What should I do/learn???

[unicyclingisfun]

Ok so my language arts teacher knows that i ride a unicycle and love to do it and she now wants me to do it in front of my class. i can't really do anything except hop around on a pallet and idle crazily. what should i do or learn to do that is interesting and cool and will amaze my class?

keep in mind that i am working with an attention span of 30 6th graders (and if my teacher likes it she may tell the principle and i may have to do it in front of the school {6th, 7th, and 8th graders}!!!!)

[Rowan]

One footed idling is quite an easy skill to learn once you can idle, and may look more impressive. Riding backwards is another fairly easy way to impress people. A lot of people will be impressed just by you being able to balance, and if you learn really tough skills it may be lost on them since they don't know how long it took. Most crowds just want to see a giraffe or see someone fall off or do a backflip. Good luck- hopefully they will introduce unicycling as a subject in your school!

[Safey]

Learn to do a kickup mount!

The easy n00b impresser!

[Julia B]

I think backwards riding and 90-90 unispins look pretty good. Also if your teacher would let you jump off a desk or something (probably not haha) drops are really easy and look cool.

[scott ttocs]

Jumping rope loks impressive. I have not tired it but I have been told it is not that hard to learn.

[Super G]

unicyclingisfun,

How about giving us a list of your current skills? Then we can give you suggestions. How much room will you have? If your teacher suggests an area that is too small, politely explain that you would need more room.

We know you can idle. Unfortunately, non-riders have no clue how difficult it is to learn. Therefore I would suggest only idling long enough to demostrate it. As Rowan pointed out though, one footed idling is impressive. I saw Tom Miller of The Unicycle Factory idle one footed and kick the unused foot up in the air with every other idle. It looks like a dance move from the "CanCan" dance. (That's a real old dance) It's a very entertaining move. I've never seen a video of this performed or I'd post it. If you saw it, you'd probably laugh and think it's great.

Most importantly, have fun and smile to your audience so they see how much fun you are having! Whatever you decide to do, rehearse it and stay with skills you have down pat.

[Eiserne Hand]

You can imitate the rutting call of the asian tapir or flatulate rudolf the rednosed reindeer.

They will be amazed, I think.

[unicyclingisfun]

Originally Posted by Super G

unicyclingisfun,

How about giving us a list of your current skills? Then we can give you suggestions. How much room will you have? If your teacher suggests an area that is too small, politely explain that you would need more room.

We know you can idle. Unfortunately, non-riders have no clue how difficult it is to learn. Therefore I would suggest only idling long enough to demostrate it. As Rowan pointed out though, one footed idling is impressive. I saw Tom Miller of The Unicycle Factory idle one footed and kick the unused foot up in the air with every other idle. It looks like a dance move from the "CanCan" dance. (That's a real old dance) It's a very entertaining move. I've never seen a video of this performed or I'd post it. If you saw it, you'd probably laugh and think it's great.

Most importantly, have fun and smile to your audience so they see how much fun you are having! Whatever you decide to do, rehearse it and stay with skills you have down pat.

ok thanks. i can hop up and down stairs across pallets and i am working on the 180 unispin. i can also idle one footed a little. i am working on the kickup mount and getting it but i bet i can learn almost anything that isnt to hard.

[unicyclingisfun]

Originally Posted by Eiserne Hand

You can imitate the rutting call of the asian tapir or flatulate rudolf the rednosed reindeer.

They will be amazed, I think.

???????

[BillyTheMountain]

Originally Posted by unicyclingisfun

Ok so my language arts teacher knows that i ride a unicycle and love to do it and she now wants me to do it in front of my class. i can't really do anything except hop around on a pallet and idle crazily. what should i do or learn to do that is interesting and cool and will amaze my class?

keep in mind that i am working with an attention span of 30 6th graders (and if my teacher likes it she may tell the principle and i may have to do it in front of the school {6th, 7th, and 8th graders}!!!!)

So what happened?!

[Diogenes]

Originally Posted by unicyclingisfun

what should i do or learn to do that is interesting and cool and will amaze my class?

Ride the unicycle. How interesting, cool and crazy is that.

It is an absolute basic of performing that you keep it simple and do it well.

The audience will not be impressed if you fall off doing something difficult.

They will be impressed if you do something simple, but smooth.

Mount, idle, hop on the spot, talk while idling, 2 pedal strokes backwards - little more than that.

This is a constant pain for anyone who does something unusual like ride a unicycle, play an instrument or sing: someone says, "Go on then, show me!" and expects you to perform, and they then get bored in 30 seconds.

And be careful because a UPD in a crowded room, with desks and chairs in the way, could cause injury or damage.

Keep it simple, do it well, and don't fall off.

[Rowan]

Originally Posted by unicyclingisfun

ok thanks. i can hop up and down stairs across pallets and i am working on the 180 unispin. i can also idle one footed a little. i am working on the kickup mount and getting it but i bet i can learn almost anything that isnt to hard.

Most skills are hard before you have learned them and easy once you have learned them, depending on how much time you have spent learning. I think one factor influencing the speed at which you learn new skills is practicing falling safely from them- e.g. wheel walking, gliding and coasting use different foot positions from riding and can be scary to learn since you are accustomed to stepping off from pedals. Stepping clear of the pedals from the frame until it becomes a reflex is useful in my opinion cos a hard fall can put you off learning for a while.

If you do fall off during a performance, don't let it phase you and just jump straight back on into whatever you were doing. Falling off on a hard trick can help to build up anticipation and suspense and let the audience know just how hard it is... hopefully you can get it on the third go if that is the case or you might end up giving that trick a miss.

[unicyclingisfun]

Originally Posted by BillyTheMountain

So what happened?!

it has not happened yet and i am not sure when it will but i want to be prepared for it.

[unicyclingisfun]

Its tommorow!! thanks for the tips!!