Anyone from Phoenix willing to provide paid lessons?
Are you just learning to ride? If so, start with a fence/railing you can slide your hand on top. Have the seat on your uni fairly high, only have a small knee bend at the cranks lowest point. Small unis (like 20") with longish cranks tend to be the easiest for a learner to use.
There likely is no real need for a paid instructor. Spend a little time online by doing a Google search for “How to learn to ride unicycle”. There is a ton of support videos and other forms of useful support information.
Here is one site with images, https://www.wikihow.com/Ride-and-Mount-a-Unicycle
There is no real short cut, beginning riders have to be committed and put the time in.
You have to be committed physically, mentally and emotionally. Physically because learning is going to force you to get in better shape and keep riding when you are sweaty and out of breath. Mentally because unicycling is about problem solving and identifying what worked and what didn’t. Emotionally because you have to manage the fear of falling down hard and not get psyched out after a bad fall.
As far as lessons go, tell us about yourself, what you’re riding and what your riding conditions are like. We’ll give you plenty of advice. Keep in touch!
Not much that would help there. Basically it says to start by sitting on it then try to ride.
The usual advice is to keep jumping on and falling off until you stop falling off, but I do think at least an informal in-person lesson or two could be very helpful. I’m sure it would have helped me oh-so-many years ago when I learned on my own.
I agree that having someone that knows how to ride, giving you some on site advice would also be very beneficial.
Thank you for the good advise. I am doing exactly what you offered. I know it takes time but it is great to have a “coach” to critique.
Well stated. I will continue to “get it done”.
I know I need to put in my hours to learn. A “critique” from an experienced rider would help so I don’t learn “bad habits”.
I don’t mind the failing part but want to learn correctly to “fall off less”.
I’m in Chandler and always willing to ride with most anyone. What part of Phoenix are you in?
It’s not about falling off less. It’s about landing on your feet more.
Big decision $$ or $$$
So, I think the fact that you found unicycle.com and asking for help is great. Most people don’t even do this, but here’s the real decision.
Should I spend $50 for an amazon cheapie 20" unicycle, or $125 for a decent solid unicycle. (I’m guessing you’ve done the research, and there’s only one size to start…no debate 20").
Here’s my experience:
1.) Bought a 24" amazon cheapier for $50. Tried, tried and failed miserably for 50 hrs. Every time it fell the seat would twist and the “single” seatpost clamp was crap. later, the cranks started coming off and I could not find a good nut/washer replacement. The nut was non-standard and required a special socket wrench, so I just somehow managed with needle nose pliers.
2.) At the same time, I was researching a lot on the internet and the light bulb went off in my head. I needed a smaller unicycle and since my amazon crappie was falling apart. I learned of more “sturdier” training unicycles like the Torker brand, which are built like a tank with seat post clamp that used 2 x 5MM soc hds and also had “standard” bmx type pedals. Got this and within 20 hrs I started to ride!!! Ofcourse, it wasn’t instant and a lot of “falls later”…but I didn’t have to keep checking the pedals or adjusting the seat after each fall.
The moral of the story is don’t go cheap. Keep on.
I don’t mind giving you paid lessons. I charge 10 EUR or dollars what you like per hour. It took me 3 weeks of training 2 hours a day to learn to go my first 100 or more metres. So 3 * 7 * 2 = 42 hours * 10 EUR. That earns me enough money to buy a new unicycle… but it is you who needs a new uni 
A Nimbus Freestyle 20" fits nicely in that amount of money. So better spend it on the uni and learn with help from youtube. I’m sure you can do it.
The other idea is, there are unicycle clubs in many places. Maybe there’s a club near you?
The technique required during the early learning phase is very different from that of an accomplished rider. Basically you have to learn to be a bad rider first then improve on it. So don’t worry about “bad habits”.
The most important aspect is commitment to achieving the goal and to enjoy the process however long it takes. Celebrate every improvement no matter how small. There are many parts to the skill required to ride. Many attempts will include some aspect that worked. Acknowledge what went right on each run and address what went badly for the next attempt.
Take a break for a day or two if it gets too frustrating. This gives your brain a chance to consolidate what it has learned. Many riders report significant improvements after a break.
It is lot easier to learn on a trials uni which has a fat tyre and relatively long cranks than on a freestyle uni with a skinny tyre and short cranks.
Don’t spend too much time using a fence for support. Just use it to get the feel of the uni and how to steer it. The fundamental skill is to drive the wheel under your fall. Fences get in the way of this. Ride into the open.
Many learners start by sitting on the uni then turning the pedals. The uni moves while the rider stays still with the inevitable consequence of falling backwards which is very unnerving. This is the point at which many people decide to give up. You need to lean a lot forwards then pedal the wheel under you to get quickly up to speed. Like on a bicycle, riding slowly is an advanced skill.
Falling is a constant companion so best make friends with it. Develop your emergency dismount skills right from the start. Make your first attempts on smooth soft grass, ideally with a slight downhill slope. You won’t be able to ride at first on any surface anyway so you might as well optimise for the fall. Move to a hard smooth flat surface once you can manage a turn or two and you are comfortable with running out of emergency dismounts.
Wear protection, especially wrist braces. A set of wrist, knee and elbow protectors for skateboarders are readily available and don’t cost much. Broken wrists are painful and debilitating plus they will stop you riding.
Don’t be too upright. Absolutely ignore the common suggestion that your spine should be like an extension of the uni frame. Instead, think in terms of being hinged at the hips. This is where the uni and your balance is controlled from.
Have a small lean forward at the hips but don’t overdo it and don’t hunch. The uni frame needs to be leaning backwards with your centre of mass above the contact point of the tyre on the ground. This geometry is much more stable than upright. You will become closer to upright as your skills improve.
Aspire to putting your weight on the saddle but start with most of your weight on the pedals. Weight on the saddle before you can control the position of the wheel will make the uni pop out from under you. It is also hard to put weight on the seat while the uni leans back a lot.
Try gripping the nose of the saddle between your thighs to stop it dropping out from under you. If the saddle is too low you won’t be able to do this because your thighs will be moving too much. You can relax the grip as your skills improve and you come closer to upright with more weight on the saddle.
Have the saddle as high as you are comfortable with being able to catch a fall to the side before you fall too far. This will be lower than ideal for riding but it is better that you don’t fear the sideways fall which can be quite hard to save.
If possible, post a video of your attempts taken from the side and we can offer suggestions.
If I was in the area , I’d be glad to help out a new cyclist. If I could save someone some pain, bruising, time, or help improve their learning curve , I would. In an idea world, I hope everyone would.
Great advice. Thank you for your time replying soooo well