"How-To" - Stalefish (Variations)

[The Snitz]

We're taking a step back in time to talk about a trick that is has been around since Adam was a boy... (or when Metz invented it, whatever tickles your fancy hehe). The stalefish is simply putting one foot through the bars, and then throwing the other leg out to the side. In modern day riding, it's not looked upon as a hard or technical trick, but don't underestimate it's importance. When trying to do this trick while beginning, it's may be quite difficult to coordinate what your legs need to do.

To effecitvely learn this trick safely and quickly, it's best to do it in progressive steps first.

1. Know which leg you want to put through the bars. Approach the ramp in a normal stance, standing up off the bike. When you hit the ramp, watch for the ramp to disappear under your footpegs, and you want to start the trick. Usually most people find its best to put your right foot through the bars, so what you need to concentrate on first is bringing your right knee up to your chest and begin to push your foot through the bars. Make sure you have your left foot still on the foot peg when beginning.
Extend your right leg through the bars, and then bring your leg back through by pushing your body away from the handlebars by straightening your arms and bring your foot back down to the footpeg for landing.

2. Now you want to incorporate the left leg into it to achieve the Stalefish. When you leave the ramp, bring your right knee upto your chest and begin to push your foot through the handlebars. In this same motion, you can now begin to bring your left foot up off the pegs. Now you should have yourself hanging by the bike with just your hands on the bars.

3. Whilst in this position, to extend it, you need to pull your body up towards the front of the bike. This will help with extending your right foot through the bars, and also to bring your left leg up on the side of the bike. You should now have a Sweet looking Stalefish.

4. To land this, you need to do the exact opposite of getting there, push the bike away from you by straightening your arms up. Bring your left foot back to the peg firstly, this will give you more leverage to be able to bring your right foot through the bars. Give your right leg as much room as possible to make sure it comes back through the bars and bring down for landing.

You've now pulled a Stalefish and rode away, it doesn't seem like much, but I bet your confidence will be riding quite high and wanting to progress this trick for bigger and better extension, stay tuned for the "Twitch", "Fish Wrap" and "Porti-Air" (both of which invented by the legendary Jono Porter.

Copyright Steve Sommerfeld 2004. All Rights Reserved.

Pic - I found this pic of Fredevil on MTX forums, I believe he's a member here. Anyway here's a Stalefish to show you all. All it needs is the legs to be fully extended and you got yourself a nice Stalefish there fella :)

[meesh]

swoit steve, cant wait!!

[Fredevil923]

yes that is me

[born freestyler]

well i think that that trick is way out of my legue but it still looks gnarly

[The Snitz]

How-To - Twitch

The Twitch is simply an extension of the Stalefish trick explained above. What the Twitch is, is putting one foot through the bars, and one foot around the outside of the arm, and then to bring them together to do a Heelclick around one arm, and to then bring your feet back down for landing. Some people say that a Twitch also involves a Suran wrap after the Heelclick around the arms, and to bring the leg through the bars over the opposite side of the handlebars letting go for a suran wrap to landing.

I'll do this extension guide from Step 3 from the Stalefish guide and start from there:

So you have got your body in the position of a Stalefish, foot extended through the bars and the other leg straight out to the side. What you need to do now, is to bend both of your knees, and try turn both feet into each other.

You will have the outside leg down a fair way normally, so what you need to do is pull hard on the handlebars and pull the bike towards your body, this will help in bringing the outside leg UP to your arm. As it is coming upto your arm, simply close both ofy our legs to bring your feet together for the heelclick.

Simply bring your feet back out of the bars and around your arm down to the pegs for a landing.

So the Main thing is to pull the bike towards your body to make it easier to get your legs up, and to bend your knees to get the heelclick around your arms. This is a Twitch.

You can also then do a Suran wrap also, so when you have clicked your heels together, begin to bring your outside leg down to the footpeg, and in the same movement, you spread your leg thats through the bars and aim it for the opposite side of your bars (generally the right side). Simply let go with your hand and raise your hand above about 10 centimetres just enough for your leg to travel through, and then bring your leg out around and down to the footpegs for a landing :)

*I don't have a picture of this trick, if anyone has one, please post*

Good Luck and enjoy
Steve :afro:

Copyright Steve Sommerfeld 2004. All Rights Reserved.

[The Snitz]

How-To - Fish Wrap

The Fish Wrap is now the progression of the Twitch, which as discussed above, is the progression of the Stalefish. The Fish Wrap was also invented by the legendary Jono Porter, yet another legacy he left us.
The Fish Wrap is instead of doing a heelclicker around the one hand like the twitch, you actually take your inside leg that is through the bars and push it past the point of clicking feet and have it hanging way out to the side of the handlebars. It is hard to explain, so please direct your eyes to the bottom of this post to see a picture of this trick by Kenny Bartram.

I'll do this extension guide from Step 3 from the Stalefish guide and start from there:

So you have got your body in the position of a Stalefish, foot extended through the bars and the other leg straight out to the side. What you need to do now, is to bend both of your knees, and try turn both feet into each other like the Twitch, but this time you want to make your inside foot drop lower than the outside leg.

You need to raise the outside leg up as high as you, so push down on the handlebars, and this will help get your leg up above your elbow (the best position).

As you get the outside leg up, you need to be able to twist your hips to the side that the Fish Wrap is being performed (Generally the left side). This will make for the inside leg to be able to extend as far out past your arm as possible.

To extend this trick as much as possible, I find that it's better to hold yourself up off the bars and looking over the front of the bike as much as you can. When you do this, your hips should turn automatically making the whole trick look smoothe. If you have trouble getting the outside leg up, I find it's easier to "Kick your leg up" That might just be the trick to help out :)

To land this trick, you just need to drop your outside leg back down to the footpeg and bring the inside leg back around your arm and through the bars. You can also come back out with a Suran wrap by lifting your other hand off the bar and letting the inside leg pass over the handlebar and out and down to the footpeg on the right side.

Have fun with this trick as it is alot of fun, and always think of JP when you do it :)

Good luck.

Copyright Steve Sommerfeld 2004. All Rights Reserved.

Pic - Kenny Bartram - This is a perfect fish wrap. He's way up above the bike, the outside leg is very high and his hips are turned to allow the inside leg to be as far out as possible.

[The Snitz]

Well my mate Adam (5th Pinned on these forums) has been studying up on his How-To - Stalefish, and with a little tutoring and luck, he has been busting out huge stalefish's. This is exactly how you want stalefish's to look, just look at his body and where he keeps his legs, arms, body and head, and how he twists his hips to help out in the trick.

Enjoy :)

[meesh]

swoit!! good job adam, looks like they're comin along nicely.

[5th pinned]

HELL YEAH!!!!!! i love that pic

[sik_50]

im gunna give a stailfish or suran wrap a try next time i go ridin

[FREESTYLEMX17]

am i there

[KTM_Crazy]

i love em there feel sweet i wanna try stale to suran now