Braking in motocross: use front and rear brake in a measured way while standing, keep weight back and avoid locking on loose ground. With a practice plan.
The honest answer: Off-road you brake standing, with your weight over the footpegs and slightly back, and you meter both brakes instead of locking one. On loose ground the rear brake is your friend for stabilising, the front brake your tool for slowing down, but only with feel.
And here is the part almost nobody tells you up front: there is no study that shows how best to learn braking technique in motocross. What we can support is the price of a mistake. In an analysis of 1,500 accidents with 1,870 injuries among 15,870 off-road riders in Europe, knee injuries, wrist and collarbone fractures remained frequent despite better protective gear [1]. And the grip strength with which you meter the brake lever drops significantly after only 20 minutes of training [2]. All moves below are coaching practice and carry no source number.
Realistically: braking is a beginner skill, but a safety-critical one. You learn it slowly, on a free area, and only then with speed.
Why both brakes? The rear brake stabilises the motorcycle and lets you regulate speed finely without loading the front wheel right away. The front brake slows down the most but demands the most feel. Whoever uses only one gives away either braking distance or safety. That is practical knowledge, not a study statement.
Push the motorcycle and brake front and rear without riding. Learn how much lever and pedal travel you have before something locks.
Milestone: While pushing you can meter each brake separately.
Ride slowly in a straight line, standing, and brake with both brakes, gently. Your legs hold the motorcycle, the weight sits over the pegs. The goal is an even slowing down, no jolt.
Milestone: Five brakings in a row without a locking wheel.
Practise slowing down and stabilising with the rear brake. A light slide of the rear wheel is normal on loose ground. Feel how far it may go before the motorcycle turns sideways.
Milestone: You can make the rear slide in a controlled way and catch it again.
Pull the front brake only lightly at first, raise the pressure in stages and stay back with your weight. On loose ground the front wheel locks quickly, and then it pushes you away.
Milestone: You slow down firmly without the front wheel locking.
Move the braking before the corner. In the corner itself you release the brake and apply throttle. Start slowly and only raise the speed when the sequence sits.
Milestone: Ten corners in a row in which you finished braking before turning in.
Practise braking on three surfaces: firm ground, loose sand, wet clay. On each of them the wheel locks sooner or later. If you have felt the limit once on every surface, you will not be startled in a race. That is coaching practice. Important: only where you are allowed to ride and where a fall is no danger.
Both, in a measured way. The rear brake helps you stabilise and slow down, the front brake gives most of the slowing but locks faster on loose ground. Start gently.
On loose ground the tyre has less grip. So pull the front brake lightly at first and raise the pressure in stages. We give no number, because it depends on the surface.
Off-road mostly standing, with the weight over the pegs. That way you can keep the weight back and support the motorcycle with your legs.
A mistake can lead to a fall. In an analysis of 1,500 accidents, knee injuries, wrist and collarbone fractures remained frequent [1]. That is why you practise slowly, with protective gear and an instructor.
You need fingers you can meter with. But grip strength drops quickly, already after 20 minutes of training [2]. Gripping loosely and taking breaks helps more than strength alone.
Flat Turn: Cornering Cleanly Without a Berm