So I searched a bit and found a German thread from 2006, but not much else…
So I’m learning standup wheel walk and looking for tips and/or hope to exchange experiences: To clarify, stand up wheel walk or stand walk is a freestyle trick standing on the unicycle with one foot on the frame and using the other foot to alternately push/brake the tire to propel yourself forward in a controlled way. It’s like 1ft wheel walk in that you push and then brake to control balance. At first it seems impossible but thus far seems to be progressing faster than wheel walk, which took forever.
From a wall I can usually do 9+ kicks and often around 20, a few times even more. I’ve learned that keeping the unicycle and body quite upright is important. And learning the control processes much like normal wheelwalk/1ft (meaning takes time).
I’m trying to learn transitions into and out of.
Note: my ww and 1ft ww and return-to-pedals are all quite solid but I can’t really do kush-kush (only on the wall) and I’m learning backwards wheel walk. Thus, I also can’t do stand kush.
My step up mount from the floor is getting decent and usually on say 1 of 3 tries I can then do 5+ pushes. But I would rather transition from riding.
Transitioning into there are many options.
pedaling to step up I can do sometimes, but only maybe 1 in 10 tries
1ft ww up I have done, but usually I lean back too far. Not sure why.
I would like to learn to jump from pedals but it is quite intimidating.
Although I can do jump mount to stand hopping quite well (with one hand on the seat), I have never tried jump mount to stand walk. Mainly I’m not sure if I should grab the seat or go straight up without?
To get out, I have 2 options that I can do if I have a helping hand from a partner but yet not alone:
as the pedals comes around the top, simultaneously move the foot on the frame down to the pedal and lower the body to the seat and pedal. I think this is just a matter of further practice. But tips welcome.
I have also tried going from stand walk to 90 hop on tire (then I can do 90 down to pedals).
So question on the transition out: Is it better to completely come to a stop and then step down or switch to hop on tire? Or is it better to do it in a flowing manner?
As far as I remember from when I was practicing stand-up wheel walk (like 10 years ago ), it seems to me that you’ll want to keep a hand on the saddle to stabilize the uni. Once you’re on the frame, you have to quickly remove your hand to get upright as soon as possible.
What do you mean by “better”? If you’re a Japanese freestyle rider, then doing it in a flowing manner is certainly better. If you’re a German freestyle rider, I guess hoping on the tire would be the best. If you’re looking for the easiest way to do so, I’d say that completely come to a stop is the easiest solution - that’s what I was doing at the time.
Fun fact: I have tried to do so on Friday, the 17th of 2014. I twisted my ankle so bad I have never tried it again
Good luck with this skill! I hope you’ll master it, and then be able to stand-up glide/coast. That’s something really amazing - I remember stand-up gliding down the gliding course of Unicon 2016… That was something!
Update from this week: I can now switch from stand-up-hopping to hopping-on-tire! (and the other way). It’s actually pretty stable.
So I can do stand hopping to hopping-on-tire to 90-down-to-pedals (to riding). However, I currently cannot go from stand walk (moving) to stand hopping (stationary), so not there yet. And I could already get out of stand hopping into wheel walk (but only from stable stand hopping)
Mount to stand walk is still getting better - maybe one in three I can do 5-8 kicks.
But no real improvement in attempts at riding to stand up or 1-ft ww to standup (I fall forward almost immediately after standing).
But I am getting closer to return-to-pedals from stand walk: With a helping hand I did it a few times successfully. One attempt I got a foot on the pedal but then UPD. But I think it’s attainable.
Side note: it’s amazing how much faster the teenage unicyclists learn such skills! In Bavaria the top freestylers learn stand walk around 13-15 years of age (or earlier) and there are 20+ teenagers (certainly more) that have mastered stand walk super controlled.
My mid-term goal this spring is mount to stand walk, 6-10 controlled kicks and step down to pedals.
Improving but slowly. It’s really astounding how much core strength, especially in the back but also the hamstrings is required to maintain a controlled body position! A few times I’ve been able to hit the pedal trying to sit down and return to the pedals. I think with a bit more control it is doable.
), it seems to me that you’ll want to keep a hand on the saddle to stabilize the uni. Once you’re on the frame, you have to quickly remove your hand to get upright as soon as possible.
