still totally sucking.

DO NOT GIVE UP !!! Your gyroscope is not broken. Otherwise you
wouldn't be able to walk. I feel your pain. I started sooooo many
threads in the past year about my inability to be able to ride more than
a few feet. I thought I was the most balance challenged person in the
entire world. At about 6 months of practicing EVERY SINGLE DAY I got to
where I could ride 50 meters occasionally. Then, I lost it and went
for another several weeks where 20 or 30 feet was difficult and rare.
Then, at about 8 months of practice and hard work, something clicked and
I could ride. Not very well but, I could wobble my way around the
neighborhood basically as far as I wanted. Now, at about 13 months, I'm
very close to having all the level 2 skills down and even a few of the
level 3 skills. It's the most fun thing that I do and I'm so glad that
I didn't give up. I was soooo close a few times. I was getting so
discouraged. Do yourself a favor and just keep at it. Yeah, it's
difficult and frustrating and seems impossible but that all helps to
make the reward so much greater when you finally get it. Keep posting
when you feel frustrated. The encouragement that I got from the people
on this forum gave me hope and confidence and helped to keep me going.

--
underdog - level 1 rider

'I tell you, we are here on Earth to fart around, and don't let anybody
tell you different' - Kurt Vonnegut
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keep at it. check the tips again, use the search on the forums for
begining unicycler threads. lots of tips in those. realise that because
you don't have a childhood worth of bike riding balance built up, you
will have a harder time than most learning to ride a uni. don't let that
stop you. keep your weight on the seat and eyes ahead, eventually you'll
figure it out.

--
markf - movie nerd

stuck in iowa and unemployed.
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Thanks, guys. It's just so pissing me off at this point. I feel
handicapped. I figured it might take me a little while longer, but this
is rediculous.

One of the good things, I suppose, is that I remember what that 'snap'
felt like when learning to ride a bike, since it wasn't very long ago.

I guess I'm just kind of waiting for that.

And, yeah, I do understand that you guys all started off with a lot more
pre-programming for balance-oriented things, but... ugh. At the rate
I'm going, it feels like I should have been able to learn how to ride a
uni without ever touching a bike in the first place!

I think I'm going to give it another go... one more chance... but I've
got a lousy tendency to give up on things. I just don't want to be
outdone by a unicycle. Thank you, pride.

Chedd

--
zambonijones
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If you can ride 30 feet, you're very very close.

--
mscalisi - Not such a newbie anymore
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Yes.At 30 feet,It usally comes fast after that.Keep at it.

What I did when i was learning,and when i learn new tricks now,Is to
keep going and not stop until you've had progress.somtimes thats what it
takes.Also,if you continue doing it,you get a little bit better at a
time.SOmtimes you even get better at falling off,though it sounds wierd.

--
forrestunifreak - Team YAMS member

Old school,new school,dont go to school.

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lean back, not alot just a little bit, before i heard that tip i could
ride 10 ft after 2 months of practicingthe day after i heard it i could
ride 60 ft

--
ben_unruh - unicycling gangsta

The power of the polka!

Unicyclers Unite!

Santa's sleigh will slay again!

WANTED
USED COKER
PM ME
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When I bought my first Unicycle, I knew that I would be able to ride it
one day. I really wanted to learn, and I was willing to practice until I
was able to ride it.

If you really want to learn to ride a Unicycle, it doesn't matter how
long it takes, you are doing really well already.

What ever you do when you practice, just enjoy the fact that you can
ride a unicycle! So what if you can't ride for miles at a time, one day
you will be able to, so enjoy what you can do while you build up to
that.

Not all of us are the type of people who learn to ride in an afternoon,
then after a couple of months are hopping over things and getting to
level whatever. Unicycling is mainly about your personal challenge to
ride the thing. It only has one wheel! You shouldn't be able to ride it
at all; the fact that you can ride it for 30 feet should make you really
happy.

Keep practicing, and keep enjoying practicing.

Innes

--
innes - Unicyclist
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Beyond the obvious suggestions (make sure your seat is high enough, put
your weight on the seat, look out not down), I would suggest changing
the context of your practice. Instead of just practicing on a
playground, set a goal to ride somewhere, to your favorite cafe or
whatever. You might find that when you're thinking more about getting
somewhere, you stop obsessing over whatever is blocking you. Trying
unicycle basketball or hockey are also good ways to take your mind off
your skills.

--
tholub - Kinetic Sculptor
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just DON'T think that you possibly won't make it. just keep your weight
on the seat, and keep your feet on the pedals and simply keep pedalling.
and keep trying.

--
James_Potter - betcha can't stick it!
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I appreciate your help a lot, you guys. I will try doing some things a
little differently tomorrow, if I have the time. I am sort of stuck in
a rut, I guess. It is hard to find level ground in my town--even my
driveway is a little crooked, but it's the flattest thing I can really
have any easy access to. I'll scout around for some flatter,
somewhat-easy-to-use-a-starting-point type places, since I'm not
freemounting yet, either.

Gah.

And, yeah, I guess I should be happy that I'm this far. It's just been
so long since I've seen any progress! I'm a sucker for improvement.

Thanks a ton

Chedd

--
zambonijones
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Well, if you can ride 30 feet occasionally, you have proven that you
can do it. The main thing is to put in more time, and to enjoy it.

Can you connect to your friend's uni team (CTUNI) and find someone who
is willing to spend time with you?(*) Riding hand in hand with another
rider is a lot easier and will get you more distance, so it will be
less frustrating. I have taught people how to ride, and they could
ride hand in hand with me before they could ride on their own.

Out of curiosity, how many hours of practice have you put in in total?
On my page <http://www.xs4all.nl/~klaasbil/agelearn_short.htm> you can
find out that there is a wide range in the practice time people need
to learn riding.

I'm glad that underdog chimed in. He also kept practicing on and on,
against all frustration, and finally got somewhere. There is this huge
reward reserved for you!

Let us know of your progress - or even the lack of it as the case may
be.

(*) If he/she is a 'good' rider and would wonder "what's in it for
me", he/she can get something out of it by riding backwards, or
one-footed, etc. Backward seatdrag hand-in-hand anyone?

Klaas Bil - Newsgroup Addict
--
"When it comes to the family jewels, you won't be having fun until they're having fun. - Jake D"

One thing you could do is post a video of your riding. Then we could
see if you're doing anything odd or see if you've got the seat too low
or other things. If you don't have any other unicyclists in the area to
get advice from then the next best thing is posting a video here for
critique and advice.

--
john_childs - Guinness Mojo

john_childs (att) hotmail (dott) com
Gallery: '' (http://www.unicyclist.com/gallery/john_childs)
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Quoted message said:

since I'm not freemounting yet, either.

I got the "snap" when I decided to learn freemount. I couldn't ride more
than 10 feet when starting from a wall or whatever. I thought "Well,
I'll have to learn freemounting anyway! so why wouldn't I give it a
try".
At the beginning it is scarry but after 2 or 3 tries I could ride much
farther than before. I think it' because you have to keep your weight on
the saddle for freemounting, then you "just" have to ride, without
thinking about your position.
Hang on and, as JAmes_potter said, don't think too much. A trick I still
use: when I'm getting anxious or scarry about a new trick, I take 3 deep
breathe and I try thinking about anything but uni (that works especially
well when you start riding, if you feel you're close to it, eg you've
ridden 1 or 2 rev, unplugg your brain)

--
Zzagg - froggy uni

Zzagg - Air Circus Team (Nantes)

Riding day, dream away...
Still riding, still dreaming.

please excuse me for still thinking I can write correct english :-o
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Chedd it appears you live in Connecticut? If so, I would be glad to get
together with you to ride (with your parents' consent, of course!). I
ride all the time and have taught quite a few young people now. There
is a local high school which has some really good learning spots,
including a long chainlink fence next to pavement. My daughter will be
coming to visit in about a week, and that could be a really excellent
time. She may even be bringing a friend who wants to learn as well.

You would also be welcome to come to the New York Club meetings, where
you would meet lots of riders.

If you or your parents PM me, I would be glad to talk to you/them on the
phone and work something out so that they are happy with the
arrangements. They certainly would be welcome to come for the day to
the house with you and hang out with a book or something.

It's just a matter of time for your riding now, and a little
encouragement and a few tips will help loads!

--
U-Turn - As long as my feet keep movin'...

Weep in the dojo... laugh on the battlefield.
'LiveWire Unicycles' (http://www.livewireunicycles.com)
'Strongest Coker Wheel in the World'
(http://www.unicyclist.com/gallery/albup39)
'29er Tire Study' (http://u-turn.unicyclist.com/29erTireStudy/)
'New York Unicycle Club' (http://www.newyorkunicycle.com)
-- Dave Stockton
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Have you tried forgetting about distance traveled, and focusing instead
on being balanced and relaxed?

I've been teaching a small group of kids to unicycle for the past two
months.

In total they've logged around ten hours practice, and can ride
(inconsistently) up to around 15 feet.

One of the girls does so with excellent style- slow, graceful and
balanced.

In contrast, one of the guys just sees it as being about getting the
same distance as her, or longer. He does occasionally achieve that
distance, but his style is terrible- he just throws his weight forward
and goes for it, often ending in a harsh UPD at the end.

I stress to them that it's not about how far you can go at this stage;
more important is the ability to ride with some awareness of balance- a
ten foot distance with grace and a good dismount is better than twenty
feet ridden out of balance and ending in a crash.

Try working on other stuff for some of your practice sessions, such as
riding very short distances and getting a good dismount. Try a bit of
free-mount (mounting without using a wall or other support) practice.

If you're finding practice very frustrating, don't force yourself into
it and then quit for several months- instead commit to maybe a 5 or 10
minute session daily; you can always do more if you feel like it on a
particular day.

Get the competitive stuff out of your mind- some people thrive on
competing and setting targets; others are hindered by it.

--
onewheeldave - Semi Skilled Unicyclist

"You can't outrun Death forever.
But you can make the [censored] work for it."

--MAJOR KORGO KORGAR,
"Last of The Lancers"
AFC 32
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onewheeldave said:

*
If you're finding practice very frustrating, don't force yourself into
it and then quit for several months- instead commit to maybe a 5 or 10
minute session daily *

Good advice. I learned by doing five minutes, then having a break,
before doing another five minutes.

Innes

--
innes - Unicyclist
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i found when learning that not thinkng about what your doing
helps.(sounds weird but it works). i found this out when i was learning
in the summer and these kids where playing in the garden making a really
irritating noise. instead of thinking about what i was going to do, i
just did it and thought about ways of shutting the lil rats next door
up.

hope this helps

joe

--
juggling_unicyclist_joe - trials rider
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You have all been so very helpful, I really appreciate everything you
guys have said. I was thinking about trying to get somebody to come
help me, but I know how boring it can be to someone watching someone do
the same thing over and over from the sidelines.

I don't think I'll be riding today, but starting tomorrow, I'm going to
start switching my routine up a little bit to reflect what some of you
guys have advised, and I'll put a little more thought into getting some
assistance.

Thanks so much for the help

Chedd

--
zambonijones
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"zambonijones" <[email hidden]> wrote
in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

You have all been so very helpful, I really appreciate everything you
guys have said. I was thinking about trying to get somebody to come
help me, but I know how boring it can be to someone watching someone do
the same thing over and over from the sidelines.

Remember : 30 feet is 30 feet more than you could do when you started and
30 feet more than the kid next door can do.
When learning on two wheels I bet it wasn't long , after first reaching 30
feet before you could ride forever.

Try and assess why your ride ends: tiredness? wobble finally gets you?
It IS tiring to begin with, probably because it is unlikely that you have
your weight on the seat, and so your legs are taking punishment. Keep us up
to date wih progress and what is stopping you and someone is gonna help you.

Naomi