Re: Learn to ride
My advice is to not give up. I, too, am just learning, but some things come to
mind that others have not said. The memory of bruises from squeezing my cheap
seat (now replaced with a Semcycle seat) is still fresh in my mind. Alas I can’t
yet free mount, but as someone else said, concentrate on taking baby steps.
Don’t expect to learn everything about riding at once. For me, the following
four items made all the difference:
- Positive Attitude: You can do it! Don’t give up because you don’t immediately
learn to ride.
- Make sure the seat is the right height for you. For me, I’ve raised it a
number of times.
- Wear body armor – knee pads, elbow pads, gloves, and a helmet – they keep
you from getting hurt too badly
- Overcome your fear that if you fall, you’ll really hurt yourself. Properly
protected, you will not hurt yourself.
As a kid I knocked around, had my share of broken bones, cuts, scrapes, and
burns. As an adult I’ve not cut myself (except for shaving) or hurt myself in
years. So until I started practicing I had forgotten that getting hurt isn’t the
end of the world. A bump will hurt, but not forever. Fear of pain is worse than
pain, for me, because I anticipate something much worse than reality. Like
giving blood at the doctor’s office. If I just acknowledge that people do this
everyday and just talk to the nurse while its happening it’s better than if I
stare at the needle and think about how it will soon puncture my vein.
My other advice is to stop using a wall or fence or person for support almost
immediately. You get a feel for the wheel and pedaling, but you will never learn
to balance yourself until you give up your “crutch”. I found myself riding
wonderfully around this tennis court, using the chain link fence to steady
myself. Yes, I could ride, but just like training wheels on a bicycle, until I
learned how to ride without them I only had the illusion I was riding because I
couldn’t go even a few feet without them. Once I did the “cold turkey”
technique, fell a lot in my garage trying to go 5 feet, and finally learned that
I had NOT been leaning forward enough, I learned how to ride.
I’m 40 years old, not athletic, work at a desk behind a computer much of the
time. Not a prime physical specimen. But I am determined to improve my riding.
After 7 weeks of practicing, reading everything and anything I could about
unicycling, and pestering others in hopes that someone would whisper the secret
of how to ride in my ear (no one has), I’ve gone back to the basics. I keep
practicing and slowly improving. Anything as much fun as riding a unicycle is
worth the struggle to learn.
People who know how to ride will say that anyone can learn, and it is easy to
ride. And last night I just hopped on and rode. I was using a big plastic trash
can for mounting support because I haven’t mastered free mounting yet. Someone
said, “you’re good. Is that hard to learn?” I assured him that it was easy, and
all that was required was practice. Not giving up was hard work, though. Keep in
mind that practice makes perfect, becoming an expert doesn’t happen overnight,
and any skill gets easier as you master it.
Tony
Michael Fuhrmann wrote:
>
> Don’t worry about your age. I learned when I was 47 (all of a year and a half
> ago). It has turned out to be a LOT more fun than I expected. I now play
> unihockey and unibasketball, and enjoy the activity immensely.
>
> -Mike
>
> G.Perry <gperry@optonline.net> wrote in message
> news:37C9FCE4.B2BE33B4@optonline.net…
> > Hi all, I still am afraid to ride. I tried last summer along side a fence
> > and fell a few times, once I almost really got hurt. Now I am in my mid 40’s
> > and getting more afraid to try again. Have a Miata uni and it is waiting to
> > be used. What can I do? Thanks to all who might be able to help.
> >
> > Docnucs
>
