Andy Arhelger <andya5@aol.com> writes:
>I can get the pedal over the top but when the pedal continues on around the
>unicycle goes out from under me in front. I can do this pretty consistently.
>What do I need to do to get my body to continue on forward past this vertical
>point along with the wheel?
What is happening is that your body is still slightly behind the wheel when the
pedal comes to 12 o’clock. With more practice, you will develop a sensitivity to
wheel motion and the posture control needed to “get over the top”.
Here is an exercise which might help: lean back in a kitchen chair and
place the uni saddle in your crotch as if you were about to do a mount.
Grip the nose of the saddle or the seat post so as to hold the uni
horizontally in front of you. Rest one foot on the floor for stability and
place the other foot on the appropriate pedal.
Now start 'idling' the wheel back and forth, concentrating on the feel of
the wheel's inertia. Work towards going all the way around with the foot in
contact with the pedal. When you can get the wheel started and pedal it
around both slowly one footed you might find the transition from idling to
riding one footed easier.
As for the posture thing, I've been trying to visualize what I do so I
could explain it to you. When I push down on the pedal to start forward,
the uni will be tilted forward but my body will be basically upright, in
other words pelvis slightly forward.
|
Kind of like this --------------> / ( )
I kill the forward motion by braking the wheel SLIGHTLY as the pedal starts
moving up from the 6 o'clock position. At the same time I bring my hips
back into line with the uni & my torso by tightening my abdominal muscles.
The foot on the frame helps also by pushing forward. All this has to happen
by the time the crankarm is level coming up on the back side.
From pedals level to the 12 o'clock position is when I concentrate on
keeping as little pressure on the pedal as possible while still
keeping contact.
At 12 o'clock is when it all comes together: I am sitting upright directly
over the wheel, with pedal contact but enough momentum left in both body
and wheel to make it over the top and start the cycle over again.
If I've done a poor job of explaining what I THINK is happening, content
yourself with the fact that if you just keep practicing with your goal in
mind, the body will eventually figure out what to do. Let the mind be an
observer of the body's learning process.
BTW I could never have imagined riding one footed with the other leg
extended but lately I have gotten pretty good at it. It looks and feels
impossible but I'm doing it and it's fun.
Dennis Kathrens
