Im just getting better at hopping. I can hop about 11" right now. By the way Im doing this on a crappy 24" Sun. How do I go about hopping with my seat out in front. I hear it helps greatly with height.
I say hold the back of the seat with one hand. You will want the other hand to help balance. You can use both later if you want once you can balance. Keep the seat as close to your body as possible to reduce the torque.
Im in much the same situation as you but a little further down the track. I can hop 14" max at the moment and also hop seat out in front. I got to aroun 11" seat in before I started to get the hang of seat out so your probably at about the right time to start.
First up, learn to hop on the spot with the seat out, just be able to hop around on the ground comfortably holding the seat as mentioned above. Second, start doing small hops (up one step perhaps) with the seat out. To start with seat out will make hopping harder and you wont get as high but it pays off in the end. Finally, once your comfortable with your seat out hops try biger heights. Remember to pull the uni up towards you a LOT to take advantage of seat out position. You probably wont be making that much use of it in reality but it will seem like your pulling it up heaps. After that, practice practice practice. 
Arking
I agree with what most have said already; however when I jump seat out in front, I hold onto the side of the seat instead of the back. Could be personal preferences though.
thanks, ill try work on hopping small with the seat out in front.
yeah i’m with Rayden, i always hold onto the side the seat right at the front for when im trying to get up stuff, though if im just messing around and getting used to hopping around i hold the back of the seat and hold the saddle about a foot away from my body, this also helps for getting better at riding seat out (which i still suck at!)
I did my first seat out hopping today. It is so much easier on the 20" Summit. Balance and hop height were both much easier. --chirokid–
When i said the back, I meant ont he side. On the right side, at the far back. I’m just saying I don’t hold onto the front handle when i hop seat in front.