Its the inertia coming from the endo that holds you in the upright position long enough so you can hop. Once that force has gone, if your not moving forward or backward you'll need incredible balance to keep the front wheel in the air. Its easier to follow the original force and hop backward, pedal kicking to keep you upright takes a lot of practice, how hard to push, body position, brake timing ect all need to be in unison.
Something I'm still working on