My New Unicycle

It may seem an unusual purchase, but one BASI trainer said to me recently that several national ski teams are using them for training. They are good for balance, core strength and to an extent leg strength as well. I went for one with a big tyre as it looked better suited to riding outdoors on bumpy roads and hills. I have since been told that a small tyre would have been easier to learn on. Oh well, this one will be faster when I eventually get the hang of it. It is definitely harder than it looks, but I have managed to go the length of the corridor in the appartment building without having to touch the wall. A corridor is the perfect place to practise, as to begin with you can use both walls for support. Later, a touch on the wall can avert a fall, allowing a bit more milage.

Interestingly a lot of the common faults are the same as those in skiing - looking down instead of ahead being the main one. It also helps to keep the weight forward, like when learning to ski. Keeping the upper body strong is important, again, just like skiing. With all this in common, one might suppose a good skier would know all the right things to do - unfortunately this does not seem to make it any easier to do them...