Re: Is idling more that a neat trick?



J

Justice

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Is idling more that a neat trick? I am Elmer's son, and I have been
wondering about that question. I am the only non-idler in our family,
and it doesn't seem to hold me back at all.


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Justice

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Depends what you want to do. I idle a lot when playing basketball,
sometimes when playing hockey and very occasionally when riding MUni.

It is quite useful when riding around town waiting for traffic to pass
or at lights.

I am not into tricks at all but I do idle as it is useful

hth
nick


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Justice wrote:
> *Is idling more that a neat trick? *
i would say yes
apart from all the handy applications of idling, it is also a very good
'in control of the uni' skill that transfers to countless others

what kind of unicycling do u do where not idling doesn't hold u back?


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i think being able to idle is one of the most important things you can
learn... if you have no way of stopping the unicycle without putting
your feet on the ground, then you just dont have the same control over
the uni that someone who idles does. i guess it depends on what you use
your uni for. if you do muni, then you probably dont need to learn it.
if you do trials, then i suppose you just hop in one spot when preparing
to jump. however, i find it useful to be able to idle/go backwards when
aligning myself for a jump so that i have the pedals in the 3 & 9
position when i ride up to the obstacle.

unless you feel like its "Holding you back", then you have no reason to
learn it. you know better than anyone else on this forum what is best
for you. your style is different from everyone elses, so it up to you.

-grant


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Idling is a basic skill of unicycling. There is no doubt that you can
get around without it, but it is nonetheless a very important skill to
master. If you want to get into trials, you'll need it to set up for
hops and drops. If you want to get into freestyle it is an integral part
of many moves. As well as what Nick said.

It is simply much cooler when you encounter a passing person, car or
other moving obstacle to idle rather than dismount and wait for it to
pass and then remount.

I have always wondered why idling with the dominant foot down isn't a
level 2 or 3 skill. And why idling with each foot down are equivalent
level skills.

Learn to idle. It is time well spent.

Cheers,
Raphael Lasar
Matawan, NJ


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Though you seem to describe yourself as a solid rider, generally people
who don't know how to idle also don't know how to ride backwards.
Without being able to idle, you can't stop without having to get off.
Unless you want to hop in place I guess.

I consider forward, backward, idling and turning to be the base skills
of unicycling. Right now a bike can pretty much do everything you can.
You haven't fully experienced unicycling until you've learned those base
skills.

Also, odds are you're dangerous to be around. If you're going to ride on
a crowded sidewalk, for example, you'll be less of a hazard to the
pedestrians if you can stop when needed. Again you can get by with
hopping, but I think you're missing out.


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johnfoss - Walkin' on the edge

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It's an absolutlely core skill.

It helps with freemounting, slow riding, negotiating rough terrain or
tight corners, helps with reversing, 3 point turns, working near
crowds... It gives you enormous confidence in all situations. Before
you can idle, you can "ride on" a unicycle, rather than being able to
"ride" a unicycle.

And, once you've learned, you should be able to idle a standard sized
uni almost indefinitely with very little effort.


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For those who can idle: it is really necessary to be able to idle with
either foot down?

I learnt to idle over the past month or two with the right foot down and
it took a lot of effort (for me) to learn, so I'm wondering if it's
worth learning all over again to do it with the left foot.

Everyone at juggling club who rides never bothered to idle with either
foot down, but then again we all ride 20" wheels in a big hall so not
much more distance is needed to get our favourite foot down. I guess
larger wheels and/or smaller spaces may make idling either foot down
more important.


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Learning things with your "second" foot is a lot easier than learning
the first one. Your body already knows how to do it, you just have to
get the first side to "share" with the other side.

As a core skill, idling with both feet is very useful. Sometimes you
have to stop because you're out of room. Or if you play games, pretty
much any game on a unicycle requires quick movements, meaning stopping
with either foot.

Fancier skills, ones that are just for show, don't need to be done with
both feet. But idling is more of a "utility" skill, and it's very
helpful to be able to ambi-idle.


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Learning things with your "second" foot is a lot easier than learning
the first one. Your body already knows how to do it, you just have to
get the first side to "share" with the other side.

As a core skill, idling with both feet is very useful. Sometimes you
have to stop because you're out of room. Or if you play games, pretty
much any game on a unicycle requires quick movements, meaning stopping
with either foot.

Fancier skills, ones that are just for show, don't need to be done with
both feet. But idling is more of a "utility" skill, and it's very
helpful to be able to ambi-idle.


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John Foss, the Uni-Cyclone
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johnfoss wrote:
> *Learning things with your "second" foot is a lot easier than learning
> the first one. *

I think that learning to idle with "the other" foot comes easier once
you can idle with the dominant foot. And is very important because it
will facilitate learning to ride backwards. Unicycling well means doing
things either footed. If you must idle for a long amt of time, its
easier on the leg muscles if you can switch over to the other foot.

Also, we like to play basketball. You can't be picky as to which foot is
where. You must quickly stop, idle, ride, idle, spin, go, stop... Funny
thing though: if you can just barely accomplish the idling skill, play a
game of Bball and you'll be doing it without realizing it. Bball is a
great skill accellerator. Your mind is occupied. Sounds intimidating but
we get our riders out on the court just as soon as we can. They progress
surprisingly fast. One kid can get an idle or two every now and then and
he can't even freemount yet... I'm just saying.


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I agree that idling in Level 4 is misplaced. I think that's something
we've learned over the years since the 10-level system was put into
place.

Many riders have found that idling is a very basic skill. In the new
skills system, it is part of the Rider Base Skills.

The Base Skills include riding, turning, dismounting, freemounting
(standard, either forward or rollback), idling, hopping, and going over
a slightly raised surface.

Once riders master these skills, they can advance to the next tier,
Intermediate/Advanced. That's when they can branch out into other areas
and focus on whatever kinds of riding they prefer -- artistic, trials, U
wheel, giraffe, and others.

The learn-to-ride tier (Rider Base Skills) is divided into 6 skill sets.
It will be easier for brand new riders to pass these, and they are
cumulative. So, riders can skip some if they're good enough. In other
words, if they pass Base 6, they've passed them all.

If you have questions for the USA, Inc. Skills Development Committee,
please let me know.

email: cettermclean at hotmail dot com

Thanks.

Carol


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I enjoy Muni and trials riding a lot and have found the idling has given
me more confidence and balance in both areas. Definitely learn both
feet, in many situations I have had to stop and back up a 1/2 or full
revolution with Muni and trials and you can't always choose the foot.

Idling also helps set up riding backwards. On many occasion I have
tried a trials move and started to fall backwards. I just pedaled
backwards a little. Again either foot here is important.

This past winter I worked on a lot of freestyle skills and have found it
has helped my Muni and trials a lot.

I believe idling to be a important skill. And it just looks so cool!

Bill


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Idling is staying on the unicycle withought any overall travel in any
direction through gentle rocking of the wheel.

I personally think idling is important for all types of riding. When
going back to pedals from wheelwalks I go into an idle, and when muniing
I find that if I make a long skid at the bottom of a technical hill or
something like that, my weight is back and an idle is a very convenient
way to control the wheel and get back on track. Also, if my wheel gets
forced onto a line I don't want to take, I can force an idle, even over
rocks and roots, and then turn my wheel and continue on a new line. In
trials, I find that idling has many overlooked uses. Firstly, on a large
line, one can take breaks without dabbing by just idling for a few
minutes. Also, rather than doing energy-consuming flat gaps, I find that
I'll do a couple of idles to move my tire closer to an obstacle. Another
use is that on some types of moves, I may suddenly find my pedals
vertical. If I couldn't idle, I'd just tip over, but instead, even when
my seat's out, I can idle my way back to the ideal position.

Then comes uni basketball and street riding around pedestrians. In uni
basketball, I idle a lot, although lately I find small hops leave me
more ready to manuever. In the street and sidewalks, I get cut off by
cars in the middle of the street, in which if I couldn't idle I'd be off
my uni standing in the middle of a street. Instead, I idle, and then go.
When around thick pedestrians, I idle lots, at lights, behind strollers
blocking the sidewalk, and many other peculiar things. I agree with
John, someone who can't idle in a pedestrian environment is not safe.

Now, I'm curious, what do you mean by "I ride muni & trials mostly, and
I am not into the technical aspects of riding."? Isn't that a bit of an
oxymoron? Isn't the whole point of muni to ride a really difficult,
technical trail? And trials is all about a technical obstacle with
limited space and difficult, precise moves. Is it trials if it isn't at
all technical?


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Justice wrote:
> *I ride muni & trials mostly, and I am not into the technical aspects
> of riding. I can 1 foot, and peck, and idle 5-6 times, and I am
> working on a seat-out hop. *

I can idle and I don't think idling is as useful as others seem to. On
distance rides, I get too tired to idle because it requires slowing
down. If you can consistently idle 5-6 times that is "good enough."
'Course, I could overstate the skill because I am good at it to boost my
ego :)
Don't worry about the skill, just use it when you need it (and you will
get good at it through it's use). In unicycle sports, I feel turning and
sprinting are much better skills to develop. Idling and riding backwards
are useful, but you can get by without either.

gerblefranklin
"even when my seat's out, I can idle my way back to the ideal
position."
Seat out idling! Dope!


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"gkmac" <[email protected]> writes:

> For those who can idle: it is really necessary to be able to idle with
> either foot down?

Necessary? You can answer that for yourself. I find being able to
idle with either foot is very rewarding: Only now that I can idle with
either foot and ride backwards do I begin to feel like I can really
control the unicycle.

I'll feel even more in control when I can get more weight onto the
seat while idling. Currently, I use the upper foot too much, which
makes idling pretty tiring. Now I'm working on one-footing it, which
I think will help :).

> I learnt to idle over the past month or two with the right foot down and
> it took a lot of effort (for me) to learn, so I'm wondering if it's
> worth learning all over again to do it with the left foot.

I found off-side idling really easy to pick up, and was soon better on
my awkward foot than my comfortable one!

Ken
 
By non-technical I meant that I don't care what happens as long as it
gets me from a to b. My riding aint pretty, but it works. About the
being a danger to others, I live out in the country, and we don't have
ped. traffic.


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Justice

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Justice rides fine for his level of experience! But he hasn't had as
much seat time as the rest of the kids, because of homework and sports
etc. etc.

He actually is able to do many of the things that you all talked about,
he just doesn't idle very long or ride more than four or five
revolutions backward. He has a confident still stand before jumping or
changing directions.

And Justice, if you read this, the same offer I made to the others
applies to you! 25 idles(back and forth is one) earns you $25!

The rest of you forum members have to find your own sponsors:mad:


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