Use one deliberate input
Choose whichever input lets you watch the opening without covering your companion. On a touchscreen, tap an unobstructed part of the playing area. On a computer, click the canvas or focus the game and press Space. The location of a tap does not select a target or change the strength of a turn.
Holding Space is not a continuous steering command: repeated keydown events are ignored. Release and press again when you want another reversal. Using two input methods together can produce an extra flip, so learn with one method first.
Know what the same input means
On the ready screen, the input starts a run. During play, it reverses curvature. On a held run, it resumes movement without also steering. After a collision, a fresh input can begin another attempt once the brief result transition has passed.
If a menu or dialog is open, finish with that interface before trying to steer. Space on a focused button can activate that button instead of acting as a canvas input.
Read the path after pressing
A flip does not teleport the companion or instantly point it toward a gap. Watch the short trail and the direction of travel immediately afterward. If it is still rising, the reversal may first reduce that rise before the path bends downward. Wait long enough to see the effect before adding another input. This distinction explains many apparently ignored taps and is the foundation for useful timing practice.