BMX, also known as “Bicycle Motocross” is one of the most popular extreme sports, and is growing in popularity year on year thanks to events such as the “extreme games” and other huge bmxing extravaganzas. There are two main types of BMXing the most popular is “freestyle” where people do stunts on makeshift obstacles, examples being grinding along poles or jumping down stair sets. The other form is the less dangerous, yet still risky racing which is often done across hills against other competitors.

The racing form of BMX became a full medal Olympic sport in 2003 and features in the 2008 Beijing Olympics. A Latvian man named Maris Strombergs won the men’s event and Anne-Caroline Chausson picked up the gold medal in the first femal BMX event.

“Freestyle” Bmx consists of 5 different disciplines; “Street”, “Park”, “Vert”, “Trails” and “Flatland”. All of these require exceptional skill and dedication if you are to have any chance of competing in events.

Street BMX

This discipline involves using your bmx on man made obstacles to perform stunts. Obstacles include; handrails, stairs and sometimes curved walls. But in reality there is no limit to the obstacles you could use.

Park BMX

Although many of the obstacles in parks were originally designed for skaters or skateboarders use, they are now the playground for BMX riders. Skate parks usually consist of lots of different small pieces such as coping (for grinding) and ramps.

Vert BMX

Considered the most extreme of all BMX disciplines Vert is made up of half pipes, quarter pipes and large ramps. Vert BMXing tends to be the most popular BMX format.

Trails

These are lines of dirt which make jumps. They tend to have differing levels of steepness which make getting “air” easy and also make gaining speed paramount.

By: Jayden Purvis