The next exercise will be to free-mount.
Your preferred legs pedal should be
in a 7 o’clock position. Try to do
this in a place that prevents
the wheel from rolling
forward, such as against a
kerb. Press on the 7 o’clock
position pedal, and the unicycle will roll
back and underneath you, lifting you up.
Try to remain in an upright position.
It is very unlikely that you will do this
successfully for quite a long time! You
will need to make hundreds of att-
empts - but when it clicks, you genuinely
will feel like you can fly!
Turning without handlebar?
Changing direction at will involves a similar technique to
snowboarding or skiing. Your hips initiate the move-
ment and your upper body indicates the direction. Point
your upper body in the direction you want to go and
the unicycle will follow. It is vital that you look firmly in
the direction you want to go. Initially, you will describe
a broad circle, but eventually you will be able to turn
more and more tightly. Now you have learned the most
crucial elements of unicycling. As always; the most
important of these is still the ability to keep cool!
The best way to develop your skills is to join a unicycling
club (of course, you can always establish a new club of
your own!) In addition, you can find out more about the
world of unicycling using the internet links are provided
in the appendix.
By the way - in Japan, unicycling is taught in school
sports lessons, as a matter of course! Personally, I only
scored an “E” in Maths but I merited an “A” in sports! I
learned unicycling at the age of 35, but it is quite
normal for younger people to learn unicycling much
faster.
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