Gauging Interest: let's see some x or y videos...

General
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As a videographer, sharpening my craft, I’m always on the lookout for new projects. Action oriented material, like the Moab video I just did is great fun, but I’m looking for other angles to play with in the world of unicycle videos. Jpcycler’s post about downhill videos got me thinking about a project, and I’d like to see what everybody thinks of this idea.

I think it would be great to produce a complete video library of various skills and tricks along with detailed explanation of how to do those skills. One possible way to frame it is to have a 10-volume video set. Each video would cover all the skills required for each of the 10 USA skill levels, plus a selection of off-road and trials skills that we deem are equivalent to that skill level. Wouldn’t it be great fun if each of the 10 videos was hosted by a different unicyclist? They could demonstrate and describe each skill, and the video would finish with some action-oriented stuff that includes all of the skills covered in that video. Finding host riders for levels 9 and 10 might be hard, but still worth it. Aren’t there a couple of level 10’s in the Twin Cities?

I could also break the different sections of the video into web-vignettes. Maybe Gilby could host the files and we would have a strong web library of video skill tutorials and demonstration. For people like me who find it difficult to learn some things because I don’t have anybody else to play with, this could help a great deal.

This project would not only be a great video project for me, but would be a great way for several people in the Unicyclist community to pull together for something big and fun that will help other unicyclists.

Clearly, this would involve me flying out to various places to meet the host riders - but I’m not complaining. I think it would be worth doing. Would the video series be something you guys would be interested in owning? Would any of you USA officials interested in officializing?

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Re: Gauging Interest: let’s see some x or y videos…

Nick: this is a great idea. I’m sure John Foss will jump on this thread…it seems to me I overheard him refer to a video already produced that covers the 10 skills level. I think he mentioned both he and Carol Bricker (also at Moab) were in it. I’m not sure how instructional it is.

Even if such a thing exists, it would be great to take it to the next level and apply the concept to MUni. It is so much about technique. When I got to Moab I couldn’t climb the most basic hills, but spent a lot of time watching the vets and asking about their technique. That and some practice has made a huge difference in the weeks since then. I think about other aspects like jumps and drops, etc., where good technique can be the difference between success and singing soprano, and a teaching tool could be powerful thing.

$.02 from Tomland.

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Isn’t there already a skill levels video? And one wheel no limit which I think is freestyle oriented?

Personally a dvd of muni, trials and street techniques, broken down and well explained would be cool. We were doing some technique tips things on our ride on Saturday and it really helps having someone break down a skill and describe it, much more than just seeing a video of someone pulling some extreme looking move and having to slow it down to watch how it works.

There’s a lot of techniques that you can’t see in already existing films as far as I know, there’s the Kris Holm workshops on hopping, jumping & grabbing which are quite good although not exactly high production values, but I’ve never seen anything really informative about muni or street.

Off the top of my head, for muni, things like various uphill & downhill techniques (blasting it, pecking, sidehopping, stepping, long and short hills etc.), unweighting and rolling over things, hopping to clear things, choosing a line and switching lines, dropping, jumping, dealing with fear and danger, momentum conservation/smoothness and riding fast, types of steering (foot, handle, leaning, twist, combinations) & handle use, stillstands, balance & body position, different terrain tips (in the last year I’ve ridden on mud, rocky, slickrock/gritstone, slidey dust, sand, ice, snow, grass - wet and dry, hard earth, north shore), riding through slides, brake use, maintenance, parts choice, riding ruts, bailing out, difficult north shore riding, different riding styles and how to combine them, 29er muni, coker muni, mounting on hills. long distance muni, racing against mtbs (enduro, xc, downhill etc.), map reading (maybe less important in the US, in the UK we have loads of trails to ride that aren’t dedicated mtb trails and you just link up off a map - the ability to read a trail and the conditions off a map is pretty useful), how to find trails, trail etiquette (like if you bail clear the trail asap, downhill gives way to uphill etc.)

Trials is pretty well covered by the Kris Holm vids, but a better presented but similar thing would be cool, maybe there are some newer moves to put in.

Street, there seem to be loads of people inventing new moves, it’d be worth filming some of these and getting the people doing them to explain what’s going on, footplants, rolling unispins, rolling 360s, tabletops etc.

Joe

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i like the idea alot. It would be cool to see such a video.

However, for me, a big part of how much i enjoy unicycling, is figuring things out on my own, and the satisfaction when you invent things, that you think no one else has thought of.

I think this is since it’s such a small sport, that there’s still alot of innovation to come. Also, i think being creative is necesary for people, like learning to pedal grab, some people, hop with their right foot foreward, towards the left, and the there two diferent ways to get around that problem.

if you say “this is the way you have to do it” then, we might be wrong, and maybe there’s some other super-awesome way of doing it, that no one has thought of yet.

i’m just thinking that this kind of video would take away from the innovation.

oh, and by the way, this whole post is dealing with trials and street, and MUni. I know nothing about Freestyle.

-Ryan

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Nick, I think the project sounds great, but huge! As JoeM says, many freestyle moves are already covered pretty well in video (One Wheel, several web libraries such as Lutkus and the Korean vids, etc), although not generally with detailed explanation, which would undoubtedly add value. And there are lots of cool trials vids which have helped me a lot, especially when taken together with the discussions on here – but again, without specific “tips” explanation associated with the video itself. But with so many out there, a careful viewing can reveal many helpful techniques.

So, for my $.02, I’d priorize MUni first since it’s a newer area of our sport which seems less fully covered in video. And you might start with uphills (:smiley: gotta plug my request!) since that area’s almost totally uncovered.

BTW, how can one get a copy of your Moab vid, and what would be the cost? I’d like to go next year and get a preview thru your “show”.

Joe, Whoa! I’m impressed just with the complete list you’ve posted of all the types of moves. I suppose I probably do a lot of that stuff just in the course of riding, but I certainly hadn’t broken it down so completely. So thanks for the great list. Kinda smells like workshop material for these national get-togethers – hint, hint MPLS :wink: .

Jerry

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“Ten skill levels in ten Minutes”
Now that I’d like to see :slight_smile: