Unicycle Tutorial

Most people seem to think riding a unicycle is all about balance. Well I have no balance (well didn't have.) I have one hip higher than the other and a twisted bone in one leg also. this caused me to go to one side when I walked. I thought riding a unicycle would be impossible. But because I was determined and tried my hardest I proved myself wrong. That's what you need to do: bet yourself wrong.

First things first, you need a unicycle. If you haven't got one already, I recommend a 20" tyre which is thick (BMX tyre.) And remember always wear elbow and knee pads.

Once you have your unicycle, it is important to get as much adrenalin as possible and get ready to fall off a lot. Don't think you can get just on and ride it, because you wont be even able to sit on it right. There is a back and a front on a unicycle; the pedals are usually labelled L and R.

Ok which foot do you kick with? I use my right foot, so when I get onto the unicycle I would put my left foot on the pedal first, and point the left pedal to the ground. This means my right foot is in the air on the other pedal.

I find a fence the best way to learn; find a fence before you even try to get onto the unicycle. Tennis court fences and fences around schools are ideal, as they usually have larger openings than a standard garden fence; perfect for grabbing hold of when you are about to fall. Also, the best type of ground to look for is Astroturf or solid flat pavement with no cracks in it. Grass can be hard to learn on.

Now that you've found your fence, you will now need to get close to the fence and get onto the unicycle. You should start out feeling a bit wobbly but quickly gain confidence, and you will just want to go and be able to ride at about this point. My advise is DON'T just keep thinking you can do this though (it's going to help).

Ok this is how you actually start to move on a unicycle.

Hold onto the fence with your dear life, because this is going to hurt. Sit on the unicycle as I said above, but make sure there you put as little weight as possible on the pedals of the unicycle. Most of your weight should be on the seat. You have a choice now to over arch forwards or stay as straight as you like. Chose whichever feels more comfortable.

Don't hold onto the seat! It does work, but it will put you off balance and make it harder to learn.

Now, start to rock backwards and forwards on the unicycle. Remember to put most of your weight on the seat and as little as possible on the pedals. Keep doing this till you feel comfortable with it. Do not try ride off yet; trust me, you will fall.

Once you can roll back and forward on the spot, then you can begin moving. This is tricky! As soon as the pedal goes forwards, you are going to feel like the unicycle is about to pull away. Ignore this; if you fall, you fall.

While still holding onto the fence with one hand, try to pedal forwards. If you feel you are falling to the left, lean into it and then lean right quick. This should make the balance even out. Same with if you're falling right; learn to lean right, then left quick. Backwards and forwards are a little different; you will need a friend to watch the main bar on the unicycle to see if it's straight, because more often than not it will be but won't feel like it is.

When you feel that you're going to fall, more often than not you will fall forwards. Just do a little jump; this way you hand on both feet with no harm done. I grab the unicycle from under my legs as well; this stops the unicycle from falling to the groud. Look forward at something; just focus and try blank your mind of any sense of balance you need and just relax. Remember, all weight on the seat and little on the pedals. Now push forward, still holding onto fence, and try work your way down the fence bit by bit. Each time try putting less and less pressure on the fence with your hand. Eventually after a few days or weeks, when you're feeling comfortable with the one hand lightly on fence, try to let go and go by yourself on the unicycle. At times it will feel like you are falling, but just do what I said above about the leaning and try to ignore this. You need to learn to right yourself when you lose control, and once you learn this you can go for miles. Eventually you should be able to just get onto the unicycle while holding on the fence and just peddling off. Trust me, this is an amazing feeling!

Soon you'll want to learn to get onto the unicycle without a fence; this is called a mount. To do this you will need to put the pedals central so both feet are level. You push back on the pedals then forward really fast, then try to ride off. This can take weeks to learn, but this is really the last thing you need to know.

Now that you can ride the unicycle, practice every day and your balance should get better and better. Eventually when its good enough you can try different riding methods, such as crouched down and droopy looking. (Great if you are dressed as a clumsy clown; it really adds to the character.) Why not learn to juggle on a unicycle? There is no end to the things you can now do. practise practise practise that's all you now need.

By the way during learning you will inevitably feel you are rubbish and cannot ride the unicycle, but never think to yourself that it's impossible. I did it and managed it right? If I can, you can. Anyone can learn; I've even seen 4 year olds riding a unicycle. Just enjoy getting on it and trying; a basic principle of unicycling is it will take you just over 2x as long as it took you to ride a bike. I practised on mine for 5 hours a day for 4 weeks and learnt almost fully.

I hope this helps you any more info or tips needed, just give me a buzz. Enjoy riding your unicycle and your new skills! Unicycling can really add you your character and open a whole new range of tricks.