Soon-to-be new learner wants advice on expectations

Riding Advice
41

>“Jack Halpern” <jack@kanji.org> wrote in message
>news:mailman.1007611507.31445.rsu@unicycling.org…
>
><SNIP>
>> you can ride it feels real easy. (If you need more information on the
>method we use,
>> it is described in my booklet “Anyone Can Ride A Unicycle”).
>>
>> Stay on top, Jack Halpern Executive Director for International
>> Development International Unicycling Federation, Inc. Website:
>> http://www.kanji.org
>
>Where can one get your booklet?

See below.

         ANYONE CAN RIDE A UNICYCLE

          by Jack Halpern

Recently I have been getting a number of inquiries about my book, ANYONE
CA RIDE A UNICYCLE. Here is some infrmation for those interested in
acquiring it.

Miyata and I are considering publishing a new edition if I ever have time
to deal with it, but this might take quite a while. In the meantime, to
get a photocopy, please do the following.

  1. Send me US$15 or equivalent in cash (cashing a check costs more than
    that in Japan!).
  2. Let me know your snailmail address.

I will airmail you a copy as soon as I know your address and you inform me
that the payment hs been sent.

Some of the pictures in that book have been place on the unicycling
home page.

Here is a quote from the unciyling FAQ describing the book.

    o Anyone Can Ride a Unicycle by Jack Halpern

      For the material it covers this is the best book on unicycling.
      In particular, book tells how to learn to ride, as well as a
      variety of beginning and intermediate skills. It also covers
      practical issues like unicycling attire, adjusting the unicycle,
      and theory.

      The book is based on what are considered the most effective ways
      of learning. John Foss helped a lot with reviewing the
      manuscript and by providing excellent photographs. Much credit
      is also due to Bill Jenack,the founder of modern unicycling, who
      has developed most of the techniques introduced in the book.

      The book comes with Miyata unicycles, and you can also get it
      from Jack Halpern while supplies last. Miyata is out of stock at
      the moment, and has no definite plans at this time to reprint
      it. In the meantime, he will be glad to send you photocopies for
      $15, including airmail.

      The amount you send need not be $15 exactly if you send it in
      another currency. You should send this in cash form, not a
      check, since it is very difficult to cash a check in dollars in
      Japan. Supplies are short, so you may want to send e-mail to
      Jack before sending cash to verify availability. His address is:

    Jack Halpern, CEO & President The CJK Dictionary Institute, Inc.
    (CJKI) Komine Building (3rd & 4th Floor) 34-14, 2-chome, Tohoku,
    Niiza-shi Saitama 352-0001 JAPAN Office Phone .: +81-48-473-3508
    FAX : +81-48-486-5032 Home Phone .: +81-42-587-3318 FAX :
    +81-42-587-2802 E-mail : jack@cjk.org WWW : <a href="http://www.cjk.org/">http://www.cjk.org</a>

>
>-mg
>
>
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Stay on top, Jack Halpern Executive Director for International Development
International Unicycling Federation, Inc. Website: http://www.kanji.org

42

I got Jack to send me a copy of his “Anyone Can Ride A Unicycle” booklet.
It is very nice, and includes some techniques that I’d never heard before.
My wife and I are using Jack’s approach as she learns to ride, and her
progress is excellent so far. Hat’s off to Jack!

David Maxfield Bainbridge Island, WA

43

Greetings

In message “Re: Soon-to-be new learner wants advice on expectations”,
Maxfield D wrote…
>I got Jack to send me a copy of his “Anyone Can Ride A Unicycle”
>booklet. It is very nice, and includes some techniques that I’d never
>heard before. My wife and I are using Jack’s approach as she learns to
>ride, and her progress is excellent so far. Hat’s off to Jack!

Thank you for the kind words. This is the technique we mostly use in Japan
and it thas been quite effective. If done correctly – esp. the part about
using two spotters and having them stay half a step ahead of he
learner while he/she is going at fairly good speed – really works well.

Often, I can teach beginners in less than an hour, sometimes half an hour,
to ride three turns of the wheel without hands. This is my minimum
definition of “riding” and I wonder if others agree with me.

Recently, one technique I use in teaching which I found vey effective is
have the complete beginner stand on the pedals most of the time, and
straighten the knees out completely and stop as soon as he/she begins to
lose balance. Of course normally it is the opposite – all or most of the
weight should be on the saddle.

It is to too bad that there is no budget to reprint a full color version
of the booklet so that what I am distributing now is a xerox copy.

Stay on top, Jack Halpern Executive Director for International Development
International Unicycling Federation, Inc. Website: http://www.kanji.org