Turning in smooth circles has been very frustrating for me. I was doing pretty well on a 20" uni almost to the point where I thought that I had it.
Then I bought a new 24" Torker Cruiser. It’s like learning to turn all over again. When I try to turn. my side to side balance is horrible and I either, almost make a very jerky turn, or most
often, UPD.
I know that it’s just more practice, but it is very frustrating.
On the positive side, my riding straight is much smoother, balance seems better on the 24" and I like the added speed that I’ve picked up riding the larger wheel.
Regarding the 20" vs 24" controversy about which is easier to learn on, I have to say the 20" is much easier.
backspin (also frontspin) -riding forwards then pivot 180 degrees and continue backward. I can’t do this according to the description for the skill level:
The goal is a continuous, linear flow of motion by the body while the wheel changes direction. Frontspins and backspins must be performed within two lines 30 cm apart. The proper path looks like a cusp.
I’ve never seen anyone perform this according to this description, although I’ve seen close to it in freestyle routines where the rider is allowed to perform the move along an arc.
I’ve tried to do this correctly for 18 months, not much success.
Sounds like you need more air in your tire. How much is in there? Depending on your weight, it should be a minimum of 45 pounds, though for outdoor spnny-type riding, we used to use around 60.
The USA Skill Levels requirement for the 30 cm width puts in a bias toward smaller wheels. But I’m sure the folks in the Twin Cities, who came up with that, are familiar with how much room is needed for those skills.
To narrow your path, you probably need to concentrate on doing the spin part quicker. This should make your cusp smaller. Practice the quickness part, and then later go back and see how the width is doing.