newish rider hopping help needed

[greenie]

ok I know there is probably a ton of these threads but none of them are similar to my problem. I've been riding for about 4months and I ride a no name china made unicycle 20". i cannot even hop up 1 pallet! when I hop si I get about 10 cm max and when SIF It feels really unstable and I can't lift my legs up fast enough. I really need help please.
I was thinking that maybe it's because I have weak arms and can't loft the unicycle up prperly. has that even been a prblem?

thanks in advance

[Darth Elevator]

Have you lowered your seat?

[Jt00]

Have you tried putting your foot partially on the crank arm? That should provide more support.
Otherwise, just keep trying! That's how you learn everything on a unicycle.

[greenie]

Thanks for the help.

Would it make a difference for how long my cranks are because they are nearly 160mm.

[Jt00]

No. Crank length only affects speed and torque; shorter cranks mean more speed (more accurately, less effort to make a full revolution), longer cranks mean more torque (leverage, like when going up hills).
Practice hopping around on the same surface for a while. You should get used to your unicycle's feel and weight before trying anything bigger.

[knoxuni]

also dont put your feet on the crankarms.

[Jt00]

also dont put your feet on the crankarms.

This is something that takes moderation. While putting your feet on the crank arms will give you stability, putting them on the crank arms too far will make it hard to stop and get back to pedaling. Find a certain amount of your foot that can comfortably fit on the crank arm while still allowing you to pedal when you finish your hops.
Or just put your feet on the pedals. When you find what works for you, stick with it.

[greenie]

thanks for the help everyone.

ihave another question which isn't really about hopping but I don't want to start a new thread.
when I see people doing rolling wraps and stuff they move their feet off the pedals and onto the axle really smoothly and fast. how do they do this? is it because their pedals don't have grip or do the kind of jump off the pedals to the cranks?

[unihopper]

thanks for the help everyone.

ihave another question which isn't really about hopping but I don't want to start a new thread.
when I see people doing rolling wraps and stuff they move their feet off the pedals and onto the axle really smoothly and fast. how do they do this? is it because their pedals don't have grip or do the kind of jump off the pedals to the cranks?

Some people do a little jump to get onto the cranks. I usually just put my weight onto one foot so I can easily slide the other onto the crank. It'll become natural after a while, just keep working on those tricks and you'll figure it out.

[Jt00]

Hey, I just actually started practicing hops and found something. I started hopping with my left foot back and right foot forward because I thought it would be a lot easier to stop moving and get into a hopping position on my left foot (the one that would press back a little to stop the forward motion) since I learned to get up on my left foot. After many unsuccessful attempts to jump onto the 3" curb on my street, I switched feet - right foot back, left foot forward. I was suddenly so much more stable while hopping, and could hop right up onto the curb. Try switching your feet, see if that helps. You don't have to put your feet on the crank arms, I found that actually makes it harder to do. Maybe once you nail some 6" or higher hops you can start trying the crank arms if you have to, but get normal hops down first.

[knoxuni]

I can do 28in hop and never put my feet on the cranks arms.

[greenie]

I hop with my right foot forward and on some occaisons have tried to switch but it just feels so weird. it's feels really unatural for my legs to be like that i dontknow why. also maybe it's that I'm short (150cm) and I have longer cranks that my legs are split further than most other unicyclists.

[greenie]

do you have your stronger foot, the one with more control in the front or back position?

[unihopper]

do you have your stronger foot, the one with more control in the front or back position?

I have my dominant foot in front. Some things may be slightly easier depending on which foot you have in front or back but it doesn't really matter, just do what is natural.

[Dane M]

Run and slide across the floor. whichever foot position you like to do that in will be the most comfortable to hop in.

[greenie]

so if most people hop with their dominent foot forward and most people are right footed I assume , then why do most people hop with left foot forward?

and also about the question before, unihopper you said to put more weight on your other foot so you can easily slide your foot onto the pedals but if I put pressure on one foot I just pedal forward.

[Dane M]

Well I am right handed and right footed, I snowboard, skateboard, surf, wakeboard, etc with my left foot forward because the right foot is the one that controls the balance and steering. I can only assume it is similar in unicycling, since that is the position I am comfortable in to hop.

[aarons]

It's helpful to learn hopping with either foot forward.

[knoxuni]

i am right handed and right footed but i hop with right foot forwards. i can hop with left forwards its just aquward tho.

[Dane M]

i am right handed and right footed but i hop with right foot forwards. i can hop with left forwards its just aquward tho.

But how do you prefer to slide across a floor?

[raymanh]

How you slide along the floor is just the same as asking are you regular (left foot forwards) or goofy (right foot forwards) at skateboarding/surfing/snowboarding etc.

When I learnt, a book told me to find my favourite foot. Your favourite foot it the foot you use to step on a higher object. e.g. Put a chair in front of you and without thinking step on it. Your favourite foot is the one you used first. You then put your favourite foot on the back pedal when mounting (for me my left foot) which naturally leads to you having your other foot forwards (my right). Then straight away you should be capable of hopping in this position (right foot forwards for me). The idea behind this method is that when you leap on a chair your NON-favourite foot does the pushing on the ground (my right), and that is exactly on a unicycle where if you were to hop straight ahead you would have to put weight on your front pedal, jump and push on mainly your front (my right foot).

FYI

I am right footed, regular (left foot forward) in sports, right foot forwards in unicycling. I am right handed but grab the seat with my left since my right arm has better control in the air.

I don't understand why some think because you are left foot forwards in sports, you should be left foot forwards when unicycling. If you think about it, it should be the other way round- e.g. left foot forwards skateboarding, therefore using your right foot to push. Therefore when unicycling you want right foot forwards because that does more pushing (e.g. during forward hops, and during mounting)

[Dane M]

How you slide along the floor is just the same as asking are you regular (left foot forwards) or goofy (right foot forwards) at skateboarding/surfing/snowboarding etc.

When I learnt, a book told me to find my favourite foot. Your favourite foot it the foot you use to step on a higher object. e.g. Put a chair in front of you and without thinking step on it. Your favourite foot is the one you used first. You then put your favourite foot on the back pedal when mounting (for me my left foot) which naturally leads to you having your other foot forwards (my right). Then straight away you should be capable of hopping in this position (right foot forwards for me). The idea behind this method is that when you leap on a chair your NON-favourite foot does the pushing on the ground (my right), and that is exactly on a unicycle where if you were to hop straight ahead you would have to put weight on your front pedal, jump and push on mainly your front (my right foot).

FYI

I am right footed, regular (left foot forward) in sports, right foot forwards in unicycling. I am right handed but grab the seat with my left since my right arm has better control in the air.

I don't understand why some think because you are left foot forwards in sports, you should be left foot forwards when unicycling. If you think about it, it should be the other way round- e.g. left foot forwards skateboarding, therefore using your right foot to push. Therefore when unicycling you want right foot forwards because that does more pushing (e.g. during forward hops, and during mounting)

I disagree almost completely. I step up objects with my left foot, so that is why I like my left foot forward. The right foot is the sturdy one that supports and controls pivot. This is the same for board sports, and as far as I'm concerned, it's the same for unicycling. Of course if you learn to ride one way, that's the way you're going to get used to. If I lost my right hand, my left hand would learn how to do everything that my right hand used to do.

But a larger determining factor that we are not accounting for might also be grip hand. For me, hopping with my right hand gripping and my right foot forward really forces me to tense up a lot of the muscles on my right side, which is uncomfortable to me (I know some people like to hop like this, but still...)

I am right handed, but my left hand is the one I have more control with. With stringed instruments that I play, it is where the most control, skill, and dexterity is required, but even before I learned to play instruments, I was doing important tasks like opening a bottle with my left hand.

[raymanh]

I disagree almost completely. I step up objects with my left foot, so that is why I like my left foot forward. The right foot is the sturdy one that supports and controls pivot. This is the same for board sports, and as far as I'm concerned, it's the same for unicycling. Of course if you learn to ride one way, that's the way you're going to get used to. If I lost my right hand, my left hand would learn how to do everything that my right hand used to do.

But a larger determining factor that we are not accounting for might also be grip hand. For me, hopping with my right hand gripping and my right foot forward really forces me to tense up a lot of the muscles on my right side, which is uncomfortable to me (I know some people like to hop like this, but still...)

I am right handed, but my left hand is the one I have more control with. With stringed instruments that I play, it is where the most control, skill, and dexterity is required, but even before I learned to play instruments, I was doing important tasks like opening a bottle with my left hand.

But can you see what I mean in my previous post? You say that hopping right handed and right foot forward puts a lot of strain on the right side of the body, so your accepting the forwards foot (in this case the right) on a unicycle does more work. Then you also say your right foot is the sturdy one and controls better- so wouldn't it make sense for you hop right foot forwards?

LOL, in the last paragraphy, sounds like you're actually left handed ;)