Some Beginner Questions

icon said:

....
2. ... but is there anything I can do to keep going? I'm snatching a
few moments here and there to practice this, and I'd need to go further
afield to use a bigger area.

John, I too am a beginner. Just started at the end of last July. It
took me FOREVER to get my 24" just down the block. For me there was
two things I needed to do to get past there.
a. Practice trains the muscles to work more efficiently to
maintain balance on the uni. There is no magic piece of wisdom that
will bypass this. For people like me, you just gotta wanna....

icon said:

3, and finallly. I'm having trouble with commitment. I know that in
order to get going I've got to be leaning forward, but for some reason
I've got a real brain-lock about it. I'm reduced to using a corner of a
wall and the end of a trellis to 'push off' like a ski jumper. I'm
fine(ish) once I'm going, but it's a damn bad habit, I'm sure. What can
I do to break the habit?

Any thoughts that you'd care to offer would be most welcome!

Regards
John

Sounds like you need to start learning how to freemount. You'll brain
lock on this for a while too. Here's what worked for me. I got me a
12" long 2x4 and put it behind my wheel to prevent it from rolling
backwards. When you first start doing this the wheel goes backwards
over it anyway. That means you're putting too much pressure on the
foot that is resting on the pedal when you start your mount. By using
the 2x4 you can start dialing in how much pressure is needed to prevent
that from happening. You can stick with the chock for a while to allow
you to also practice on going distance. Don't hang there too long
though. When you want to wean yourself off find a thinner board and
use it until you no longer roll backwards over it. Soon you'll find
that you can do a very nice static mount without any chock at all.

Then your brain unlocks and you wonder what all the fuss was.

--
Trapper
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Use the search button at the top of this site for the information you
are looking for. That is what this site is all about. There is more
info then you can assimilate in one reading, and answers to almost all
of you questions are on this site!!😉

So for Freemounting, type in freemounting in the search bar, read it
and practice, practice, practice.

Oh yea, and sit on the seat.........🙂

--
rob
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Congrats on the venture into the wild, wild world of one-wheeling.
We're glad you could join us!

icon said:

1....I discovered that this is thought to be harder than having the
pedal vertical at the mid point and that I ought to be putting a full
180 degree stroke either side.

The horizontal idle is, indeed, more difficult than the vertical idle.
In the vertical idle, one only needs to apply periodic downward
pressure to one pedal to continue the idling motion (allowing for
one-footed idling). In contrast, the horizontal idle requires that one
apply pressure to both pedals throughout the "idle cycle."

Don't worry about the length of your "idle stroke"... the better you
get at idling, the smaller your stroke gets... even as a beginner I
never did a 180 degree stroke. With a smaller stroke you can manage to
idle in a smaller area

icon said:

2. ...is there anything I can do to keep going?

Transitions can be tough for beginning riders... other than the advice
you'll hear to "practice, practice, practice" the only other thing I
can tell you is to anticipate the transition and plan accordingly. It
helps to push harder on the last pedal stroke before hitting the
transition, to give you momentum through the transition. You may also
want to rise off the seat slightly (put a little more weight on the
pedals) to absorb the shock of the transition. Give these two things a
try and let us know how it goes.

icon said:

3...What can I do to break the habit?

Free mount! It sounds like you're riding already, so now's the time to
train yourself in the mount. Search around for some tips on the
"static mount", "roll-back mount" or "free mount" and start practicing.
This is the mount where, without walls or railings, you simply step
onto the unicycle and go.

BTW, don't "lean" when you're starting. Without getting into the
physics of unicycling, you're actually falling forward and pedaling to
keep the uni underneath yourself. Sit up nice and tall, then fall
forward. Just as you feel yourself falling, it's time to start
pedaling (unless you want to fall off!). The taller you can sit up,
the easier it will be for you to balance.

Good luck... let us know how you do!

--
maestro8

Those are my principles. If you don't like those, I have others. --
Groucho Marx
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Hi John,

I'm a beginner too, just started a few weeks ago. In the first thread
I started, harper gave me some tips that have helped quite a bit. You
can find that thread 'here'
(http://www.unicyclist.com/forums/showthread.php?t=45692). Matt is
also a beginner who's progressed quite rapidly, and has been keeping a
journal of his progress with many, many tips for us beginners. You can
find his journal 'here'
(http://www.unicyclist.com/forums/showthread.php?t=44950). I'm also
keeping a journal of sorts in a blog that I started, though it's more
for entertainment of family and friends than for helping other
beginners; if you're interested, the URL is in my signature.

I'm also having the same trouble you're having with stopping at a
change in terrain (pavement-to-grass). For myself, I'm fairly certain
that that trouble will decrease substantially (hopefully altogether!)
once I feel like I'm in control at all times on the pavement, so I'm
not worrying about it too much. I've moved to a park for my practice
area, and I've got nice, long paths to stay on the pavement (when I
don't UPD onto the grass); you might try to find some larger/longer
paved areas until you feel comfortable. Or maybe you need to try
starting on the grass instead; I don't think that would work for me,
but everyone's different.

In 'this' (http://www.unicyclist.com/forums/showthread.php?t=45950)
thread, jsm posted 'this'
(http://unicyclist.org/cont/play.cfm?pi=m320240idleR) link, which has a
video of idling. Hope that helps with the idle question; as for me,
I'm a long way from idling!

Best of luck, and keep us posted!

Rich

--
RichVoice

http://richonaunicycle.blogspot.com
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Hi John,

I'm a beginner too, just started a few weeks ago. In the first thread
I started, harper gave me some tips that have helped quite a bit. You
can find that thread 'here'
(http://www.unicyclist.com/forums/showthread.php?t=45692). Matt is
also a beginner who's progressed quite rapidly, and has been keeping a
journal of his progress with many, many tips for us beginners. You can
find his journal 'here'
(http://www.unicyclist.com/forums/showthread.php?t=44950). I'm also
keeping a journal of sorts in a blog that I started, though it's more
for entertainment of family and friends than for helping other
beginners; if you're interested, the URL is in my signature.

I'm also having the same trouble you're having with stopping at a
change in terrain (pavement-to-grass). For myself, I'm fairly certain
that that trouble will decrease substantially (hopefully altogether!)
once I feel like I'm in control at all times on the pavement, so I'm
not worrying about it too much. I've moved to a park for my practice
area, and I've got nice, long paths to stay on the pavement (when I
don't UPD onto the grass); you might try to find some larger/longer
paved areas until you feel comfortable. Or maybe you need to try
starting on the grass instead; I don't think that would work for me,
but everyone's different.

In 'this' (http://www.unicyclist.com/forums/showthread.php?t=45950)
thread, jsm posted 'this'
(http://unicyclist.org/cont/play.cfm?pi=m320240idleR) link, which has a
video of idling. Hope that helps with the idle question; as for me,
I'm a long way from idling!

Best of luck, and keep us posted!

Rich

--
RichVoice

http://richonaunicycle.blogspot.com
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Riding on grass is difficult. Try to stay on level, smooth surfaces. A
tennis court is great if you have access to one. You can hold onto the
chain link fence for support to get started.

Good comments from maestro8.

My theory about the most essential skill needed for riding is learning
to turn the wheel smoothly. That only comes with repetition and
practice. Your legs have to get used to doing the circular motion with
control. The more you ride, the stronger your legs get and the more
control your legs will have. Non-riders think this activity takes good
balance. It just takes practice. If you can walk, you can do this. You
don't control the ride with your head so much as with your legs.

The transition from one surface to another is often associated with a
bump. If the bump is up, you want your body motion to move up and not
just forward. To accomplish this, you have to keep good, constant
circular motion of the pedals and as you hit the bump, give just enough
extra push with your legs to raise yourself over the bump. As maestro8
said, shift your weight to your legs just long enough to get over the
bump. The tendency is to stop pedaling when you hit a bump and the
result is to fall forward.

Most of all, hang in there. Keep practicing and it will get better.

--
Wheel Rider

A man can fail many times but he isn't a failure until he begins to
blame someone else. - Waite Phillips
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click the link in my sig taht says newbie guide and also look in just
convoersation for a thread called journal of a new unicycler

--
trials_uni

You can't get up and try it again if you don't fall first.
-Phil
'Check Out my Newbie Guide' (http://tinyurl.com/99yez) <---new more
informative post go now! edited today!

Also Join the 'Unicyclist Roster'
(http://ecstasy.winternet.com/roster/index.php?) and meet other
unicyclists in your area!
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Hi, John (icon)

I also received a unicycle (24"😉 for Christmas and have been playing
with it indoors. I can ride about 10' before I have to transition into
a wall. I'm getting quite good (too good) at jumping off! It's too
wet and rainy/windy around here to go outside, especially if you plan
on falling down a lot.

Anyway, are you idling without holding on to anything?! I heard that
idling is more difficult than ridding.

Well, it's nice to know there are others in the begining stages. When
I read these forums and hear about everyone going over Niagra Falls on
a unicycle, I think I'm in the wrong forums. Keep us posted on your
progress. 🙂

Kris

--
kris97219
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Hi

Many thanks for the encouraging replies, and in particular for the
videos linked below - I'd been searching for something like that!

Sun's shining today, uni's in the back of the car - might be time to
brave the funny looks of passers-by for the first time.

Regards
John

RichVoice said:

In 'this' (http://www.unicyclist.com/forums/showthread.php?t=45950)
thread, jsm posted 'this'
(http://unicyclist.org/cont/play.cfm?pi=m320240idleR) link, which has a
video of idling. Hope that helps with the idle question; as for me,
I'm a long way from idling!
Rich

--
icon
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icon said:

might be time to brave the funny looks of passers-by for the first time

Go for it!!!

After awhile it's not so much of a novelty... other than to work on
another important unicycle skill: *snappy comebacks to stupid
comments*. Do some searching on "where's your other wheel" and you'll
find a plethora of witty responses.

Good luck!

--
maestro8

Those are my principles. If you don't like those, I have others. --
Groucho Marx
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