Momentum is your friend - it makes the bike more stable and less likely to stall or get knocked off line.

Eyes on the prize! Keep your head up and look ahead down the trail where you want to go – if you stare at that tree you’ll probably hit it. Focus on the solution not the problem. The faster you go, the further ahead you want to be looking.

Relax! On rough ground stand up with your pedals level, drop your heels and keep your elbows and knees soft. Allow the bike to move around underneath you – don’t try to fight it.

Where your front wheel goes, your rear will follow – on rough, rocky and rooty terrain, concentrate on where you want your bars and front wheel to go, and you will be able to get over these challenging features and obstacles. Over time, with practice and experience, you’ll learn to ride more smoothly, stay light on your bike and finesse the rear wheel for more control.

Start small - practice on small features and jumps before you progress to the bigger stuff. Repetition is key, so once you master something for the first time, go back and do it again.

Look before you leap - stop and check out large features (like jumps and drops) before tackling them. Pick your entry and exit points. If you can, watch a more advanced rider go over it and gauge their speed – you could even ask to follow them in. Once you decide to go for it, commit!

Have fun! For us a good ride isn’t measured by how far we went or how high we climbed, but by how much fun we had: being out in nature and fresh air, discovering new trails, railing corners, doing a jump for the first time, linking up sections of trail to find the flow, hanging out with friends in the woods and coming home covered in dust or mud – these are the reasons we go mountain biking.