Idling on an Unicycle

Video Transcript

"So in this segment I'm going to go over idling with you guys. Now idling basically means to keep in one place. We learn how to idle because if you don't have enough stage space we can really make a more intimate connection with the audience, we can stay in one place, we can juggle, we can do whatever we want. It's more of an advanced trick. With idling comes balance. It's very important to keep in mind it's an advanced trick and it's all about balance. So, it's important to keep your back straight. And keep your upper body as still as possible as your lower body goes back and forth. I'll demonstrate it. If I'm not on it, it goes like this and like this. I keep that one pedal parallel to the ground, come this way, and do it parallel to the ground. And I feel that with idling it really helps out with balancing. It's probably the most balanced trick you could do with a unicycle. It's important to keep your back straight, your head about looking six feet in front of you. I'll go ahead and demonstrate that for you now. I'm right handed. I prefer to use my right leg when I'm idling. You could use it with both legs though--you could be ambidextrous and I feel that helps out a lot as well because if you fall off balance with one leg, you can go to the other leg. I'm going to show you right now with my right leg. I'll come forward, to the side a little bit for you, and I go back and forth. Try to keep it as even on a kilter as possible. Back and forth. If you have to move your arms a little bit to keep yourself adjusted, than that's cool. If you want to practice with your arms in here like this, then you'll eventually go about being able to juggle or whatever you would like with your hands. If you want to idle with your other leg, that one's going to be your power leg. So right now my right leg is my power leg. I'm going to show you how my left leg is the power leg. Come forward, come with my left leg, back and forth, using my left leg as my power leg. And that was idling with my left leg. Some people are stronger than others--I'm a little bit strong with my right leg. And like I was saying, idling is very important to balance; it's one of the key exercises to balancing on a unicycle. I would learn how to do it both ways, be ambidextrous with it, and that, my friends, is how you idle."