How to getter better wheelies by using your brakes ( MTB skills)

This might not seem intuitive at first, but give it a try!
We know that applying the rear brake while doing a wheelie or manual will usually result in a very quick "shut down" or dropping the front wheel back to the ground.
On the other hand, correctly applying the rear brake, with a lot of modulation ( and practice ) can help you to maintain and correct your balance while riding on the rear wheel.?
This is a great exercise for wheelies, but also to improve your braking ability.

[@justinmcguffey1060]

Noice!

[@tobyeglesfield4403]

I'm just getting into modulating - I'm on a kind of mixture of modulating and jabbing. I found that practicing on a slight downhill really forces the issue of having to feather the brake and it's slowly unfolding to me how the front wheel can still go a bit higher before I get near looping out. Also just learning to wheelie around bends, which is super-rewarding. Another thing I've noticed is that it's much easier to wheelie straight in a confined width space - such as a cycle lane with kerbs either side (such as they have them where I live) - somehow that gets me to go a lot straighter than an open space - I think it's to do with peripheral vision or something.

[@Ridebox_MTB]

Could be, that's a great observation! i never thought about it but when I do, I understand what you mean. I also think visual cues are important.
For me it helped me increase the length of my wheelies