Jump rope is an instant crowd pleaser. It's a fairly easy skill and
will get the most crowd reaction of anything else you could do.
You may not be able to get the jump rope polished for this show, but
work on it for your next show or any other time that you want to show
off, like during a parade.
The trick to jumping rope is to squeeze the saddle between your thighs.
Then get the toe of your rear foot under the crank or in the spokes.
Put the toe of your front foot in the spokes or wedge your heel tightly
against the crank. Do what works for you, but it helps to have either
your toe wedged in the spokes or your heel wedged tightly against the
crank. After that it's just jumping in place in time with the rope.
The tricky part is keeping the rope from getting tangled in the wheel
and getting the rope started on the first twirl.
Another cheat is to strap a bungee cord under the seat. That makes it
easier because you don't have to squeeze the seat as much and you don't
have to squeeze your feet against the spokes and the cranks as much.
Make sure the jump rope is long enough. A rope that is long enough for
you when jumping on your feet is going to be too short when you get up
on the unicycle.
One of my jump ropes is a piece of climbing rope. You can get it cut to
size and then tie knots at the ends for the handle. Works well, and
climbing ropes come in different colors and are stiff enough that they
don't kink up or get all twisty.
--
john_childs - Guinness Mojo
john_childs (at) hotmail (dot) com
Gallery: '' (http://www.unicyclist.com/gallery/john_childs)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
john_childs's Profile: http://www.unicyclist.com/profile/449
View this thread: http://www.unicyclist.com/thread/32764
