> > What’s the easiest way to pick a club up that you’ve just dropped, apart from > getting off the unicycle. I’m trying to learn to juggle on my unicycle at the > moment and as I’m dropping frequently, i thought that this would be an > excellent time to learn pick ups as well. >
You have to have very long arms and no sense of fear.
What’s the easiest way to pick a club up that you’ve just dropped, apart from
getting off the unicycle. I’m trying to learn to juggle on my unicycle at the
moment and as I’m dropping frequently, i thought that this would be an excellent
time to learn pick ups as well.
I can pick up a club fairly easily, though it took me a little while to learn
how. Here are some things I do (assume you are picking up with your right
hand)… these are just things that come to mind, in no particular order:
make sure the right pedal is at the bottom just before (3 or 4 inches) you get
to the object. this takes a bit of practice and you may have to ride around
the object ten or twenty times before you get in position for a single
attempt. it can be easily accomplished by a bit of bunny-hopping or by riding
backwards away from the object and then forwards up to it - make either the
backwards or the forward ride look like a sine wave and the other one a
straight line. this will change the pedal position for when you arrive. as you
get better you’ll be able to arrive at the right moment more frequently by
choosing the path of approach on the way.
lower your seat. you can put it way way down and this will make it easier. as
you get better you can begin to raise it until you are doing the trick at
normal height.
have the balls of your feet on the pedals. this will allow you to stand up on
the pedals a bit higher. you need to stand up, at least if you’re male, though
it seems counter-productive, or else you’ll hurt yourself.
you can start by sticking sticks into the ground and gradually making the
sticks shorter. eventually you’ll be able to touch the floor. i tend to lunge
downwards, which would probably be frowned upon by calisthenics meisters - i
can’t just ride with my hands dragging along on the floor.
stick your bum out as much as you can when you bend. you’ll be able to do this
more if you’re standing in the pedals a bit.
I started by placing various size bottles on the ground and picking them up. As
you get better try shorter objects. You will find that with low object you will
have to have the pedals in the right place (see above) and also turn (lean)
slightly. With a club it is easier than a ball as you can ride along the length
of the club and pick it up when the pedals are in the right place.
As for doing the “sine wave” to get the right pedal position, I do the
following (right hand pick up).
ride up to the club (ball …) and note where your right pedal is then you
are by the club.
if the pedal is in the right place - pick it up!
if you have to pedal forward to get the right pedal down then ride straight
back 3 or so revs and “sine wave” forward to pick up.
if you have to pedal back to get the right pedal down then sine wave back
then ride straight toward the club and pick it up.
With a little practice you can get it on the second try every time. Just
remember forward - sine forward, back - sine back
