yet another stillstand post

[muniracer]

sorry guys, i know there has been an abundance of stillstand threads recently, but i couldnt help myself.

so heres the deal:

first i practiced stillstands with the front of my wheel against a wall, so i can apply pressure forward without moving the wheel and i can stillstand for basically as long as my patience will allow (around 30 seconds).

then i tried a stillstand with no wall and i cant last more than 2 seconds. i feel like if i start to fall, there is nothing i can do to change my balance, despite how hard i throw my arms or shift my hips. so hear is what i want to know:

a) when i am standed on the pedals, should my legs be loose, or tight?
b) how should i distribute the weight on both pedals?
c) should i adjust balance with arms or body?
d) should my weight be above the wheel, or should i lean a certain way?
e) should i pedal slightly when i start to lean forward or back?

thanks guys

[andrew_carter]

Here's a horribly over-simplified breakdown of stillstanding from my experience...

If you're falling to the right, lean as if to touch your right leg with both hands. Also, keep your arms out wide and weat on the seat. I keep my legs pretty relaxed. That's what I reckon anyway.

Andrew

[muniracer]

everytime i see kris stillstand it looks like he is standing up. from your post, andrew, it sounds like you sit down. which is better, standing or sitting?

[foxx]

standing at stillstands is better than sitting on the unicycle. if you stand, you can make easier small correction in the direction...

_felix

[James_Potter]

a) when i am standed on the pedals, should my legs be loose, or tight?
Be in the position you would be in to hop, standing on the pedals off of the seat.

b) how should i distribute the weight on both pedals?
My last answer should help on this one, I think.

c) should i adjust balance with arms or body?
Both. Hold your arms out to the sides and use them for balance, and also lean left-right according to which direction you're falling.

d) should my weight be above the wheel, or should i lean a certain way?
Lean to the side when you're falling the other way.

e) should i pedal slightly when i start to lean forward or back?
No, I do that sometimes too, but it starts to get into miniature idling which is no longer stillstanding.

Hope this helps.

[muniracer]

Originally posted by James_Potter
a) when i am standed on the pedals, should my legs be loose, or tight?
Be in the position you would be in to hop, standing on the pedals off of the seat.

b) how should i distribute the weight on both pedals?
My last answer should help on this one, I think.

c) should i adjust balance with arms or body?
Both. Hold your arms out to the sides and use them for balance, and also lean left-right according to which direction you're falling.

d) should my weight be above the wheel, or should i lean a certain way?
Lean to the side when you're falling the other way.

e) should i pedal slightly when i start to lean forward or back?
No, I do that sometimes too, but it starts to get into miniature idling which is no longer stillstanding.

Hope this helps.

yep, thanks

[andrew_carter]

I wasn't sure a week ago whether I preferred to stand or sit but I've now come to the conclusion that I like to sit when doing normal stillstands. By normal I mean on flat ground, etc. I find I can relax that way and focus on keeping my balance right. If I'm attempting to (and I mean attempting ) stillstand on some sort of rail or something or just generally in a trials situation I can't help standing up. Then if I lose balance I can hop away onto some other object easier. That's just what I prefer though...keep in mind that I can't really stillstand very well.

Andrew

[muniracer]

finally! i think i am starting to get the hang of it!! ive been getting some good 5 seconders, which is good for my first day of practice. standing stillstand, that is...

On Tue, 2 Dec 2003 00:30:08 -0600, muniracer
<muniracer@NoEmail.Message.Poster.at.Unicyclist.com> wrote:

>first i practiced stillstands with the front of my wheel against a wall,
>so i can apply pressure forward without moving the wheel and i can
>stillstand for basically as long as my patience will allow (around 30
>seconds).
I never tried that. Good idea as a precursor to proper stillstanding.

>a) when i am standed on the pedals, should my legs be loose, or tight?
My personal preference is tight.
>b) how should i distribute the weight on both pedals?
Such that you stand still. I.e., on flat ground, the weight should be
equal.
>c) should i adjust balance with arms or body?
Not sure what is best. I do both.
>d) should my weight be above the wheel, or should i lean a certain
>way?
Above the wheel (support point). Otherwise you inevitably will fall.
>e) should i pedal slightly when i start to lean forward or back?
No, that is considered cheating. Stand STILL you know. I don't know
how literally this should be taken. I'm sure that with sensitive
enough equipment you could detect some fore/aft movement in every
stillstand.

Klaas Bil - Newsgroup Addict
--
"Friends don't let friends drop to flat - Kris Holm, discussing large drops to flat ground."

[danger_uni]

Originally posted by muniracer
everytime i see kris stillstand it looks like he is standing up. from your post, andrew, it sounds like you sit down. which is better, standing or sitting?

Standing up helps in my opinion, as it's easier to move your core around. Also, think about stillstand balancing as keeping your core centred over the unicycle. Arms help, but core balance is more important. You also get better balance in stillstands with arms in tension rather than flapping loosely all over the place.

I think the best solution to getting better at stillstands is to just include them in normal rides by thinking of basic trials hopping as transfers between stillstands. This way you get to practice them multiple times every time you ride instead of having to set aside time to actually practice them.

I think it's also good know how to stillstand in any pedal orientation. This is really helpful if you are riding along narrow round railings, because if you feel yourself losing it a bit you can stop, readjust in the stillstand, and then keep going.

Kris.

[hole-in-my-shoe]

Originally posted by danger_uni


You also get better balance in stillstands with arms in tension rather than flapping loosely all over the place.

This is obviously the best way to do it. But it's not the way I do it because, let's face it, I'm not the best at doing it. But nevertheless, I positively enjoy flapping my arms around. Sometimes I can get this whole groovy thing going where I swing to the left, swing to the right, then swing back, etc. Can't picture it? Think of Austin Powers dancing down the street at the start of that film, and, well. Enough said.

Yeah, baby!

[muniracer]

Originally posted by danger_uni


I think it's also good know how to stillstand in any pedal orientation. This is really helpful if you are riding along narrow round railings, because if you feel yourself losing it a bit you can stop, readjust in the stillstand, and then keep going.

Kris.

is this still standing or sitting? when i ride standing, i have to hold onto the seat or it will fall behind me.

at the point im at, i usually have to bend one arm to point in the same direction as the other, to preserve my balance. is this bad technique or okay since i havent really excelled at it yet?

[danger_uni]

Originally posted by muniracer


is this still standing or sitting? when i ride standing, i have to hold onto the seat or it will fall behind me.

at the point im at, i usually have to bend one arm to point in the same direction as the other, to preserve my balance. is this bad technique or okay since i havent really excelled at it yet?

In the end I think you need to do what you need to do to stay upright, whatever that is. I'm just saying that if you keep some muscle tension in your arms, your arms work better to maintain balance.

Also like in the last post, you can do a lot with the position of your hips, because core balance is so much more effective than anything else. Shifting your hip position totally alters your balance and it's easier to do this if you are standing up- that's why standing up is easier.

Figuring out how to stillstand on any incline is important too for trials, as is hopping into a stillstand, and mounting directly into a stillstand. The last one is incredibly helpful for mounting on narrow rails. Ultimately I think stillstands in cool places can be a sport unto itself!

Kris