I’m learning to hop. I can hop on the spot and I can hop left pretty
well. (Not really well, but getting there.) But hopping right goes
totally wrong. Either I just UPD, or I twist to the right instead of
actually moving right.
I hop with my left (dominant) foot forward and hold the seat with my
right (dominant hand).
Is this something wrong with my technique or do I just need more
practice?
your not going to go right unless you let yourself fall to the right first.
Think about it like walking. for a human to walk, we fall foreward, then put our foot out to stop us crashing, then do the same thing again.
When hopping right, let yourself fall to the right, then hop, you will go right, as you land position your uni on a reverse angle to the one you fell at and bam, your sitting up again.
Just hopping up and trying to go right wont work cause your body weight is always over the same spot. get your body moving first, then the uni.
i’m not a major exponent of the ancient art of hopping so dont think of this as advice, i’m just curious
have u ever tried hopping with your right foot forward and your left hand gripping the saddle?
i dont know if that kind of ambiuniousness is a sought after skill or if it will make any kind of difference in your hopping life, i’m just curious
I don’t think you’re doing anything in particular wrong. In the last
couple weeks I’ve been learning to hop also. I find that my left side is
‘hop dominant’. I use my left hand to grab the saddle, my right hand to
flail, and my right foot is forward. When hopping right (non dominant
hop) I have a slight twist to the left. I can control it somewhat by not
pulling so hard on the saddle. The harder I pull the more I tend to
twist. It’s kind of balancing act between pulling hard enough to stay on
the pedals, but not so hard that I twist. Mostly I think it just takes
practice hopping to the left and right.
Good luck and keep practicing.
Cheers,
Jason
im Farrand wrote:
>
> I’m learning to hop. I can hop on the spot and I can hop left pretty
> well. (Not really well, but getting there.) But hopping right goes
> totally wrong. Either I just UPD, or I twist to the right instead of
> actually moving right.
>
> I hop with my left (dominant) foot forward and hold the seat with my
> right (dominant hand).
>
> Is this something wrong with my technique or do I just need more
> practice?
>
Just a thought from a beginner. I didn’t see any mention of your tire type or pressure. But with the tire soft enough to provide a little bounce, these things act just like a pogo stick. Whichever footing provides the best feel for keeping your feet fixed horizontally is probably best (in my case, the dominant foot forward). Since I’m new at it, I use both hands on the seat. This provides excellent right and left control, and rather than flailing, I just place the tire where it needs to be to catch my fall. A little lean in the desired direction is all it takes to move around. If this is a bad habit, I’m sure we will both hear about it shortly! And we’ll both benefit. Of course, if you intend to follow in Mojoe’s footsteps, I assume flailing will definitely be necessary, along with a good stock of cranks and axles!
Good luck.
something that helped me stay on while learning how to hop was to let go the saddle and grip it with my things
that forced me to be more precise in placing the machine under me or in the direction i want to travel
and also forced me to do more ‘legwork’ in the hopping and less saddle-pulling
that definately helped with stability
ps. while hopping free-hand, it’s also possible to do a deep bow with all the accompanying hand waving a’la any french musketeer movie u’ve ever seen
it looks pretty kewl and it’s a nice way to wrap up
If you can get out of having a dominant foot it will definitely help. Try tricks both ways. I am very right foot dominant and I have trouble with even the most basic moves with my left foot. Too late for this old dog.
I find left footed stuff much easier when MUNIing or playing hockey as it just happens naturally while my mind is on other things.
Early hopping found me twisting in a circle; I’m inclined to believe this was caused by uneven foot pressure and possibley a poor link arm- but primarly foot pressure. Developing a really solid still stand will help. The comments about leaning into the hop will help your hopping, but won’t entirely correct twist. I practiced hopping from the center of a cross to each quadrant, as well as hopping in a circle (in place) on a ramp- this last bit helps a good deal with foot pressure. A tight link arm is in lock-step with foot pressure.
My early hopping was so twisty that my first curb hop was backwards…