Re: Learning to idle; The importance of learning ambidextrously

unifoss@CERF.NET
Sun, 9 Oct 94 23:20:14 PDT

>Unicycling may not be the obviously ambidextrous sport, that juggling
>is, but there are great rewards for the unicyclist who pursues all
>skills ambidextrously. If one side of your body is dominant, then
>increase practice time (even double it) and your weaker side will
>eventually catch up to your dominant side.

>Send your email "Pie in my Face" to: {Ken Fuchs}
>
>From my experience working with the National Circus Project, and with
hundreds of physical education teachers in hundreds of schools,
ambidextrousity is more of a disorder than a desirable characteristic. It is
normal for a person to have a dominant side, and a non-dominant side. A
truly ambidextrous person, as I understand it, lacks that dominance.

This is not to suggest that skills shouldn't be learned with the opposite
foot (or hand)! Especially the basic unicycling skills, such as idling,
mounting, and perhaps riding one foot, should be learned with both feet. I
don't know if any amount of practice can make the non-dominant side as
skilled as the dominant side, but it's easier than you think to train it.
The non-dominant side will learn most skills more quickly than the dominant
side, as long as the dominant side already knows how to do it.

When you can do the basic skills with both feet, you will be a stronger, more
stable rider, and better able to recoup your balance in all situations.

The preceeding message was cherry flavored.

John Foss, President
International Unicycling Federation
unifoss@cerfnet.com
voice: (516)731-7613