Re: Learning Turning

They (turning as a whole) were difficult for me to start. It's impossibl
to give instructions on turning though, it's more of a try untill you
get it type of thing. It also depends how long you practice, none of
that seemed very hard ot me but that's because I practice endlessly. All
I need for level 3 is to learn to ride with my stomach on the seat and
I've only had my uni for a month.

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Gobd
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I can JUST pull off that 3m figure 8, but only if I start to the left (I
find it easier to turn right, so starting on the left-hand section means
I get the easier bit second, if you see what I mean).

I was struggling with smooth turns (rather than swerving about by
twisting my body) and found some of the video clips on
http://unicyclist.org to be helpful. What I found most successful is
sticking my hips out in the direction I want to turn, but actually
leaning my body the other way - sort of so the unicycle leans into the
turn but my body is still more or less upright. This seems to keep the
whole thing more controlled and less likely to end up in manic pedalling
to try to stay on. It's hard to explain, but if you watch the video on
unicyclist.org it looks like that's what Leo is doing.

3m diameter is about my limit at the moment though.

Rob

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rob.northcott - Unofficial level 2, on a good day
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Exactly the same as Rob says goes for me too. The whole leaning the
hips thing while leaning the body the other way is exactly how I turn
left, and that's always been sort of natural for me.

However I still have to do the whole hard right pedal and twist of hips
thing to scrunch the wheel to the right.

And just like you, Rob, I can just about pull off the 3m figure eight.

Good luck Steveyo. I think Gobd is also right when he says it's of a
"try until you get it" type of thing.

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s7ev0 - level 1 and proud of it

s7ev0

Where there's a wheel there's a way
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My tips to make turning a little easier... (love 'em or leave 'em)

The unicycle will follow your body if you maintain a tight grip on the
seat. Using your hand will help keep your feet on the pedals, but it
_won't_ help you turn as well as using your thighs. Squeeze the seat
between your thighs when making a turn and you'll find you can control
the unicycle more precisely.

Once you've a good grip on the 'cycle, look at where you want to turn.
This usually means you'll have to turn your head in one direction or
another. Once you've turned your head and decided that's the way you
want to go, turn your shoulders, then your hips, to match where you're
looking. If you've got a good grip on the uni, it will follow your
hips.

At first practice turning when your cranks are parallel to the ground...
this should be the easiest. As you get better it won't matter how your
cranks are oriented.

With a week or two of practice you should be able to turn well within a
1m radius... the figure 8's will come shortly thereafter.

EDIT: "Leaning" is a bad practice which leads to "falling over." Keep
good posture while turning... your body should be in a (mostly) straight
line.

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maestro8 - Mad Scientists for World Domination
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