Today was the the first time i rode my Gas Gas jtx 270, in fact the first time ive ridden any trials bike, always thought how easy basic trials riding looked, Oh F... i was wrong, was on it about 3 seconds and the front wheel shot into the air, with me holding on in terror lol, that didnt help the confidence 1 bit, to be fair the 20 year old bike never missed a beat, fast throttle fitted didnt suit me at all, being a beginner, that will be changed, felt quite tense on the bike, causing my hands to get very painful, all that said i had fun and wont be giving up, will just be taking things very slowly

One of the best things you can do is take a class/training session.  Worth every penny. 

Outside of this getting the bike setup correctly also really helps.  And if you can't get a training in soon, pickup a DVD like the Ryan Young trials training video.

I am sure lots of other people will chime in soon with other great advice!