Jonny_Peacock said:when doing your kicks make them short and quick and dont let your foot
go too far down the wheel at all.
Got to disagree with both halves of that.
Short little "kicks" can easily lead to the wheel shooting forward, and
you on your back. That style of motion should come later, as it works
great for going fast. But when learning, you need control. DO take long
steps, and as long as you're not going fast, DO let your foot go as far
down the front of the wheel as is comfortable. When learning, remember
the idea is wheel "walking." Once you figure it out, then you can run.
I do agree with Peacock on the leaning back thing. Don't lean back.
Don't lean forward. If you're being methodical in your approach and
holding onto a wall, fence or spotter, you'll figure out your balance
point. You can balance in any bodily position, but for most forms of
riding, including wheel walking, the best position is to *sit up
straight.* What feels different is that your pelvic area is at a
different angle when you wheel walk, because your legs are out in front
of you. You're sitting further back on your butt, and it will feel
strange if you're not used to it. But when in doubt, always sit up
straight. Your spine should be more or less parallel to the frame.
Falling on your back:
First thing to do there is learn how to catch yourself before you
experience the dreaded tailbone landing. I did this on my (cement)
garage floor a few times when learning some wheel walking skills, and
it's one of the worst feelings. Practice falling off the rear and
landing on your feet. To do this you need two things:
1. Your feet need to be able to whip out to the sides and down behind
you. Keep 'em wide, or else they may catch on the pedals.
2. You need to know when to do it, before your balance is too far gone.
Comes with practice. I prefer a slow and safe approach, while others
are willing to push their limits a little harder to learn faster, maybe
falling more.
Then go back to improving your distance (or time). If the wheel is
shooting ahead of you, you might just be accelerating out of control.
Try to keep a steady speed. This will be quite a bit slower than
regular riding, so get used to it. You have to concentrate on balancing
more. Most people tend to go off the front, because they keep leaning
into it expecting to go faster. But wheel walking isn't fast at all,
until you're very solid at doing it.
--
johnfoss
John Foss
"jfoss" at "unicycling.com" -- www.unicycling.com
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