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Balance exercises

Started by vivalargo · · Last activity · 10 posts · 328 views

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rec.sport.unicycling
Published
6 July 2005
Last activity
7 July 2005
Original author
vivalargo
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10
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  1. In an attempt to work on one of my various weaknesses I started
    practicing riding "skinnies" a week or so ago. Don't know how the
    talent will translate to Muniing, but improved balance/stillstand powers
    can't hurt. Sort of by accident, I discovered an exercise that quickly
    and rapidly improved my balance and still stand.

    There's a narrow curb by my crib that runs the length of Rose Ave., in
    Venice, basically about a mile long. With a little practice, riding this
    at a good clip is prety easy. Then I started trying to "slow ride" the
    thing, and the exercise suddenly got way harder and strenuous. Finally I
    started pausing every time the cranks got to 3 and 9. This stop-and-go
    exercise is fun and intense and works my legs and core like crazy after
    about 50 yards. If you're bored some time and have a long curb, you
    might find this an interesting drill. My shirt is soaked through in 15
    minutes doing this exercise. I still fall off a lot.

    Anyone with other fun stuff to do on curbs, I'd love to hear about
    them.

    JL

    --
    vivalargo - Santa Barbara Unicycle Club
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  2. Try to come to a still stand and then rotate 180 on the curb and ride
    the other direction.

    --
    harper - TANKED at GASWORKS

    -Greg Harper

    B L U E S H I F T

    "I don't feel someone is stirring the pot here, when the pot is already
    boiling over and the cook is nowhere in sight! " -maestro8 on political
    discussion
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  3. For real freaks wheel walking and one footed riding would be a challenge
    too.

    Seat out riding would be a nice skill, too.
    In a German Movie you can see a guy doing a Dragseat on a skinnie, but I
    have no clue how wide it is. Looks pretty impressive though.

    --
    Tassilo - Nesthaken
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  4. You could try idling and backwards riding on curbs too.

    --
    skate4flip - Almost level 4
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  5. Great ideas. I've tried a few of those by first practicing on a
    straight lane line in the street (watch out for busses), then trying it
    on the narrow curb. What amazes me more than anything is how strenuous
    it gets once you slow the whole thing way down and try and keep it going
    for 100 yards.

    JL

    --
    vivalargo - Santa Barbara Unicycle Club
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  6. I have also found that balance, on the uni, is greatly improved by
    slow-motion movement on a line. Once the factor of momentum is reduced,
    the body learns to stabilize within a tighter envelope.

    Glad to see this thread, thanks...

    --
    roadkill - Crash Test Dummy

    ...Are the voices in my head bothering you?
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  7. I've just recently tied a short (2-3m long or so) slackrope between the
    clothesline and fence to balance on. I've tried stillstanding on the
    uni on it a little and plan to do more of this but first I'll have to
    remove the tyre and tube...I can use my old cheap uni for that. Should
    be fun.

    Andrew

    --
    andrew_carter - Learning to unicycle...

    *http://www.unicyclist.com/gallery/andrew*
    unicycling tips and tutorials - http://www.unicycle.2ya.com
    *'my big movies' (http://gallery.unicyclist.com/bigmovies)*
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  8. vivalargo said:

    *I've tried a few of those by first practicing on a straight lane line
    in the street (watch out for busses), then trying it on the narrow
    curb. What amazes me more than anything is how strenuous it gets once
    you slow the whole thing way down and try and keep it going for 100
    yards.

    *

    The painted lines are always easier for me even if the curb is only a
    few inches high. Painted lines I can stay on at really low speeds. Much
    more concentration, much more energy, and much less breathing go into
    curb riding for me. My brain always tells me to drop off the curb or
    ride into the grass. It rarely says relax and keep in the middle of the
    curb.

    --
    harper - TANKED at GASWORKS

    -Greg Harper

    B L U E S H I F T

    "I don't feel someone is stirring the pot here, when the pot is already
    boiling over and the cook is nowhere in sight! " -maestro8 on political
    discussion
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  9. harper said:

    *The painted lines are always easier for me even if the curb is only a
    few inches high. Painted lines I can stay on at really low speeds.
    Much more concentration, much more energy, and much less breathing go
    into curb riding for me. My brain always tells me to drop off the curb
    or ride into the grass. It rarely says relax and keep in the middle of
    the curb. *

    Yo, Harp--

    What you just described is my experience exactly. They way I have
    started (not there yet) to get over it was to ride that curb, slowly,
    for like a half mile at a time. The only way I can keep on keeping on
    is to relax my tripe and start breathing. It's fricking amazing how I
    automatically clench up inside once I get on that curb. That's trying
    too hard, and it don't work nohow in any sport I've ever practiced.

    JL

    --
    vivalargo - Santa Barbara Unicycle Club
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  10. I've found that developing my stillstand ability has been the most
    beneficial technique for riding (trials and muni). Usually, on a skinny,
    more momentum means it's easier to balance. I'm starting to get to the
    point where when I feel I'm losing balance to one side (on a skinny),
    I'll stop and go into a stillstand, recover, then continue riding. On
    trials lines, a good stillstand gives you a great sense of where your
    center of balance is, whether or not you should bail to avoid falling,
    and gives you MUCH more control over the uni.... the same applies to
    muni, of course.

    How I practice stillstands: 'video' (http://tinyurl.com/bjt7a).

    Dave

    --
    fcwegnm0b - HammerTron

    "So the nurse was telling me about what you did to your ankle... and I
    all got was 'unicycle', 'mountain', and 'filming'"
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