Sometimes turning the seat 180 degrees will cause the pedals too unscrew themselves from the cranks (notice how the Left pedal is threaded in the opposite direction as the Right pedal)
I think it’s a good idea to have a target to ride towards. I remember when I was learning to ride (a year and some months ago) I used to pick out spots on the ground about 10-15 feet ahead of me, and ride towards them.
Good luck!
Turning the seat 180 is good for a test but don’t leave it like that. burjzyntski is correct. We’ve have pedals come off in parades. Embarrassing.
Try slightly twisting your chest right for right turns or left for left turns. Reach forward with your left hand for a right turn and vice versa. Aim your stermun at the direction you want to go.
You might still be a little stiff when you ride. One thing that helped my kids is to practice loosening the hips. Try riding forward and moving your hips like a hoola dancer. You should swerve back and forth. It should help you relax. Make those flowing water hand/arm gestures. Be carefull that the grass from your skirt doesn’t get tangled in the wheel.
-Mud
I’m not an ambi-turner…
That was the first thing I thunk seeing the thread title.
That would be in Hawaii, not Alaska. 
Just keep riding. Turning will get easier the more you ride. Make wide turns at first and the sharp turns will come later. We have all been there.
It took me 2 weeks just to be able to ride and then another week before I could ride longer than the length of a tennis court. You’re doing great!!
That’s one more of us and one less of them.
Welcome to the fora.
Some turning-advice that worked for me.
Look in the direction you want to turn and when that side’s pedal comes over the top, step down on it with a little more oomph that usual.
This should initiate the turning-momentum. The turn is complated by your body movements.
You get better at all of that with practise.
And as long as it’s fun, it doesn’t really count as practise.
How did you get into learning to ride?
Our previous main-Alaskan-people were Jason and King MuniMan, his 6-then-7 year old son.
Haven’t heard from them for a while.
Well, let’s see… many years ago, (30 or so), an acquaintance used to ride all over town on a uni, and everyone thought he was crazy, but I always had that little spark in the back of my mind. Last week, during our Independence Day holiday, one of my neighbors broke out his new uni that he had just recently got, and he offered to let me try it. I ordered one the next day, and it has been all down hill since then!
when i first started i was so mad to realize i kept going to my left (which meant i’d go off my driveway and onto my lawn). suddenly i realized the driveway was slanted so i started to go on tarred roads and such. took me forever to learn to go right but don’t worry. keep trying and you’ll get it. i know that sounds so cliche and frustrating but it’s true.
Trust me, I will keep trying!
And please keep us updated with your progress.
And when you’re ready to buy that next unicycle and need some advice (or just to chat to people who understand that you need to buy it), we’ll be right here.
Last night I was able to make some pretty feeble right-hand turns, and it took some effort. The lefts are still very easy, but I can go fairly straight now. I’ll have to work on it some more. I tried free mounts for a while, but keep getting stuck at the balance point, and can’t get started moving forward, and wind up tipping to the side. Oh well, I guess I can’t complain, after spending only about 4 hours total on unicycling.
Yeah, you’re definately ahead of the curve.
Which freemount are you trying?
The ‘RollBack Mount’ or the ‘Static Mount’?
I found an area that had more level pavement, and was able to ride straight, then started working on right turns, although the lefts are still much easier. Wierd, eh?
I managed to do several free mounts last night, and what worked for me was to start with the left pedal at 8 o’clock, and push off with the right while jumping up on the seat. That bit of momentum really helps!
Nice progress.
Keep working on those freemounts.
A little update. I can now freemount just about every other try! I’m getting the turning figured out, but am now having more trouble turning left than right. I’ll take that as a good sign…
Yeah, and a sign that it’s time to start practising riding in a figure of 8.
It’s an irritation but well worth it.
That sounds like good advice! Thanks Gild! Now I just wish I could ride more than one evening per week!
Sounds like you’re on quite a hectic schedule.
What keeps you so busy?
Let’s see, work, family, motorbike racing, garden work, house maintenance, firewood…
Up here, we have to cram a lot of activity into the short summer months. But, we can ride a uni at midnight and not need lights!
Every dark cloud, hey?