I have until June 15 to put together a uni act for a talent show at my school. What should I do with the few tricks that I know? Here is a list of everything I can do:
Hop about 5 times
Idle for however long I want to
Do a 6" drop
Ride on a thin board (not in the air)
Ride on pretty rough dirt and rocks.
Of course the basic stuff (ride foreward, mount, etc.)
Any ideas? Anything would help!
I would suggest learning some different mounts, and have you ever tried juggling? it always adds to a unicycle act.
Well, it sounds like you’re not quite ready for a talent show yet.
Give it another year, and then go for it. That’s what I would do, anyway…
Come on James, he didn’t ask you if he should. I know you’re only 15 but he’s 10 and I think anyone doing anything on a unicycle would be talented in my opinion.
I know, he can if he wants. But I just think he needs more practice.
If you play an instument that isn’t piano or harp…or Tibetan Copper Curved Horn, or sitar, you could play a song.
Actually sitar might work if you contort right. Concertina or accordion is a good choice.
Dude learn to hop over things- looks very impressive whilst in reality isn’t too hard! same with riding on your stomach!! maybe bounce a basketball or something… drible a hockey ball… looks a lot cooler then it really is! really easy to learn as well!
Ooooops! Forgot…I can ride on my stomach, also.
Jump rope is an instant crowd pleaser. It’s a fairly easy skill and will get the most crowd reaction of anything else you could do.
You may not be able to get the jump rope polished for this show, but work on it for your next show or any other time that you want to show off, like during a parade.
The trick to jumping rope is to squeeze the saddle between your thighs. Then get the toe of your rear foot under the crank or in the spokes. Put the toe of your front foot in the spokes or wedge your heel tightly against the crank. Do what works for you, but it helps to have either your toe wedged in the spokes or your heel wedged tightly against the crank. After that it’s just jumping in place in time with the rope. The tricky part is keeping the rope from getting tangled in the wheel and getting the rope started on the first twirl.
Another cheat is to strap a bungee cord under the seat. That makes it easier because you don’t have to squeeze the seat as much and you don’t have to squeeze your feet against the spokes and the cranks as much.
Make sure the jump rope is long enough. A rope that is long enough for you when jumping on your feet is going to be too short when you get up on the unicycle.
One of my jump ropes is a piece of climbing rope. You can get it cut to size and then tie knots at the ends for the handle. Works well, and climbing ropes come in different colors and are stiff enough that they don’t kink up or get all twisty.
There are some general tips for giving your performance more audience appeal at the USA web site. Here’s the link: Audience Appeal Workshop
There is usually a workshop or two or three at the conventions on how to prepare a freestyle routine, standard skill routine, and other performances. That’s one of the good things about going to conventions is that you can pick up tips for performances and you get to see lots of performances by other unicyclists.