Clutch in air

They might pull in the clutch partially to tap the brake, but that is about it. 

What he said. ☝️

Tell your buddy he’s full of shit 😆

I sometimes pull the clutch in the air - because I’m scared and I’m not sure what else to do…..

It’s generally better to pull in your front brake in the air.

It was very common back in the 2 stroke days. Pulling in the clutch, revving it high then dumping it before you touched the ground again. I remember in '04, the first real year of the 250F's, at Spring Creek Chris Gosselar came around to the top of the hill on his Amsoil Honda 250F and he clutched the landing every lap. Sounded badass, and its pointless in reality. But I normally see it with 2 stroke riders or Barcia on his Geico Honda in 2009 at Blue Diamond MX.

It 100% was not "very common" in the 2-stroke days. For some reason a few dudes started doing it around the time Barcia went pro, but back in the 80s & 90s (the true "2-stroke days"), you never heard someone at full throttle while their rear wheel was 8 feet off the ground unless it was a panic rev.

Do guys pull in the clutch when they brake tap?

Unless they're trying to get to Endonesia

there was a triple-triple back to back at a track and the only way i could do the second triple was to slip the clutch big time in the air and get the revs really high to launch the second set.  I was on a 250 2 stroke. you can get the engine revved up higher than just a panic rev in gear will do.. 

I guess in a reallllly loose sense it is "freeing" the bike up to rotate more easily  by removing or minimizing drive torque.  But I'm not a physicist, just stayed a the Holiday Inn last night.

And don’t tap the brake without the clutch in ☠️

Yeah, No, For sure

I've done it on super hard/blue-groove tracks before to control wheelspin.  Landing from a jump feeding clutch/throttle similar to on a start.  Especially if there is another obstacle immediatly after landing.

Not often, but have done it.

As someone who has tried to qualify for a supercross, no the clutch in never pulled in the air unless the rear brake is being tapped. With that said there was always a finger on the clutch in case a brake tap was needed. In the 2stroke days it was very common to use the clutch for a burst of power on the face of a jump to help you get over it, and many times you just leave your finger still on the lever while in the air

Physic's say that if you pull the clutch in the air the rear tire is going to decelerate due to not being driven by the engine. It could be argued that you would pull the clutch after giving the throttle a blip to keep the tire in motion longer and not slowed by the engine rpm decreasing, but everyone will just rev the engine longer

Almost all advanced riders scrub so hard these days the bikes typically are front wheel down through most of their flight over a triple and why you see the blip of throttle mid air. Not the place you want to "free up" the chassis. The gyro effect also helps realign the bike after a whip or scrub

Deegan and Barcia probably pull in the clutch every jump so they can rev bang the bike in the air. 

I used to do this exact thing on my 125 back in the day, usually in rhythm section with short transitions between jumps. Unsure if it actually helped at all.

I would do it on a 4stroke to free up the bike in specific corners but never heard of it in the air.

I've been doing it all wrong.
I grew up on 80cc 2 stk in the '80s.
Lots of 125/250 2 stk in the '90s.
At some point I got to where as soon as I leave a jump face clutch is pulled in in anticipation of doing a brake tap or panic rev.
If neither is needed I will just do a quick throttle blip (2 stk habbit) 

It has served me well over the years and while apparently "wrong" it is hard to teach an old dog new tricks. 
I know the proper way to ride a 4 stk is to NOT use the clutch but I just can't do that.

Have fun guys...

NO and a clutch is good for starts and brake taps unless your name is Eli, then you would feather clutch instead of letting off the gas.