Skills Gallery

General
21

The central feature of my artistic unicycling datamodel is the skills list. I am planning on using the number/letter combination found in USA/IUF Rulebooks, as well as the desciptions. However, these skills only represent a fraction of the skills that can be attempted.

So what I wanted to do is to classify skills in such a way that a unicyslist could pick from a list and find the skill, which may or may not be in the USA/IUF skill list.

Here is my first stab:

Type:

  • Riding
  • Stationary
  • Transition (this is just a connector between two skills)
  • Mount

Seat:

  • Supporting rider
  • Seat out front
  • Seat out back
  • Seat on side
  • Seat drag front
  • Seat drag back
  • Bounce seat
  • Touch seat to floor

Motion:

  • Forward
  • Backward
  • To Right
  • To Left
  • Up
  • Down
  • Over (an obstacle)
  • (angle) (or coordinates?)
  • idling
  • hopping
  • hoptwist right
  • hoptwist left
  • hoptwisting
  • Twist right
  • Twist left
  • No Motion

Figure:

  • Line
  • Circle
  • Figure eight
  • Eight from center
  • Eight from end
  • Serpentine
  • None (stationary/mount/transition)

Quantity:

  • (actual count or distance in M)

Right/Left Hand:

  • At side (unspecified)
  • Parallel to ground (Standard Skill)
  • Holding seat
  • Touching ground (no weight on hand)
  • Holding seat post
  • Rope to seat post
  • On wheel front
  • On wheel back
  • On pedal

Right/Left foot/leg:

  • On pedal (hmm, left or right)
  • On opposite pedal
  • On frame
  • Extended
  • Crossed
  • On wheel front
  • On wheel back
  • On spokes
  • On crank (left of right)

Body Position:

  • On seat
  • On right
  • On left
  • Below seat (squat)
  • Behind seat (seat out front)
  • Ahead of seat (seat out back)
  • Standing (on frame, wheel or pedals)

Seat Contact (with body, other than hands):

  • Rear
  • Stomach (stomach on seat; hand ww, feet ext.)
  • Thigh (side saddle)
  • Chin
  • Against body

Unicycle Orientation:

  • Forward (normal)
  • Backward (rider backward on unicycle)
  • Sideways (sideways ww)

This doesn’t cover mounts, which each seem to represent a separate class.

22

Also transitions.

Great list! I worked on something way back before the IUF, creating a chart with “motion” on one axis and the various positions on the other. Using the chart, we spotted a few tricks we might not have thought of otherwise.

23

Yes, I was thinking of modeling transitions as a link between skills, but that might not cover them all. Another point is that the classification should not be viewed as a description of the skill. Each skill would still need a description. The classification would help unicyclists find skills, visualize new skills, identify related skills, easier skills, more difficult skills, etc.

So for transitions, probably besides the link, a further description should be included. The description will include not only the ‘official’ description, but any related video, photos, hints on how to perform the skill or whatever.

If this classification were combined with your chart it might make it very easy to click on a chart and find a skill!

I was also hoping this would help unicyclists conceive of skills they haven’t seen or heard about. For instance, although seemingly obvious, I was surprised that seat out hoptwist isn’t in the standard skill list. Also, on the skill levels, a bwd sharp turn 90-360 might be nice lead ins to bwd spin and bwd pirouette. So I should add sharp turn, or something like it to motion.

24

creating a unicycling version of siteswap?