Developing skill.

[wgorton@vnet.IBM.COM]

From: Wayne Gorton A/NZ Computing Centre - Operations FA32 Cumberland Forest.
Australia Ph:(02) 354 4057 Fax:(02) 354 7766 Subject: Developing skill. Howdy
all, I've been riding a uni for a collective 40ish hours over 2-3 months. I'm
comfortably on level 2 (although I haven't been tested). I become aware there is
a quite a bit of difference in the weight you place on the seat vs. the pedals.
My question is, why, when riding do I snake along. I've mucked about with the
amount of weight I place on the seat, but it doesn't seem to change anything. I
must admit, because I oscillate the weight on the seat & pedals, I may be
missing an advantage on practising 1 technique only? Any ideas. The reason I ask
is I'm chicken to ride on the road until I'm not weaving. I don't have the
luxury of footpaths, just grass nature strips. The grass is considerably harder
to ride on, most of it isn't even.

Bye Wayne G OPSD Midop. " The Thinking Man's Clown
"Imagination is more important than knowledge"
Albert Einstein

[Beirne Konarski]

>
> From: Wayne Gorton A/NZ Computing Centre - Operations FA32 Cumberland Forest.
> Australia Ph02) 354 4057 Fax02) 354 7766 Subject: Developing skill. Howdy
> all, I've been riding a uni for a collective 40ish hours over 2-3 months. I'm
> comfortably on level 2 (although I haven't been tested). I become aware there
> is a quite a bit of difference in the weight you place on the seat vs. the
> pedals. My question is, why, when riding do I snake along. I've mucked about
> with the amount of weight I place on the seat, but it doesn't seem to change
> anything. I must admit, because I oscillate the weight on the seat & pedals, I
> may be missing an advantage on practising 1 technique only? Any ideas.

The proper place for your weight is the seat. Your butt should be fairly relaxed
on the seat, with minimum stress on your legs. As you suspect, you need to stick
to one good method, and this is it. In normal riding, your upper body down to
your seat should be relaxed, and your legs should only have enough tension to
propel the pedals. Once you are moving, this won't be much, since you will have
momentum working for you. Remember also to look ahead, not down, so you don't
try to overcorrect.

> The reason I ask is I'm chicken to ride on the road until I'm not weaving. I
> don't have the luxury of footpaths, just grass nature strips. The grass is
> considerably harder to ride on, most of it isn't even.

Once you start riding on grass, you'll have to do the opposite of what I just
said. You generally have to put more weight on the pedals on uneven and
unpredictable surfaces so you have the force to go over bumps and react to
surprises. This will be a good leg workout.

Beirne

--
Beirne "Bern" Konarski | Unicycling Web Page: bkonarsk@mcs.kent.edu |
http://www.unicycling.org (http://www.unicycling.org/) Kent State University | "Untouched by Scandal" |