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When it comes to riding a bike, balance and momentum is key. As long as you have enough momentum, keeping balance becomes easier. As long as you can keep your balance, you won't have to experience smashing into and sliding across asphalt.

The coolest aspect of learning to ride a bike is how most of it is instinctual. If you want to turn left, you will almost certainly first slightly turn right inorder to counterbalance the momentum of turning left.

It can be compared to the act of balancing a stick. If you want to move forwards, you'd first need to pull the stick towards you. This will then cause the stick to start falling forwards. In order to keep the stick from completely falling, you'll need to move forwards to counter the forward momentum of the stick.

This concept can even be further expanded upon in the sense of giving a few inches to take a few feet. In the case of tug of war, there's a strategy where you suddenly give the opponent team a large portion of rope in the hopes of catching them off guard. Executed correctly (with the element of surprise and against amateurs), you'll usually get a free win.

So remember; there's nothing wrong with taking a step back or making a tactical retreat in order to make a comeback.