wrong way to learn?

[Sgaterboy]

I've been trying to teach myself to unicycle. I have a hallway at my apartment complex about 5-6 feet wide (I can spread my arms out and touch each wall with about three inches to spare) and carpeted. I've been practicing for three days now, about an hour a day. I've gotten to the point where I can go from one end of the hall to the other (maybe fifty feet) and back without a UPD, but I need to tap the walls with my fingertips about every four feet. I feel like I'm not progressing; I tried going downstairs out in the open but fall after only four feet without the wall to grab on to. would it be best to abandon the hallway and keep practicing downstairs, or try staying in the hallway until i can consistantly go more than four feet without grabbing the wall?

[Jerrick]

I would start working in the open, then you will lose the thought of needing the wall to stay balanced.

[dudewithasock]

Abandon the hallway, definitely. Every time you've mastered one thing you're doing, move somewhere else until you start falling again, and keep falling until you've got it.

[Sgaterboy]

I feel like I was pretty much on track in the hallway; whats a reasonable estimate for how long it will take to be able to balance in the open? five hours of practice?

EDIT: additionally, which would be better, five hours in one day, or one hour a day for five days?

[dudewithasock]

Well 5 hours in one day might tire you out, depends on your endurance (and your stubbornness, I suppose). I personally like to do an hour a day.

[Jerrick]

It depends, within the 5 hours in one day; Are you getting tired? Do you get frustrated and not take breaks? If so, go to 1 hour a day for 5 days.


If you can go 5 hours of practice without getting all frustrated and tired, then continue with that.

[Sgaterboy]

I havent been frustrated yet; I've decided the best way to pace myself is to keep trying until my shirt is soaked from sweat all the way to the hem on the bottom. in other words, not a square inch of the shirt left dry :-D Its a workout, thats for sure. I'm still a little concerned about venturing out without the wall; the seats gonna get all messed up, since i dont want to put a sock on it...

I was just curious if five hours in one day, assuming i could do it, would be as effective as the hour a day. i guess its a hard call, hunh?

[j-n]

Originally Posted by Sgaterboy

EDIT: additionally, which would be better, five hours in one day, or one hour a day for five days?

I learnt to ride about a month and a half ago, so here you have some fresh tips:
* yes, 1h-1.5h a day is better than 5h in one day.
* start daily training with repeating the easy stuff from the day before
I my case this was really crucial.
* And in general don't try to hurry things up -- sometimes a new skill
needs to be properly laid out in your mind. If you'r failing with something,
why not stop it and switch to another skill and return to the first, the
next day. But don't get discouraged! You can learn it!
* Is your hallway long enough? if not try to find something (wall, fence, etc)
which has at least 25 meters, preferably longer and practice there.

enjoy your learning!
/J

[Andy912912]

I actually don't know. If you do five hours a day, take half an hour breaks to drink/eat something and watch TV or use the Internet or read or whatever while the food digests...congrats on the having learnt!(another topic) Now you need to free mount...quarter turn backwards, weight on the seat...etc. also works holding on to a wall(also) For more deatailed instructions, see UDC.
P.S. The dude in the picture isn't wearing shin guards. I think you should.

[simonpaddon]

I am just past this stage, and I only got there by going to the local school early in the morning, and using their playground- smooth with a wall. Definately, take a step out and just ride out into the oblivion- you fail, but learn one thing from every UPD, and it will come.

I also started by doing half an hour at a time, but now I do hour a day- figured it was double the learning time- but I am soaked right through then!

Simon

[tomtrevor]

when i first started i did about 4 hours a day for 2 days. i could ride about 30metres or so and turn slighty. i pretty much just did it until my shirt was weighing me down with sweat. i find once you get frustrated you lose concentration and its pretty much pointless to keep riding. i say do it for as long as you can without getting frustrated. if you get tired take an hour break and then keep going.

[Sgaterboy]

Originally Posted by tomtrevor

when i first started i did about 4 hours a day for 2 days. i could ride about 30metres or so and turn slighty. i pretty much just did it until my shirt was weighing me down with sweat. i find once you get frustrated you lose concentration and its pretty much pointless to keep riding. i say do it for as long as you can without getting frustrated. if you get tired take an hour break and then keep going.

how'd you improve after the original two days? was it quickly uphill, or pretty steady progression?

[andytait]

Originally Posted by Sgaterboy

additionally, which would be better, five hours in one day, or one hour a day for five days?

Learning anything, especially a motor skill like unicycling, is about opening pathways and synapses in the brain that execute the skill. This literally means growing pathways between cells in the brain. That is why the young learn faster, because their brains are still developing and are more supple and tuned to learning. Much of this development happens at night when we rest our brains.

So definitley 10 minutes, half an hour, or an hour a day is better than an extended spell, as it gives the brain chance to make the physical changes required to achieve what you have been trying that day.

You can often practise something one day and then try it again the next morning and find that overnight, as if by magic, youv'e become better at it. Of course it isn't magic at all, it's the learning process, and a few more connections in the brain that you didn't have the day before.

Andy

[zfreak220]

at my house we have these big huge garbage cans, so i got my unicycle got up and then tried to go as far as i could. i think it will hurt you if you try to use a wall as a crutch. just get up and then go for it, you will only get like half a revolution and slowly but surely you will get farther and farther, try putting a stick or something where you fell off to see how far you went. your saddle will get beat up a lot, but it shouldn't do anything unfixable (duct-tape). and wear wrist guards, i didn't but they would have helped a lot, most times you just drop the uni and land on your feet. hope this helps.

[skilewis74]

Originally Posted by zfreak220

i think it will hurt you if you try to use a wall as a crutch. just get up and then go for it, you will only get like half a revolution and slowly but surely you will get farther and farther, try putting a stick or something where you fell off to see how far you went. your saddle will get beat up a lot, but it shouldn't do anything unfixable (duct-tape). and wear wrist guards, i didn't but they would have helped a lot, most times you just drop the uni and land on your feet. hope this helps.

[QUOTE=zfreak220]
I used a 90 ft. rail and whent back and forth until I could consistently ride the whole length.
I would find a rail, fence or wall and do the same. I concur w/ the wrist guards though.
Then move to a gym floor, school playground, or empty parkinglot and work on large circles and figure 8's until you get diameters within 5 yards or so then take it to the sidewalks and then to school.