How to fall off a Coker

Hi all,

I'm about to go from 150mm cranks to 125mm on my Coker in hopes of
getting some more speed out of it. This will officially put me at a
speed of just-faster-than-I-can-run, so I want to practice rolling out
of a fall. I've never practiced falling, though, and I have no idea
what would be a good way to roll, or what would be a good way to
practice it. Any suggestions?

Thanks!

Andy


--
quark soup - Frood who knows where his towel is.

quark soup

"OK, so ten out of ten for style, but minus several million for good
thinking, yeah? " - Douglas Adams
------------------------------------------------------------------------
quark soup's Profile: http://www.unicyclist.com/profile/5417
View this thread: http://www.unicyclist.com/thread/31604

try to get your legs into running motion mid air, even though you will
be going fast when you leave unexpectedly, your legs will be spinning in
a walking fashion.

You can run out of a suprisingly fast UPD though, but if you need to
roll, just try to roll forward into a sommersault, perhaps trying to get
some diagonal movement in, as you will most likely not be flying of the
Coker straight on.

Try aiming towards the softest place!

Wear armour.

Ride in control...you will soon be able to ride in control at very quick
speeds.

The best way out of a crash is to remain vigilant, always scanning for
an out. Keeping an eye on things further ahead than on a MUni, for
example, is a very good practice. It's nice to know where you are going
to be able to turn into, if a car backs out in front of you, or
something like that.

Practice? How about just riding progressively faster in a grassy feild
and just jumping off, and see what happens.


--
Sofa - You Tu Tu Tuni?

"Heavy water is D2O rather than H2O. D, deuterium, is an isotope of
hydrogen, H, that behaves chemically the same but has twice the atomic
mass. This is because it has a neutron and a proton in its nucleus
rather than just a proton. Oxygen, common to both D2O and H2O molecules,
has an atomic mass of 16. The total atomic mass within a D2O molecule is
20 and within an H2O molecule is 18. Heavy water is 20/18, 10/9, or 1.11
times as heavy as water." - Harper's response to 'Hi Greg, how are
ya?'

'Unicycle Product Reviews' (http://tinyurl.com/368h6) *107* reviews on
*72* products

'London Unicycling Club Website ' (http://www.brianmackenzie.com/LUC/)
version 3.02


------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sofa's Profile: http://www.unicyclist.com/profile/706
View this thread: http://www.unicyclist.com/thread/31604

I've never fallen off of a Coker, but I have something that should
help:

At a track meet last year, someone was doing the hurdles and his foot
got caught on one. He fell face first into the ground, but he's also a
gymnast so he tucked his head down and did what's called a shoulder
roll. It's basically a somersault, on one shoulder, without using your
hands. Then he instantly came out of it and kept running at full speed,
and got second place.
It's really easy to do spur of the moment, and it helps absorb impact a
lot.


--
James_Potter - ***** ***** *****

-When life gives you lemons, make grape juice. Then sit back and watch
the world try to figure out how you did it.-
------------------------------------------------------------------------
James_Potter's Profile: http://www.unicyclist.com/profile/3807
View this thread: http://www.unicyclist.com/thread/31604

James_Potter wrote:
*so he tucked his head down and did what's called a shoulder roll.
It's basically a somersault, on one shoulder, without using your
hands. *

From my experience, I'd endorse this method versus the flying forward
sommersault. Less risk to head and neck, easier on the back, and if
you're really flying, easier to transition to multiple rolls to absorb
your speed. A front 'sault at high speed will tend to lead to a "back
slide" which could hurt more on pavement.

$.02, TB


--
tomblackwood - Registered Nurtz

Tailgate at your own risk.....

------------------------------------------------------------------------
tomblackwood's Profile: http://www.unicyclist.com/profile/3762
View this thread: http://www.unicyclist.com/thread/31604

How to fall hard to explain in writing. If you know anyone who are into
martial arts you could ask them to demonstrate.

I do have a few tips though:

Practice at low speeds rolling over either shoulder.
If you can't roll out of a fall (e.g. if your clothes something gets
caught on your uni) you have to slide out. When you do that take
advantage of the protective gear. The Idea is that you land on your
feet, then wristguards, then elbow- and knee pads and then slide.
Don't keep your arms streight when you land or you'll break something.
Aim your hands in such a way that if your head hits the ground it will
land on top of your hands.

Rolling is much better. You are less dependent on the pads staying in
place and with practice you can simply ride, run, roll, get up and wave
at the spectators in one fluid movement.


--
Borges

"However, I confess that the ultimate wheel lacks the day to day
practicality of the conventional unicycle" -Mikefule
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Borges's Profile: http://www.unicyclist.com/profile/925
View this thread: http://www.unicyclist.com/thread/31604

tomblackwood wrote:
*
From my experience, I'd endorse this method versus the flying forward
sommersault.

*


Oops, this front rolling method was what I was picturing when I called
it a sommersault, sorry.


'Hey Sofa! I tried you sommersault technique......'


--
Sofa - You Tu Tu Tuni?

"Heavy water is D2O rather than H2O. D, deuterium, is an isotope of
hydrogen, H, that behaves chemically the same but has twice the atomic
mass. This is because it has a neutron and a proton in its nucleus
rather than just a proton. Oxygen, common to both D2O and H2O molecules,
has an atomic mass of 16. The total atomic mass within a D2O molecule is
20 and within an H2O molecule is 18. Heavy water is 20/18, 10/9, or 1.11
times as heavy as water." - Harper's response to 'Hi Greg, how are
ya?'

'Unicycle Product Reviews' (http://tinyurl.com/368h6) *107* reviews on
*72* products

'London Unicycling Club Website ' (http://www.brianmackenzie.com/LUC/)
version 3.02


------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sofa's Profile: http://www.unicyclist.com/profile/706
View this thread: http://www.unicyclist.com/thread/31604

I tuck my shoulder and roll onto my back. If you have a camelbak or a
rucksack on, you can roll into that and on top of it, which is good for
cushioning you.

Joe


--
joemarshall - dumb blonde
------------------------------------------------------------------------
joemarshall's Profile: http://www.unicyclist.com/profile/1545
View this thread: http://www.unicyclist.com/thread/31604

Sofa wrote:
*Try aiming towards the softest place!*




--
Memphis Mud - Student of GrandMaster 2T

Mantra: Avoid Hitting Tailbone...Avoid Hitting Tailbone...

"do not think, just ride"...muniracer
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Memphis Mud's Profile: http://www.unicyclist.com/profile/1987
View this thread: http://www.unicyclist.com/thread/31604

Ok so heres the sernerio......

Your riding along, going progressivly faster on your Coker. You've
practiced in grassy feilds for weeks perfecting your rolling technique
and feel your ready for anything..... your moms really mad cause of all
the grass stains in your clothes, oops. Suddenly out of nowhere you feel
a upd coming on, you can't stop it. Looking for the softest landing your
options are......

A. Asphalt
B. a Brier patch
C. an old matress that someones throwing out

What do you aim for?





















































































Did I mention the matress is sitting over a 20 foot deep hole in the
ground??


--
KJ-52 - unicycler

Originally posted by Logan_A.
Note this e-mail is baKsed oJn -a sto5ry a2nd mIay bSe fictKional oEr
conWtain fictiLonal elements. This should also not have been read by any
younger riders.

Can you find the hidden message?

------------------------------------------------------------------------
KJ-52's Profile: http://www.unicyclist.com/profile/5614
View this thread: http://www.unicyclist.com/thread/31604

quark soup wrote:
Hi all,

I'm about to go from 150mm cranks to 125mm on my Coker in hopes of
getting some more speed out of it. This will officially put me at a
speed of just-faster-than-I-can-run, so I want to practice rolling out
of a fall. I've never practiced falling, though, and I have no idea
what would be a good way to roll, or what would be a good way to
practice it. Any suggestions?


Ooh, I know this one:

Aikido ukemi. Extend an arm, roll like an egg along the ulna, then upper arm,
then shoulder (ducking), then along the back to the opposite hip. Post your
same-side shin and roll smoothly to your feet.

Practice on a grassy field, a hundred reps a day for a while, until it's
automatic. Both sides, please.