Excellent! You’re trying a “curb mount”, and this was the technique that eventually got me riding.
One tip: get some flat shoes. Skate shoes (e.g. Vans), or best of all flat MTB shoes (e.g. 5 10s). Running shoes have a “lip” around the heel which catches the crank, instant UPD. When you’re learning, less grip is better to avoid falls where your feet get tangled with the pedals. Later, you’ll want as much grip as possible.
Enjoy!
Great tip! That lip is so annoying when your foot is in the wrong place on the pedal.
Never got the idea of the kerb mount. Besides the obvious, there may not always be a kerb to mount from, from the start it trains you to allow pressure on the rear foot which is such a bad habit. For a static mount the only freemount video you’ll ever need is from forum member @UniMyra .
You are doing ok so far. But, maybe, find a pole to help you get on, then try riding.
I would only try to learn to mount after getting some riding balance, too much mounting failure initially might hinder your overall riding progress. My 2 cents only though.
I used a railing as I said, and you may or may not choose to use one.
I agree with Gockie. Go find a pole or a fence. You are adding an extra layer of difficulty to your mount. You are having to stay balanced while getting your second foot on the pedal. Your second foot, as a result, is not landing on the second pedal at the best spot. You are landing too close to the heel, and that is partly why you keep stepping of the front, rather than riding forward.
Also, your mount tries to transition from placing more weight on the back pedal…to placing more weight on the front pedal. With a wall or fence, you will be able to start in a more neutral position, where your weight is roughly centered over the hub. Then you lean forward (the same motion you make before moving your feet when you walk forward from a stand-still), and you are pretty much forced to put pressure on the front pedal and start moving forward.
Of the five attempts you made in the video, #4 could have resulted in a bad fall. Both your feet left the pedals while your butt was still on the seat. How to avoid that…easier said than done. Holding the seat handle with one hand is an option. You will learn the appropriate position to bail out from the pedals, but as a beginner, things can be pretty awkward. Safety gear.
Thanks for sharing the video, BHChieftain! Keep experimenting, put in the time, stay safe and keep sharing your progress.
Thanks for the tips! I really appreciate it.
To clarify what I was doing at that point-- I was following the method from this video (assisted free mounting): https://youtu.be/U4nAn7yBXSM
I realize that starting with assisted free mounting probably isn’t the common approach but I wanted to give it a try.
Steps listed there are
I was on step 2 in the video I posted. Yesterday I got to step 3
I think I have about 100 “mounts” under my belt, and had 2 tough falls. And a few shin barks…
A couple of times I found that “magic” point where i felt very in control with a slow 1/2 pedal forward and a clean dismount.
I think I’ll change things up a bit today and try just riding around from a pole.
Now that I’m actually moving the uni forward a bit, I don’t like the idea of that deck step behind me…
Chief
Day 4
Ok, I tried to start from a static position with a wall and it felt way more unstable than my assisted free mount given that I’ve done so many of those now-- especially the side to side balance. I think I’ll stick with the original plan until I feel like I’m hitting a wall (or the pavement…).
Since last time
I’m trying to do a 1/2 rotation with a forward dismount.
Pretty happy with today’s results! Got in about 25 “mounts” and no falls.
Chief
Now I know what you were trying to do, and seeing your second video, I’ll take my comments back.
Seriously good work on getting the freemounting down so quickly. I think you are one quick learner.
I reckon you might end up riding very soon.
One thing, the flattest part of your street is right in the middle. I can see your street has camber. Maybe try starting from the middle of your street (or go to a big empty car park to ride and stay out of the way of traffic).
Wishing you the best 
One of the good things about your approach is that you won’t have to wean yourself off a crutch. At some point, though, you’ll have to transition away from the backstop. I suppose you can progressively use smaller and smaller backstops, and as long as you don’t roll backwards over the backstop while mounting, you’ll be working toward a real static mount.
I noticed that you are consistently mounting with the left foot back. When you do 1/2 revolution then dismount, you are dismounting in a safe pedal position, which is good. In real life, however, you are going to be dismounting with either foot down. For this reason, I think you should practice mounting with either foot back. Not so much for the sake of the mount, but for the sake of the dismount.
Seems like you’re approaching unicycling in a well-thought-out fashion, breaking things down into discrete steps. At some point, when you start riding more than one revolution, you will need to embrace the chaos of flailing arms, panting and instinctive twiitchiness. It will not be possible to be in control or to feel in control all the time.
Thanks again for sharing!
Edit: I didn’t see the block of wood… but it looks ok so far though
Day5
Still working on 1/2 revolution, feeling much better.
Chief
PS, the camber in the street isn’t that bad-- it’s the wide angle lens making it look worse that it is. It’s pretty flat where I’m standing
Keep up the good work Chief…
I haven’t tried mounting properly yet… I have been pushing of from my gate and trying to ride forward…
My maximum distance is 12 meters after about 2 weeks of practice.
I will start trying to mount properly soon…
Here is what my practice looks like:
That’s awesome! I only have a few 1- 1.5 revolutions under my belt. I suppose between the 2 of us we’ve got it down…
=8^)
Chief
Day6
Tremendous progress today!
Changes:
I was unable to get past the 1/2 day mark down the driveway for a long time (which is about 2 revolutions). Until the end of this video!!!
Thanks for all the help!
Chief
Cool! Now find a tennis court or empty car park, because you need to find space to ride longer distances, your driveway is just too short!
Awesome progress you’re going to need more room to spread your wings
Wow, that’s fantastic progress - well done
Day9
Ok, so I tried a few days ago to just “ride off” and found that while I can get up on the uni and get a 1/2 rotation in, I was having a really hard time getting a consistent additional rotation in without losing my balance. I decided to focus on a good mount + 1 1/2 rotation + controlled dismount. I can get that at about 50% of the time now. Once I can get that 10 times in a row or so I’ll work on getting in more distance.
First attempt was bad but next 2 were pretty good.
Chief
Just watched your first… Sorry but I think you should practise away from the street and do it in a place where you won’t encounter unprepared people and property. You are currently very dangerous to other people. A flying uncontrolled uni can do quite a bit of damage.
Can you find an enclosed tennis court or empty carpark to practise at?
I have a parking garage that has a lot of empty floors that I have been using. The sound of me smashing into the ground has a nice echo up there…
Chief
Perfect! The only things you’ll damage there are yourself and the uni.
You won’t have on your conscious accidently hurting some little kid or somebody’s prized car and you won’t cause a car accident. (You could still hurt something, but at least you took steps to minimise damage).
If you continued what you were doing you would have turned your neighbours against unicycling and unicyclists.
Go for your life in the empty carpark
Also, do you have any balcony at home? That also works as long as it has some length (and you don’t have anything precious in the space).