how do i land big drops without hurting my ankles i read somewhere to put the tire out infront some but everytime i do it i go backwords any help is awsome
-that dude with dreads
Keep the pedals in the middle of your foot, and It should help you with not hyperextending them. And I land big drops I let my upper body swing down when I land to help absorb the force. Also, try to jump out away from the object and it should give you some forward momentum and help you roll out easier.
Good Luck
you could also try and land them SIF
Ok, I don’t have any advice, but I was wondering…
Is it just me or does the compression of the tire mess with your landing at all. I run a fairly low tire pressure, so I get a nice springy effect when I jump vertically. However, while hopping down (small heights, all I am brave enough to try, <2 feet) my tire compresses enough that i feel a wobbling beneath me. I’m not bottoming out the rim, but this wobbling is throwing off my landings. Any ideas to why this is occuring, or should I just pump the tire up more?
go very tall (extend body) as you go down, soon as you hit use your hips as a piviot and colapse down
yeah if you run too low of a pressure it will hurt you and your rim…
Yeah, you need to be carfeul of hitting your rim, but jumping on too high of pressure can pop the tube. Just go with a happy medium; it’s what I do. Also, try to lean forward a little more than you think you need to. Anytime I fall I find I fall backwards, and leaning forward, and really getting over your unicycle can make a big difference.
i believe that was my problem couse i was around 15 psi then so i pumped up to about 30-35 th lowest they say to have it on the tire.
i don’t believe i put this down but the drop was right at 4.5 feet
to save your ankles you can wear an ankle brace 
so do ankle braces really help that good? actually
well, you just have to be careful not do hyper extend.
before you do a drop, make sure the pedals are in the middle of your foot.
then, do a rolling hop off, or a long static hop away from the object.
land rolling.
Rolling out is the key. It keeps you from damaging both your hub and your ankles. Keep the tire pressure at a nice middle level so you don’t bottom out but there’s still a bit of give to it if you squeeze it with your fingers. Try to jump forward as much as you can, even if you’re sidehopping off a drop, just try to make it diagonal, so that the momentum will carry you into a smooth rollout.
apperently my problem was i was doing a sideways static into the wall and i couldn’t role out well i’ll remember to always do a foward static or a rolling hop (the reason i didn’t do a rolling hop was i didn’t have enough room on my …creation of a drop)
bump this thread, has anyone got any more advice as im still almost spraining my ankle for when i do drops 1.5m+ im running a happy medium pressure, lower seat height so i have room to compress and bounce out but it just doesnt seem to be enough for me
drops require practice, just drop off of anything a bit lower than 1.5m and try and be as smooth as possible,try seat out, seat in, static and rolling but always land forwards.
Some people arent born with great ankles! (me!)
What I did to build the muscles when I was rock climbing all the time was to get a 2x4 and place it on the ground,
Put your toes/ball of your foot on the board and rise up onto the board as high as you can reach.
I did it 20x’s for three sets (a minute rest between each set) once a day and then when that felt easy I held dumbells
It really helped with hiking and rock climbing, and at work as an automechanic, my feet and back dont hurt anymore.
The muscles you build with this will help your legs take the shock and not the joint
I had been consistently spraining my ankles for a good year, a real problem, until I decided to video myself and compare it to a lot of YouTube videos of aggressive riders doing large drops.
- center the pedals in the middle of your feet
- keep forward momentum going off the drop and lean your upper body forward a bit
- keep your butt off the seat on your way down, pedals parallel to the ground before you land and let your legs cushion the force (imagine if you jumped off without a unicycle and how this looks, it should be a similar action)
Whenever I do a large static drop or lean back I inevitably sprain my ankle. Hope this helps for anyone reading this thread and looking for a solution to what for me had been a chronic and frustrating problem of constant sprained ankles