Your right, they aren't much use in trials but it looks really cool, I spent ages practicing front hops as a lad & got them really dialled now. Its all about that point of ballance!
I went through a spell of doing exactly that. Think it is just a confidence issue, I found that if you keep practicing on a height that you can do comfortably your technique will improve quicker, as opposed to trying heights that you get every 1 in 20 go's. Get the technique sorted & you will soon move on to the next level. Works for me.