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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.