So I just built myself a new balance to work on beginner’s trials stuff. It’s about 4 inches off the ground and 4 inches wide. I can ride across something that width about 95% of the time and I can hop onto the line about 95% of the time but for some reason I can only start pedaling when I hop up about 5% of the time. I don’t know if I’m landing too out of balance or if it’s something else but I’ve put in hours and have made very little progress (maybe 3% up to 5%). Does anyone know what could e causing this? Is it something that will just come with practice?
Thanks in advance!
+1
I’m having the same issue
When you have specific troubles like that, video can be really helpful. That said, I find focusing far ahead of the cycle is most helpful. If your beam is long, look at the end of it. If it’s not very long, look beyond that. Also practice stillstands, and apply those skills when you hop up, and as you ride down the beam.
Once you get good at your wide beam, try making one with a basic piece of lumber (like a 2 x 6 on edge). My old unicycle club had one of those and several riders could ride the full 10’ of it fairly consistently. We also had one called the “roller coaster”, which was lumpy and about 12" high in the middle. That one was much harder. 
Visualization helps me a lot when doing that kind of stuff. (I’m still a total beginner at trials.) In my mind before I hop up onto a line, I see myself hopping up then moving forward. If I only see myself hopping up onto the line without concentrating on also moving forward I fail most of the time. It seems like 2 moves but it really is more like 1 fluid move.
There seems to be much more involved in my mind and body when learning to ride up on something, there is so much I can do on a 4 inch strip of paint on the ground that I can’t do up on a 6 inch beam. It can be very frustrating.
Learning to relax and breathe goes a long way in this sport.
Is it the actual hopping that seems to cause the issue, or do you have problems any time you are starting to pedal on the balance line from a stillstand?
I’m having trouble with balance lines, too.
With me, hopping isn’t really part of the problem. I think I just need more practice, but I have trouble keeping my tire straight during the very first pedal stroke that gets the tire rolling. I find that if I can roll onto a balance line, I do much better because my pedaling is much smoother after it gets going. It is the very first pedal stroke from a stillstand or a static mount that seems to twist the unicycle offline.
MadFurai that is the exact problem. It isn’t the hopping, it’s rolling from the standstill. Once I get going it’s fine, it’s just the first revolution that doesn’t seem to want to happen.
Thanks for all the help. I’ll work on looking ahead and visualizing which will probably help.