hi. im relatively new to unicycling and am practicing hops! i would love to be able to jump higher but am not sure how to improve my technique. i was also wondering how things like tire pressure and the type of unicycle affect your ability to hop, so any info/advice is super appreciated :}
Hi, welcome to the forums!
It looks like you’re quite at the start of your hopping journey. My main advice would be just to jump around a lot, so you get more comfortable on the unicycle as you do it. Jump around all the time, everywhere, you’ll get better at it much faster the more you do it.
Technically, for now the only thing I would say is to be conscious of your foot placement on the pedals. You seem to have the pedals quite in the middle of your foot, with your toes overhanging the pedals a lot. I would say as you get a little more comfortable, try moving your feet back on the pedals so you’re a little bit more on the balls of your feet. This will allow you to use your calf muscles much more, pushing down on your feet, allowing some of ankle movement, and thus use more power in your jumps.
Tire pressure looks fine. You shouldn’t bottom out, meaning your rim shouldn’t hit the ground when you do jumps or drops. If it does, then add more air in your tube. After that it’s all a matter of preferences. A tire that is less inflated will have a slower timing, and something pumped or more is quicker.
source; me, I’ve been unicycling for over nearly 20 years and I have jumped 130cm onto an obstacle and 125cm over a bar.
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YouTube University may help:
Best 3 Tips to Jump on a Unicycle (with Explanations)
155cm unicycle platform high jump
How to JUMP on a UNICYCLE: Hopping tutorial [Mountain Unicycling]
I think the bottom line is practice but technique and of course leg strength are required for higher jumps.
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Id say Learn seatout jumping.
And do a prehop or whatever its called