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Unispin (Shove-it) Tricks

Below are some basic instructions for learning how to do a 180 Unispin / shove-it / 180 flip. This is a wonderful, if rather painful trick to learn.

Learning this trick will likely mean bruising your feet, ankles and wacking your shins - ankle and shin guards are definitely recommended (see photo below). You may also want to consider protection for your EUC, as it will more than likely get scraped a few times during the learning process. 

***You should ensure that you already have really good EUC balance and control before attempting this type of trick.***

Essential to learning this trick is being able to balance (smoothly) (also known as "Idling") on the spot for a couple of seconds and also be able to ride the EUC the wrong way round (on a NB1 the wheel obviously handles very differently when ridden the wrong way around).

You should also be competent at "falling off" which is a skill in itself. A flat area of short grass is probably the most sensible place to learn the basics of this type of trick, followed by an area of smooth concrete.

There should be a gap between the side of the wheel and your inside legs when performing this trick - move your feet towards the outside of the foot plates. To make the flip, you need to do a "swipe" motion that

  1. moves your legs out of the way
  2. spins the wheel the required angle (180)
  3. allows you to remount the foot plates once the wheel has completed the desired rotation.

I started by working on getting the wheel to spin smoothly (making sure my lower legs were out of harms way) without making any attempt to land the trick. Once I had a smooth wheel spin I started to focus my efforts on landing the trick. This was a period of pain - ankle and shin guards are definitely recommended! You'll have to make small adjustments until you eventually land the trick a few times, and then keep practising. I'm not quite sure how the brain makes these adjustments, but it does. Use of video replay is very useful in the learning process as it will help you identify where you may be going wrong. 

If you are trying this type of trick on different surfaces, please note that the force and motion required to make the wheel spin may change. Tyre pressure will also have an effect.

Once you can do the trick stationary, keep practising until you get a reasonable amount of consistency. With these types of tricks repetition is definitely the mother of the skill. Once you have nailed the stationary version, you can then start on practising the trick when moving slowly. There is a definite "stop" in the trick when the motor changes direction. I like to practice unispins in pairs - the first one flips the wheel round the wrong way, the second flips the wheel the right way around again. Both require a slightly different movement, which you pick up as you practice. Once you have a consistency of greater than 80% you may want to try on slopes or over boxes. 

Potential (basic) variations of this trick would be:

  • Frontside 180 Unispin
  • Frontside 360 Unispin
  • Backside 180 Unispin

I did post a recent film in the video thread with lots of Unispins:

 

Other footage:

I thought I would just add a picture of one of my ankles from before I invested in ankle/shin guards - these are definitely recommended whilst learning this type of trick!

Unispin-Ankle.jpg

I hope others find this post useful.

 

 

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On 12/06/2016 at 6:49 AM, HunkaHunkaBurningLove said:

Ninebot / Segway corp needs to sign you up for a deal to do some product videos and touring to promote their products.  Any Nbot/Segy CEOs out there listening?  Send this guy a free S2 to make some videos for you, and he'll be like the next Tony Hawk of the EUC world!

Thanks for the kind words; I just enjoy trying new tricks and visiting different skate facilities. I absolutely love my E+ but I'm not too sure how good the S2 would be for doing tricks as it lacks the leg support covers which provide padding and something to grip against.

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16 minutes ago, Jonathan Tolhurst said:

Thanks for the kind words; I just enjoy trying new tricks and visiting different skate facilities. I absolutely love my E+ but I'm not too sure how good the S2 would be for doing tricks as it lacks the leg support covers which provide padding and something to grip against.

What do you think about the inmotion v5f+ when it comes to doing the tricks and stunts that you do?

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1 hour ago, JonTheMad said:

What do you think about the inmotion v5f+ when it comes to doing the tricks and stunts that you do?

Hi, I'm not really familiar with the inmotion v5f+ so couldn't really comment on that individual model. Are there any videos on YouTube of people doing tricks using the v5f+?

The characteristics I would look for when choosing an EUC for doing tricks would be:

  1. It needs to be tough
  2. The behaviour of the EUC needs to be predictable and dependable
  3. Replacement parts are readily available and not too expensive
  4. Replacements and repairs can be easily carried out
  5. There is padding for the lower legs which can also act as grip
  6. The pedals are not too big or too small
  7. There are no sharp edges
  8. The tyre valve is easy to access
  9. There is enough power to handle slopes & inclines
  10. The EUC can handle being ridden one footed without making rubbing noises.
  11. The EUC is not too heavy

 

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18 hours ago, Jonathan Tolhurst said:

Hi, I'm not really familiar with the inmotion v5f+ so couldn't really comment on that individual model. Are there any videos on YouTube of people doing tricks using the v5f+?

The characteristics I would look for when choosing an EUC for doing tricks would be:

  1. It needs to be tough
  2. The behaviour of the EUC needs to be predictable and dependable
  3. Replacement parts are readily available and not too expensive
  4. Replacements and repairs can be easily carried out
  5. There is padding for the lower legs which can also act as grip
  6. The pedals are not too big or too small
  7. There are no sharp edges
  8. The tyre valve is easy to access
  9. There is enough power to handle slopes & inclines
  10. The EUC can handle being ridden one footed without making rubbing noises.
  11. The EUC is not too heavy

 

Hmm i think this "Thai" review of the V5-model is the closest example of a guy doing tricks that even remotely resembles the stunts that you manage to pull off! I dont know if the model checks all your boxes but at least its quite light.

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The Sidestreet Pedal Slide or the "Hey Don't Do That To Your EU - Slide"

Warning you will damage the bottom of your pedals and possibly the bottom of the arm that holds your pedals to the wheel. You must have flat pedals such as the ones on a Ninebot One, IPS Zero, Inmotion V5 and the Freeman A4 as far as I know I am sure there are other brands that have flat pedals. It would help if the company also offers replacements. Find a ledge that is slippery enough that your pedals will slide, just take your wheels pedal and run it along the ledge. Wear shin guards at all times when attempting new tricks. Good luck!

  1. Decide if you are willing to take your wheel to the next plateau. Lol
  2. Learn to hop up a curb first (I believe there is a post for that on this forum)
  3. Find a ledge that is slippery enough that your pedals will slide, just take your wheels pedal and run it along the ledge.
  4. Learn to grip the wheel between your legs without loosing contact with your pedal (important)
  5. You need to choose which foot is your most comfortable, if you skateboard or surf then you already have a leading foot.
  6. Approach the ledge, curb or rail with a 15 degree angle in relation to the ledge give or take a degree or two
  7. Be with moderately bent legs and enough speed as though you were going to simply hop up a curb
  8. You must aim your EU at your "inside foot" The one closest to the ledge and the one that will make contact with the ledge
  9. As you make contact with your lead (inside) foot pedal, make sure you are leaning forward so you don't lose momentum
  10. Make contact with bent legs so as to absorb the impact and to be ready for dismount
  11. After you feel the speed and momentum slowing be sure you have time to hop off with enough speed to ride away
  12. You can either hop off with your wheel or slide off the end of the ledge...if ya went that far ;)
  13. As you dismount the ledge and make contact with the ground keep your center of gravity upright and slightly forward.
  14. Now that you have landed it now it is time to rise slowly as you ride away from the ledge keeping a good center of balance
  15. As the skaters at the park all tap their tails on the ground as a gesture of approval you smile inside and look forward to showing a friend.

Once you can do it.....do it over and over and over again until you get it down. Now the world of curbs, ledges and walls are all there for the taking. Enjoy and be safe...as possible. hehehe  

Here is a link to Vine video featuring this "Pedal Slide" as well as a video of other tricks to learn.

 

A Sidestreet Reny Creation | March 2016

 

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If anyone is interested, I  have uploaded some clips on to Vine of some of the EUC tricks that I have learnt. I have added a description RE: the trick and the context in the comment.

https://vine.co/u/1355628961270792192?mode=grid

Vine would appear to be quite good for demonstrating tricks as it allows for short clips to be uploaded which can then be looped.

In lieu of any local EUC riders with an interest in learning a few tricks, Vine could be an interesting way of participating in a game of "WHEEL" (which would be the EUC equivalent of a game of "SKATE") :)

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As stated in other posts you are absolutely terrific! I hope some year there is an Olympic event for EUC riders which I am certain you would enter . Would love to see video of your 'out takes' as your learned your skills. Then I would feel normal again?

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@Sidestreet Reny Awesome video and step by step instructions on how to perform the maneuvers. You and @Jonathan Tolhurst ( others welcome) should have a EUC 'run off' competition and let the EUC Forum members vote. Competition would feature a series of pre designated maneuvers possibly submitted by the members. Competition video footage would then be submitted to the forum for  members to vote on. Since EUC members are spread out across the globe this would be a great way of share your skills combined with EUC member involvement. I believe there would be a huge out pouring of support!  Could be the impetus to get the international news media involved and begin to take this sport seriously!

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On 6/17/2016 at 11:52 PM, Jonathan Tolhurst said:

If anyone is interested, I  have uploaded some clips on to Vine of some of the EUC tricks that I have learnt. I have added a description RE: the trick and the context in the comment.

https://vine.co/u/1355628961270792192?mode=grid

Vine would appear to be quite good for demonstrating tricks as it allows for short clips to be uploaded which can then be looped.

In lieu of any local EUC riders with an interest in learning a few tricks, Vine could be an interesting way of participating in a game of "WHEEL" (which would be the EUC equivalent of a game of "SKATE") :)

Word, I would love to! @Jonathan Tolhurst I actually asked you to talk tricks a while back. How do you think we should do it? Trick for trick via vines as they happen or just keep trading tricks and posting when we get a chance or daily without spelling it out. We usually have one try to make the trick as well in "skate"

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3 hours ago, Marvin Ong said:

@Jonathan Tolhurst How long did you practice for all those one foot spins? How long were you riding before you started working on them?

 

@Marvin Ong - I have been riding for 12 months in total and try to get a session in every day (UK weather and injury permitting). I started "spinning" after a few months of riding. I find spinning to be very addictive. 

@Sidestreet Reny - I think if we just post tricks on to vine as they happen - it's always awesome to see you & others making new tricks (as well as old tricks in a different context). If I'm honest, I'd probably end up cheating in an online game of traditional SKATE (I.e.try multiple times and select the best take) :) 

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14 hours ago, Marvin Ong said:

@Jonathan Tolhurst Did you ride anything before Euc?

Like @Sidestreet Reny I come from a skateboarding background. I spent my teenage years Ollieing over rails and picking myself up from the bottom of large sets of stairs :). I also did a bit of traditional unicycling. The other sports I still participate in are Paddleboarding (which kind of has a similar stance to electric unicycling) and sea kayaking.

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@Jonathan Tolhurst Perfect! Are you interested in signing up for the $1000 EUC Competition?

@Sidestreet Reny  @Jonathan TolhurstAre you interested in signing up for the competition? Believe we have nailed down some rules:

2-3 minute freestyle run recorded on video

Video would be unedited with a time stamp and date

Judging would be conducted by...still in the works...ideas...50% moderators and member?

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  • 3 weeks later...

Switch-Stance Trick

Below are some basic instructions for learning how to do the 180 Switch-Stance Trick. This is when you jump in to the air and turn your whole body 180 degrees before landing back down on the foot plates. There may be other more appropriate names for this trick - please feel free to correct me.

You may want to consider protection for your EUC, as it will more than likely get scraped a few times during the learning process. 

This trick will exhert quite a large force on your wheel via the foot pedals (especially if you are of adult weight)- you should regularly check your wheel for any damage or wear. You are also using quite a few muscle groups when making the jump so a warm up/stretch is definately reccommended. Doing this trick repeatedly is almost a workout.

***You should ensure that you already have really good EUC balance and control before attempting this type of trick.***

Essential to learning this trick is being able to balance (smoothly) (also known as "Idling") on the spot for a couple of seconds and also be able to ride the EUC the wrong way round (on a NB1 the wheel obviously handles very differently when ridden the wrong way around).

You should also be competent at "falling off" which is a skill in itself. A flat area of short grass is probably the most sensible place to learn the basics of this type of trick, followed by an area of smooth concrete. Use of video replay is very useful in the learning process as it will help you identify where you may be going wrong. 

To make this trick you need to be able to jump up off the foot pedals without altering the orientation of the wheel, or causing the wheel to lose balance. This takes practice and requires there to be a small gap between the wheel and the inner edge of each of your shoes. It might be useful to master the basic step-off step-on trick before learning this trick. To learn to jump off and rotate the body 180 degrees I started off by chalking out two "foot plates" on the ground and practiced doing the jump without the wheel. You need to jump high enough to get your feet legs out of the way of the wheel. I got some odd looks when doing this.

To practice with the wheel, you need to idle on the wheel and just before you are commpletely (momentarily) stationary attempt the jump - there is a balance "sweet spot" just around the momentary stationary point. You want to make sure that you make the jump smoothly and remount the pedals flat. If you have inadvertently rotated the wheel or are not going to land back on the pedals properly then it's best not to try to land. You'll have to make small adjustments until you eventually land the trick a few times, and then keep practising.

Once you can do the trick stationary, keep practising until you get a reasonable amount of consistency. With these types of tricks repetition is definitely the mother of the skill. Once you have nailed the stationary version, you can then start on practising the trick when moving slowly. Once you have a consistency of greater than 80% you may want to try at the top of slopes or after jumping up on to boxes. 

Potential (basic) variations of this trick would be:

  • Frontside 180 Switch Stance
  • Frontside 360 Switch Stance
  • Backside 180 Switch Stance
  • Backside 360 Switch Stance

The trick can be landed to forward or fakie or chained with other tricks. It's a great trick to do at the top of slopes to change direction.

I did post a recent film in the video thread with lots of Switch Stance:

Other footage:

Switch Stance on top of an incline: 

Chaining with Unispins:

 

 

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Many thanks! You explained practicing the technique perfectly, 

I know you probably hate watching 'out take' videos taken during your practice sessions but it would help us immensely to better understand the mechanics behind the trick.

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@Rehab1 after JT's video there are a bunch of related videos that displays.  One of them is Sidestreet Reny at Portland SE skatepark doing tricks, with several falls in it where he had the wheel shoot out in front or overleaned forward and the wheel cuts out.  You can see the wheel is underpowered for him.  It looks there is a lot of softness in the pedals, they don't stay flat coming off of jumps.  @Sidestreet Reny I hope your new wheel has more power but is still light.  Great video!  @Jonathan Tolhurst great skills!

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7 hours ago, steve454 said:

@Rehab1 after JT's video there are a bunch of related videos that displays.  One of them is Sidestreet Reny at Portland SE skatepark doing tricks, with several falls in it where he had the wheel shoot out in front or overleaned forward and the wheel cuts out.  You can see the wheel is underpowered for him.  It looks there is a lot of softness in the pedals, they don't stay flat coming off of jumps.  @Sidestreet Reny I hope your new wheel has more power but is still light.  Great video!  @Jonathan Tolhurst great skills!

I have no EU...so I got no tricks or videos! :( 

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  • 3 weeks later...

Drop Foot 360 Into Shove-it 180

Ride slow towards a reasonably slick place drop your foot, push off while staying very low, spin then do a shove it land and ride away...duh! :)

Ok just kidding. If anyone really wants to learn this trick ya gotta learn how to do a regular shove-it...well and consistently. You can refer to Jonathan's post above. Once you got that down you need to learn how to do the Drop Foot 360...well and consistently! In any order you want. Now...

Drop Foot 360

  1. Find a smooth place to spin on, marble, a painted arrow in a parking lot or a manhole cover as long as it is smooth.
  2. Ride towards the spot you have picked out to do the trick on at medium speed with bent knees
  3. Take one foot off the pedal and push in the opposite direction as you begin your rotation
  4. Stay as centered as you spin
  5. Ride away happy as hell!

 Drop Foot 360 Into Shove-it 180

  1. As you reach the end of your rotation, stay low and ready to Shove-it.
  2. You need to stay ready because when done correctly your Shove-it will spin faster than normal
  3. Do you Shove-it land and stand up straight again
  4. Ride away like a boss!

 

Or do it on a Ninebot One if ya got one too! It just happens in slow motion.

A Sidestreet Reny Creation | August 2016

 

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Fakie Shove-it (Backwards Shove-it)

Instructions on this one are the same as the basic shove-it but in reverse (see shove-it instructions above). The big difference is that the EU wants to tip as it spins so you need to adjust the push accordingly. Just feel it out. It's hard to do too fast that's for sure so start slow.

 

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Drop Foot 540 into Shove-it 180

It's just another variation on my 360 version. ;) I added an extra half turn before the shove-it. Refer to the above post regarding the Drop Foot 360 Into Shove-it for reference for instructions.

 

A Sidestreet Reny Creation 2016

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