TANUKI: Pon's Summer - Lit_Day
Just look at him. A bit embarrassing, huh, Pon? Snacking all morning, chugging sodas, then crashing into a nap on a park bench, smh. Time to burn off those carbs!
Is there a better way than busting out some BMX tricks? Maybe. But you didn’t come here for healthy diet advice, right?
So let’s start with the basics.
[expand type=details expanded=false]FYI: Pon is a professional athlete, do not try these at home. Video games will do for now~[/expand]
THE WHEELIE
Controls: Left Bumper + Right BumperOooookay, let’s get started with fundamentals!
Drawing inspiration from the motocross scene, BMXers looove coasting the streets on just the rear wheel. It’s a starting point that gets you to feel the BMX, your body, and balance it all. Having a tail only makes it so much easier.
It also helps you keep a long combo going, so better get used to this one early, k?
Yep, Pon kinda skipped the whole pedaling stage and went straight to the manual, but it still counts as a wheelie! ‘COZ HE’S ON WHEEL!
GRIND THE GRINDS
Wheelie Grind Controls: Right TriggerThere are handrails all over town. Probably, ‘coz safety and stuff, right? Pon would argue they’re just there for fun. And the ramps? Someone on the city council must’ve been a tanuki... or BMX masters. This whole town is one big BMX playground. Even the power lines are just another rail to grind… just keep your tail up!
Headstand Grind Controls: Right Trigger + Y
This is the easiest and at the same time the hardest to do, especially if your balance is still a little wobbly. Nothing that a good old practice won’t fix! And when you finally lock in for the first time… That feels amazing.
[expand type=details expanded=false]Okay, keep in mind that too much practice is a thing. Don’t tell anyone, but Pon would frequently run away from his duties just to get some BMX practice.[/expand]
Intuition? Talent? Patience? Whatever helps make BMXing work, Pon’s got it all. Just look at him: a great sense of weight control, it’s almost like Pon has a mental balance gauge of some sort… TOTALLY NOT A CHEAT! Add to that some tricks that border on stunt performance – like the headstand grind!.
BACKFLIP & FRONTFLIP
It wouldn’t be too stylish to just ride the bike like we did thus far, so let’s add a bit more flourish to the action with these bad boys!Backflip Controls: Ldown + BThese moves are a staple of the 90s and Y2K BMX scene. Certainly something you shouldn’t try at beginner level, unless you’re a tanuki. Pon might make it look too easy, but don’t fall under that illusion. This is dangerous, you gotta commit fully: keep the bike control and spot landing.
Frontflip Controls: Lup + B
Some tricks are better off done mid-air, the higher you start the more tricks you can do in a chain, tracing the tire marks of the BMX legends Backs down to Jose Yanez and triple heads up to Ryan Williams.. Launch off a ramp and whip it good!
No ramp, no problem. Pon’s been known to launch off the roofs (though the post office strongly advises against this, even if they truly reminisce ramp shapes).
Only for the bold ones.
SUPERMAN
Controls: Lup + YPon might not be a superhero… but he can definitely fake it.
This move is slick and on point. Challenging fear and showing off the ultimate control over your BMX. Just look at Pon’s face! He might not be an alien, but surely feels like one at times. Cool, mysterious, and inhumanly superpowered like, who else can summon a bike with that kind of nonchalance?.
Btw, here’s one of the videos that got Pon inspired in the first place to even attempt it:
What are you waiting for? Stretch those legs and take a flight! No cape, just raw ambition.
TAILWHIP
Controls: Lup + BAh yeah, the classic! Pon could never NOT do this one. As a proud owner of a tail himself, he made it his goal to master the tailwhip and add it to his arsenal. Gotta admit that this is far more complex than a grind even for a tanuki. Though it is totally possible, check out this vid by OUR BMX:
Pon’s still figuring out how to pull this one off without flinging into the nearest canal. Good thing he’s got tanuki magic on his side: teleporting for sure is quite a cheat. It totally counts though, right?
THE GRAND FINALE
And now Pon’s going to show off his BMX madskillz. Just look at these sweet-sweet points summing up! Nothing gets your heart racing like an adrenaline-endorphin combo of this kind of action pump straight into your veins.
We’ll see if Pon finds more time to share his deep master knowledge of tricks among the constant flow of deliveries, odd jobs, and other tanuki shenanigans. In the meantime, stay tuned by following us on socials.
Now go out there and go hit the streets — Pon style.
Catch you outside the Great Tanuki Shrine,
Denkiworks and Critical Reflex
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