All good points above, also remember to stand up. some people are not comfortable standing but otherwise you can inadvertantly do a seat bounce and end up over shooting your landing.
Stay on the pipe, stand up, you can do the clutch and tap the break to adjust your approach angle or body position and "Man handle" the bike where you want it, then get right back on the throttle as you hit the ground.
These have worked well for me.
On a similiar note, I hit StarWest SX track last night for my first time on a track I think I did well. 1st lap I rolled everything only clearing a couple small jumps, end of the night the only things I didn't go for were the 60' table, 60' step down, finish line jump, and the peak doubles (those look sketchy). If you want to become a better rider, ride a track, IMO.