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NO FOOTED CAN CAN

The No Footed Can Can (or No footed can, or no can) is a turning-point trick in the FMX progression for many riders. That's because the no can is one of the first tricks that incorporates the movement of two different body parts (each leg) in different ways to learn it. Over time, those two different movements become one fluid motion, but the learning process will work more efficiently if you treat the trick as two tricks: a one-legger and a single can can. Only now, you're going to be doing those two single tricks at the same time, and with practice, those two small tricks will become one super-fun trick.

CAN CAN LEG: Leg which is moved up and over the seat to the opposite side of the bike during a "no footed can can"

ONE LEGGER LEG: Leg which is extended strait to the outside of the bike during a "no footed can can "

When first starting out with the no footed can can, its important to choose the side you will be doing the trick to. Usually, you go to the side that you are comfortable doing the one footed can can to. To work up to this trick, you must work on your one leggers with the leg that is on the same side you will be doing the can can to. For instance, if you use your right leg to do regular can cans, then you need to be sure and practice one leggers with your left leg. To break the trick down, no footed can cans are accomplished by doing a can can while you are already in the one legger position.

As you leave the face of the jump, extend your one legger leg in the one legger position (strait out to the side of the bike). When that leg is strait out, start pulling your other leg up and over the gas can. The first few times you try this you should only pull it up about halfway to the gas cap. After you are comfortable with both legs off the bike, start bringing the leg up all the way to the gas cap. Each time you jump, try to get it a little farther over the bike. The farther out you kick your can can leg, the more you will need to turn your hips to allow for this extension. Its also important to keep your can can leg IN FRONT of your one legger leg. If you don't position your legs correctly (one in front of the other) your body will become strangely positioned on the bike and you may end up losing your bearing of where/how your hips and legs are, and you may end up "scrambling" back to the bike - thus losing control and crashing. When learning this technique, remember to bring your can can leg back over the bike before you bring the "one legger" leg back to the peg. If you don't bring your legs back in this order, you will sandwich your can can leg between the bike and the other leg. You'll most likely land like this and cause considerable damage to yourself and your bike.

When you are accustomed doing this "one legger/can can combo" move, you can start trying to move both of your legs at the same time. Bring them both up level to the seat at the same time, then push your can can leg over the seat while simultaneously pushing your one legger leg out to the side of the bike. This will happen natually over time if you do this trick often. Keep the legs close as you extend them as far as possible. Again, when bringing your legs back over the can can leg should be moved first over the seat. When both legs are on the side of the bike they are supposed to be on, take them back down to the footpegs.

Johnny Jones' Tip:
Make sure you clear your seat. You want to make sure your feet are high enough so they clear your seat before you even want to think about trying to put them over the side of the bike.

STEP BY STEP SEQUENCE

You should be really focusing on this body-position right here when jumping a ramp to do a trick (or to just dead-sailor it). As your hit the ramp and ride off it, you want to be slightly forward, knees and elbows slightly bent, looking at the landing but focusing on what your body is doing.

Here you can already see my knees are decompressing, which has forced by upper-body back a tad. My elbows are also helping this decompression of my entire body, to allow me to "spring" off the bike and force myself to "pop" into the air, which will dramatically help this (or any) trick.

As my legs are decompressing for my "pop", I just follow-through and continue that motion so that my legs just bounce off the pegs. I help that by bending my knees a little, which will bing my feet up above my seat, and they are almost already there.

In one smooth and fluid motion my feet are high enough to cross the seat, so I smoothly push them both to my left. I try to keep them fairly close so that coordinating where they are is more simple. I have also been pushing with my arms enough to straiten them out, and that has helped to bring my upper-body higher off the seat and gain more separation from the bike - thus giving me a greater margin for error.

Here I've got my upper-body where I want it (but I will keep extending it slightly) so I'm mainly focusing on rotating my hips to the left and bringing my feet up so that they are level with my waist. Keep in mind, I'm mainly focusing on where my feet need to be at full-extension, and what I need to do to get them there. That's important - visualizing the trick in your head so what you need to do is second nature.

Remember how I said to visualize the full-extension of the trick in your head? This is what I saw, so this is what I made my body do. Remember, you don't want to force it, but with enough practice and repetition, you'll train your body to get to this point (full-extension) in one fluid motion.

This is almost identical to the frame just before full-extension, but I'm coming back in a little slower then I threw it out. That's because I'm watching my landing and I know how much time I have; since I've done this trick enough I know how long I need to bring it back in. I'm mainly just focused now on bending my knees back and balling up my lower-body a tad to get make getting back over the bike much easier.

Right now my lower-body is balled up just enough to get back centered over the bike. My main concerns are that my legs are balled-up enough to safely clear the seat (I don't want to get hung up) and that my chest is lined up with the handlebars -since it is, I'm preparing my legs for their journey to the pegs and I will be glancing down out of the corner of my eye to make sure they are lined up okay. With practice, lining up your body/legs/arms with any trick becomes second-nature, and visual confirmations aren't as important.

Okay, my upper body is not quite exactly where it needs to be, but since it's lined up over the bike how I want it, I am putting my full-attention on my legs/feet right now. I've more or less spread my feet open here to ensure that they'll get around the bike, and when I'm closer to the pegs I can begin to close them. Because that's where I'm going with them (and they're natually dropping here anyhow due to gravity and my flight-path from the ramp) I just keep my knees and hips ready for any adjustments I may need to make.

As my feet get closer to the pegs, I can begin to slowly "mouse trap" the bike with my legs - I am closing them on the bike because now they are even/lower than the seat height, and that will help secure me back on the bike. I know my nose is little high, so I'm bringing my head/upper body over the bars a little more then normal to correct this.

Okay! Because I was consciously aware of my body positon the whole time and adjusted it with my arms, I'm exactly where I want to be for landing. My feet are maybe an inch off the pegs now, but I'll make sure that they'll touch down on the pegs when I land (if I don't get them there sooner). I have a few adjustments I need to make (like getting the nose down a little), so now is when I'll make them. I'm doing what I wanted with the pitch of the bike by being a little more forward than normal, and it's working out.

Okay, my corrections worked on the pitch of the bike, which is why I'm back to normal positioning for landing: ready and aware for the landing, bike pitched down slightly (thanks to my corrections), and slightly back on the seat (I was forward to fix the pitch of the bike, but as I fixed that I brought myself back to get ready) to keep my gravity centered. My elbows are slightly bent here, but they are firm to prepare for the landing.

You should be really focusing on this body-position right here when jumping a ramp to do a trick (or to just dead-sailor it). As your hit the ramp and ride off it, you want to be slightly forward, knees and elbows slightly bent, looking at the landing but focusing on what your body is doing.	Here you can already see my knees are decompressing, which has forced by upper-body back a tad. My elbows are also helping this decompression of my entire body, to allow me to "spring" off the bike and force myself to "pop" into the air, which will dramatically help this (or any) trick.	As my legs are decompressing for my "pop", I just follow-through and continue that motion so that my legs just bounce off the pegs. I help that by bending my knees a little, which will bing my feet up above my seat, and they are almost already there.
In one smooth and fluid motion my feet are high enough to cross the seat, so I smoothly push them both to my left. I try to keep them fairly close so that coordinating where they are is more simple. I have also been pushing with my arms enough to straiten them out, and that has helped to bring my upper-body higher off the seat and gain more separation from the bike - thus giving me a greater margin for error.	Here I've got my upper-body where I want it (but I will keep extending it slightly) so I'm mainly focusing on rotating my hips to the left and bringing my feet up so that they are level with my waist. Keep in mind, I'm mainly focusing on where my feet need to be at full-extension, and what I need to do to get them there. That's important - visualizing the trick in your head so what you need to do is second nature.	Remember how I said to visualize the full-extension of the trick in your head? This is what I saw, so this is what I made my body do. Remember, you don't want to force it, but with enough practice and repetition, you'll train your body to get to this point (full-extension) in one fluid motion.
This is almost identical to the frame just before full-extension, but I'm coming back in a little slower then I threw it out. That's because I'm watching my landing and I know how much time I have; since I've done this trick enough I know how long I need to bring it back in. I'm mainly just focused now on bending my knees back and balling up my lower-body a tad to get make getting back over the bike much easier.	Right now my lower-body is balled up just enough to get back centered over the bike. My main concerns are that my legs are balled-up enough to safely clear the seat (I don't want to get hung up) and that my chest is lined up with the handlebars -since it is, I'm preparing my legs for their journey to the pegs and I will be glancing down out of the corner of my eye to make sure they are lined up okay. With practice, lining up your body/legs/arms with any trick becomes second-nature, and visual confirmations aren't as important.	Okay, my upper body is not quite exactly where it needs to be, but since it's lined up over the bike how I want it, I am putting my full-attention on my legs/feet right now. I've more or less spread my feet open here to ensure that they'll get around the bike, and when I'm closer to the pegs I can begin to close them. Because that's where I'm going with them (and they're natually dropping here anyhow due to gravity and my flight-path from the ramp) I just keep my knees and hips ready for any adjustments I may need to make.
As my feet get closer to the pegs, I can begin to slowly "mouse trap" the bike with my legs - I am closing them on the bike because now they are even/lower than the seat height, and that will help secure me back on the bike. I know my nose is little high, so I'm bringing my head/upper body over the bars a little more then normal to correct this.	Okay! Because I was consciously aware of my body positon the whole time and adjusted it with my arms, I'm exactly where I want to be for landing. My feet are maybe an inch off the pegs now, but I'll make sure that they'll touch down on the pegs when I land (if I don't get them there sooner). I have a few adjustments I need to make (like getting the nose down a little), so now is when I'll make them. I'm doing what I wanted with the pitch of the bike by being a little more forward than normal, and it's working out.	Okay, my corrections worked on the pitch of the bike, which is why I'm back to normal positioning for landing: ready and aware for the landing, bike pitched down slightly (thanks to my corrections), and slightly back on the seat (I was forward to fix the pitch of the bike, but as I fixed that I brought myself back to get ready) to keep my gravity centered. My elbows are slightly bent here, but they are firm to prepare for the landing.