike skill, one that makes your riding more stable no matter what the terrain. This presentation demonstrates 17 drills that can help develop the habit.

1. Thick Skull Mountain Bike Skills
presents
Light Hands, Heavy Feet:
Developing the Habit
17 Drills to Make Your Mountain Biking
More Stable no Matter What the Terrain
By Griff Wigley, MountainBike Geezer
ThickSkullMTB.com

2. Why is ‘light hands, heavy feet’ a
fundamental mountain bike skill?
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“Carrying weight in our feet vs.
our hands puts our weight much
lower on the bike, allowing the
bike and us to float over terrain
more smoothly.”

3. Why is ‘light hands, heavy feet’ a
fundamental mountain bike skill?
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“Carrying weight in our hands creates a
higher center of gravity, making it
easier for our body to get knockedout
of position by uneven terrain and
obstacles.”
– Jake Carsten, IMBA ICP Instructor
Trainer, coach at Dirt Dojo

4. Why is ‘light hands, heavy feet’ a
fundamental mountain bike skill?
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“Leaning forward onto the bars
makes the front wheel too heavy.
Leaning back away from the bars
makes the front wheel too light.”

5. Why is ‘light hands, heavy feet’ a
fundamental mountain bike skill?
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“Unless you’re intentionally pulling an expert
move, your hands should be neutral on the
bars. This lets your weight drive through the
bottom bracket and into both wheels.”
- Lee McCormack, Lee Likes Bikes, co-author,
Mastering Mountain Bike Skills

6. What prevents ‘light hands, heavy
feet’ from becoming a habit?
It’s a skill that’s hard to observe
• A coach can’t easily observe a student’s
incorrect hand pressure, though bent wrists
are an indicator
• Even if wrists are straight and overall body
position on bike is correct, hand and feet
pressure can still be wrong
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7. What prevents ‘light hands, heavy
feet’ from becoming a habit?
It’s not a sexy skill. No one ever says:
“Wow, look at that guy. He’s really
good at keeping his hands light.”
Most riders don’t ever think to practice
it or seek help to get better at it.
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8. What prevents ‘light hands, heavy
feet’ from becoming a habit?
Drills to practice the skill aren’t common
Shouting reminders of ‘light hands’ with
hand gestures of holding tea cups (‘tea
party hands’) can help
But the following drills could also be
used:
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9. Stage 1 Awareness Drills
Venue: Yard, driveway, neighborhoodpark,
empty parking lot
8 easy drills to increase hand pressure
awareness
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10. Drill 1: Hand pressure awareness, sitting on bike
• Sit on bike, feet on ground; push palms of hands
against handlebar grips. Say “palms”
• Pull up and back on grips with fingers. Say “fingers”
• Clench grips tightly with fists. Say “fists”
• Loosen grip on bars, barely touching. Say “neutral”
• Repeat, saying the words as hand pressure changes
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11. Drill 2: Hand pressure awareness, riding in figure 8s
• Ride bike slowly in figure 8s, both sitting and
standing
• Notice hand pressure and mentally label it
(palms, fingers, neutral) whenever it changes
• Deliberately do whatever is needed to feel palm
and then finger pressure on the bars
• Find and keep a neutral/light hands grip for a
few seconds or longer
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12. Drills 3, 4, 5: Hand pressure awareness,
moving around cockpit, braking
• Drill 3: Repeat Drill 2, but ride standing up in a
straight line, moving body back and forth in
bike’s cockpit
• Drill 4: Repeat Drill 2 but ride standing up and
then brake to a stop. Notice what happens to
hand pressure when brake levers are squeezed
• Drill 5: Repeat Drill 2 but ride straight in a ready
or attack position
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13. Drill 6: Hand pressure awareness,
stationary position
• Repeat Drill 2, but wedge front wheel of the
bike against an object; stand on pedals and
balance in a stationary position
• (Examples: fire hydrant, trailer hitch, or steps
along a wall)
• Using body position, deliberately exaggerate
palm and finger pressure on bars
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14. Drill 7: Hand pressure awareness,
stationary uphill position
• Prop bike’s front wheel
on object in a
stationary uphill
position; chock rear
wheel with rock
• Grab handlebars,
balance bike with
handlebars against
wall, stand on pedals,
use shoulder and hip as
needed for balance
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• Move around cockpit,
saying “palms,”
“fingers,” “fists,” and
“neutral” as hand
pressure changes
• Using body position,
deliberately exaggerate
palm and finger pressure
on bars

15. Drill 8: Hand pressure awareness,
stationary downhill position
• Repeat Drill 7
but prop bike’s
front wheel on
object in a
stationary
downhill
position; chock
front wheel with
rock
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• Note especially
what happens to
hips in order for
hands to be
completely neutral
or weightless on
bars

16. Stage 2 Awareness Drills
Venue: Singletrack trail
8 intermediate drills to increase hand
pressure awareness
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17. Drill 9: Hand pressure awareness on an easy trail
• Ride a trail or section of a trail that’s flat and
relatively easy
• Say the words “palms,” “fingers,” and “neutral” out
loud as hand pressure on bars changes
• Say words when seated and when standing
• Just focus on being aware of the changes. Don’t
deliberately try to have neutral hands
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18. Drill 10: Hand pressure awareness
on easy uphills and downhills
• Drill 10: Repeat Drill 9, but on a trail that has
relatively easy uphills and downhills
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19. Drill 11: Hand pressure awareness
on a challenging trail
• Repeat Drill 9, but on a trail that’s much more
challenging
• Alternate between riding it as fast as possible and much
slower than normal
• Note approximate % of the time hands were neutral on
uphills and downhills
• Ride fast over gnarly terrain. Note if hands were tightly
clenching grips, whether ‘light’ or not
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20. Stage 3 Awareness Drills
6 advanced drills to increase awareness of light
hands & feel how bike lean turns the front
wheel
Venue: Flat, empty parking lot with no
distractions, vehicles, traffic, obstacles, or other
bikers
Warning: These drills involve taking hands off
brake levers while bike is moving
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21. Drill 12: Steer with palms of hands on ends of bars
• While standing on pedals, hold handlebars with palms of
hands pressing on ends of bars as lightly as possible
• Ride a straight line and lean bike side-to-side (usual
bike/body separation exercise)
• Do drill both pedaling and coasting
• Note how drill prevents using downward/upward pressure
on bars & enables a different steering experience
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22. Drill 13: Steer with fingertips
• Repeat Drill 12, but only use fingertips on top of or
at ends of bars
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23. Drill 14: Ride in circles,
steering with one hand’s fingertips on stem
• Coast in circles while standing on pedals
• Lean bike using fingertips of one hand on
one end of bars, and fingertips of other
hand in center of bars or on stem
• Coast to a slow stop, keeping balance as
long as possible
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24. Drill 15: Ride in circles,
steering only with fingertips of one hand
• Repeat Drill 14, but take fingertips off center of bars
• Coast in circles using only fingertips of one hand on
end of bars
• Feel bike turning bars/front wheel as you lean it
• Do drill in both neutral position and then in
increasingly lower attack or ready positions
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25. • Repeat Drill 15, but momentarily lift both
hands off bars while coasting in a slow circle
(standing on pedals, seat all the way down)
• Lean into turns, riding no-handed as long as
possible
• Experience front wheel turning on its own
Drill 16: Ride in circles,
steering no-handed
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26. Drill 17: Put it all together with fast turns
• Do a series of fast turns around the
lot as if riding on a trail
• Deploy all elements of a basic turn
that mountain bike instructors teach
(eyes ahead, attack position, rotate
torso/hip flexion)
• Focus on keeping hands neutral
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27. Get the free 3-part companion video series:
Light Hands, Heavy Feet: Developing the Habit
Thick Skull Mountain Bike Skills – Free videos
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