I have had some success with hopping onto curbs this weekend. I had been wanting to get this skill happening for a while but felt a little psyced out at the idea.
A few days ago I took the 20 inch to a place where there was a little curb - half the height of the normal curbs. I started warming up with just some good high hops and then hopped up the mini curb. Next I tried the full height curb… ah, success again. And today I followed up with doing the same practice session on the 24 inch uni.
I am pretty happy to have this good start at hopping up onto curbs but I now I have this little voice saying, “Ah, but you are only hopping towards the left, shouldn’t you also be able to hop towards your right side?”
Yeah, I guess I better start practicing on the other side as well, don’t you think? Actually, how is it that being right handed it is easier to hop to the LEFT?
My track coach (when I was in track) told all of the sprinters and high jumpers to start on their left foot. Usually, for right handed people, your left foot is dominant, he said. I don’t really know though.
Being able to jump left and right is a helpful thing. Especially when you are able to jump up a curb while riding. It makes getting around a lot eaiser. You don’t have to turn around, or wait for a slope to get up on, you just pop right up there. Try to be able to ride at the curb, not straight on, at a bit of an angle, and hop right up it. Both sides. With very little pause when you actually jump. It is probably the most useful skill I know. It doesn’t really have the ‘wow’ factor that some do, but it still looks great. People will be impressed.
I discovered something today about hopping with the seat out. It may be useful if you’ve done any of this or are planning to try it later on. You have to bend your knees. It sounds stupid but I’d been trying to hop with the seat out without bending my legs much. Today I tried not only hopping up but also bending my legs and pulling the unicycle up at the same time, and it really worked. I’ve now added a few centimetres to my hopping or about an inch for all you Americans.
That’s funny about the left/right fotted thing. I’m left-handed and I find it easier to hop to my right, both for hopping up and dropping off things.
I’m left-handed and footed… I hop better to the left; I drop better to the right. When seat out I can get higher to the left, but further to the right…
>I’m left-handed and footed… I hop better to the left; I drop better to the right. When seat out I can get higher to the left, but further to the right…
Erin,
I had this same problem, I am right handed and right footed, but my dominant jumping side is to the left. When i first started jumping up curbs, I couldnt even hop to the right at all. Just keep trying, it will come to you eventually.
> Yeah, I guess I better start practicing on the other side as well, don’t
> you think? Actually, how is it that being right handed it is easier to
> hop to the LEFT?
Hi Erin,
I’m a left dominant hopper as well. I’m right handed, I keep my right
foot forward and my left-hand linked to the saddle. I can also hop to
the right somewhat but find it much more difficult. I think it’s
important to break the ‘dominance cycle’. I use hopping as a muni
maneuvering tool and I’m not always going to want to hope left with my
right foot forward- that may be the side the 30 foot vertical drop is
on!
I find it interesting that there is no common trend among hand foot strong side combinations. It seems that there are groups of people in each. What is normal riding and whats goofy for unicyclists?
I am right handed, but link with my left. Left foot forward is prefered, as is hopping to the right. I also idle with left foot down and one foot ride that way (well either but prefer left).
So, what is normal?
I agree that we should learn to do things with both feet and in both directions(well all four actually). It has been mentioned before, learn skills everyway possible, tricks one way. Unless you want to impress unicyclists.
>Ouch, surely that’s “hokey-cokey”? “Hockey cockey” sounds like a rather
>painful and embarassing sporting injury;)
>
>Have fun!
I did!
But I think it should be Hokey Pokey. Found this on the www:
There was a great loss today in the entertainment world. The man who
wrote the song “Hokey Pokey” died. What was really horrible is that
they had trouble keeping the body in the casket. They’d put his left
leg in and … well, you know the rest.
Klaas Bil
A Cubic mile of seawater holds 150 million tons of minerals.
The first step would be to determine if I’m left handed or right. For this I’m going to need your help. Here is a list of what I do with what side:
I write left handed
I throw baseballs and footballs right-handed
I throw darts left handed
I throw Frisbees with both
I draw left handed
I use a mouse right handed
I use a track pad left handed
I use a track ball right handed
I use the IBM dot left handed
I shoot pool left handed
I shoot bows right handed
I shoot basketballs left handed
I shoot guns left handed
I use a knife left handed
I bat right handed
I kick right footed
On the unicycle, here’s what I do:
I mount better right foot forward
I idle better right foot down
I jump better right foot forward
I hold the seat with my left hand
I turn sharp better to the left
I make wide turn better to my right
Now, can some one tell me if I unicycle like a lefty or a righty.
FYI:
Left-handed males outnumber left-handed females 2 to 1.
Most bears are left handed
Kermit the Frog is left handed
Left-handed people could not become knights because it was thought that they were descendants of the devil.
I write left handed
I throw baseballs and footballs right-handed
I throw darts right handed
I throw Frisbees left handed
I draw left handed
I use a mouse right handed
I shoot pool left handed
I shoot bows right handed
I shoot basketballs right handed
I would shoot guns left handed but I’m not a gun person
I bat right handed
I kick right footed
On the unicycle, here?s what I do:
I mount better left foot down
I idle better left foot down
I jump better left foot forward
I hold the seat with my left hand
I turn sharp the same both ways
I make wide turn the same both ways
I hop up things to the right, left foot forward
I drop to the right, left foot forward
