Okay so I was just wonderi g if any other unicyclists here hop with their weaker arm because I’m right handed yet I use my left and I’m right footed but I use my left to idle. I don’t know why but I think this is the reason I can’t hop any higher than a curb. Or maybe it’s just my torker lx. Please tell me if it’s me or the unicycle. Plus I weigh like 205 so I might start trying to drop some pounds. Thanks!
Mike
I tried using my left arm but it felt like someone else was doing it.
STM - wondering if anyone has tried lying on their arm until it goes numb first
I’m right handed but always hold the saddle with my left hand. Seems natural to use the better arm for balancing and other stuff rather than just as a hook. I tend to idle with my left foot down as well, but I don’t know if I’m “right or left footed” (on a bike I always start off with my right foot on the pedal, left on the floor. When I stop, I’ll always put my left foot down. But that might just be conditioning because of the side of the road we drive on, I don’t know).
Rob
I hop left foot forward yet mount right footed.
I’m right handed but hold the saddle with my left.
I’m right footed yet skate goofy footed.
All irrelevant but hopefully will illustrate you just need to practice in the way that comes natural to you…
A poor workman can always blame his tools, and I’ve almost run out of excuses.
I used to use my left hand when hopping (I am right handed). I also jump to the left, which is a bad combination. I switched to my right hand, and my hopping increased immediately and dramatically. So if you’re hopping to the left, I’d suggest either switching to your right hand or start hopping to the right. Switching hands is probably easier.
I am right handed, and use my right hand to hop. I am right footed, and hop right foot forward, but idle and mount left foot down.
I’m right handed, and I hold the lift handle with my left hand. This is not unusual, but typical I believe, as your dominant hand is usually your free hand. When hopping, gapping, whatever, my left foot is forward and I hop to my right.
Again this feels normal with my dominant foot being back, as that is where I apply that extra little bit of down-push for hopping, gapping and jumping, and my free hand (right) is in the same side as my hop/gap/drop/jump direction.
I know all of this has been covered (several times over) and my “skateboarding” theory was shot down before, but I still think there is some corolation between what way you skate and the most comfortable way to approach unicycling… For example, I’m basically the exact opposite of Terry.
Right handed
Right hand on handle
Right foot forward
Hop to the Left
And I used to skate Goofy Footed i.e. going forward I had my right foot foward and would most naturally do grabs with my right hand, turn to the left and “kick” with my right foot? If I had to guess I bet Terry was Regular Footed if he ever skateboarded… I still think it would be interesting to do a poll for those who unicycle and who have skate/snow boarded or surfed. Might be a useful metric for those new to unicycling who haven’t the benefit of riding with others…
I started skateboarding in the early '60’s, or about 10 years before the Dogtown crew came along! This was also long before urethane wheels. We had metal wheels back then, (which I would salvage from roller skates which also had metal wheels) and after that the first exciting change came with the “Chicago” composition (clay) wheels;they had exposed bearings that were prone to getting dirt and grit requireing regular rebuilds. This is almost EXACTLY like the one I had as a kid! (Right down to the racing stripe!)
Also new, HD trucks for the first time! It was big improvement but if you hit even a little pebble you’d go flying face first! Anyway, back to the point haha. As i said I am right handed/footed, and I ride my board with my left foot on the deck, (in the forward position) pushing with my right, which is on the back of the deck when riding.
Alright there is +1 for skateboard footedness and preferred unicycle stance correlation (if I can call it that). Yeah I used to skate back in the 80’s, urethane wheels and all, but back then all the skateboard decks were different shaped unlike today’s uniformly shaped decks 
That is what I love about unicycling now, especially trials, it takes me right back to my skateboard sessioning days though I’m far less fearless than I used to be!
I’m right handed but i idle with my left foot and hold the seat with my left hand.
I also freemount with my left foot down.
Its you. Parts can not be blamed for poor hopping technique although they do have an effect.
I rode goofy footed and my unicycling orientation is the same as yours.
wait so hopping to the left if i use my left to grip is bad? oh nooooooooo what should i dooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo?
Learn how to hop using your right hand like I did. It feels strange at first, but it is definitely worth it.
I’m right footed and right handed. I ride right foot back, so nondominant foot forward and I jump to my left, so I have to use my right hand.
When I started I would jump to my right with the same foot stance, it felt weird, but so did the stance I now use. Play around with a couple different things to see what feels best, it may take a while like it did for me, but it will just feel ‘right’ after some time. Riding will feel like walking and jumping will feel like your on your feet.
it’s not bad, do what feels natural for you - this is unicycling, not synchronised swimming!
I’m not a trials rider but (having photographed many of the best riders in the world) I believe it’s possible that it will inhibit you when tackling higher obstacles, as you won’t be able to rest your free hand on the obstacle if you don’t make it.
I follow the advice to hop to the side of the free, balancing arm. I wonder why it’s bad form to hop the other way? I can hop (no more than a foot) to the right or left. Please explain why it’s considered naughty to hop toward the direction of the hand holding the seat.
Having your free, balancing arm on the same side as your hopping direction also means it’s there to help break your fall, or grab onto whatever if needed.
It’s not an issue of bad form or not it’s just “easier” to side hop to the side your facing. If you’re hopping the opposite I think that is considered the “blind” side which is more difficult as you can’t spot your landing as easily. It’s all semantics anyhow just ride how it feels most comfortable. For me, being a “goofy footed” skate boarder it made “sense” to approach my side hopping in the same fashion. Effectively with my left foot back, right foot forward and right hand on the saddle my upper body is sort of slightly twisted to the left as I jump (hop) to the left; to me this sort of “feels like” when I was skateboarding it was easier to turn to the left or jump to the left or air to the left and grab the board with my right hand. This trials stuff just feels very similar to me so that’s why I gravitated to the form I’m using. That’s not to say I couldn’t do skateboard stunts to my right, right spins, airs etc… it’s just that those were more difficult because they’re on my “blind” side. Anyway that’s kind of how I look at all this…
Actually Rob and Terry- you’re both right. I’ve just been out of my uni, and instead of grabbing the seat with my right hand (as i am right handed), i used my weaker left hand to jump. It was weird for a while, but i could how like and inch or two higher using my left hand on the handle. Its true, if you use your stronger arm to wave about, then you jumps higher. It amazing how much better you can jump with a strong swinging arm.
Also, i’ve noticed most pro unicyclists tend to hop to the side where there forward foot is, so if they hop left foot forward, then they use their right arm to hop to the left. If they have their right foot forward, then they use their left arm to jump to the right (like Shaun Johanesson). I found this is true with me as i hop right foot forward, and i am now using my left hand on the handle.
