Difficulty: Easy

Safety Warning: Rolla Bolla can be tricky skill to master and falls are not uncommon. Please make sure you have a spotter when working on your equipment. Work in a space with plenty of room and remove anything breakable. If you have any soft matting or foam jigsaw mats you can use them for added safety against falls. Make sure you warm up first to prevent injury.

In Rolla Bolla basics Jono teaches you a few fundamentals needed to start learning this wobbly hobby.

First Jono will show you the correct way to mount a rolla bolla. Always put your foot on the bottom of the board first so that it doesn’t flick up when putting your weight on the top of the board.

Next you can see a few tips for keeping your balance. Keep your body centred over the rolla bolla and use your knees to push your weight in the direction needed to counter balance yourself. This will help you maintain control and allow you to start learning tricks.

Now that you’ve got the basics down you can try some tricks. Jono has a few examples for you. First up you can practice doing a small jump. Focus on pushing through both feet evenly so you don’t tip the board.

Or you can try crouching down on the board while balancing. Squat down while keeping your chest up so you don’t tip your weight forward. This will now mean you can control your balance like when you were standing.

SPOTTING ROLLA BOLLA

Jono gives a few tips for any spotters.

• Spot the hips – not the hands. This will give you better control of their weight, but also allow them the freedom to move.
• Spot from behind. If you spot in front of the person they will try to lean forward to reach for you. Staying behind them means they are more likely to stand up straight.
• Watch the board. The board can twist around a lot. Make sure it is staying in place otherwise it may suddenly fall off the rolla and you and the performer could be hurt.
• Agree a dismount side. The last thing you want is to be clipped by the board as your performer jumps off. Make sure you both know which side the performer is coming down on.

Once you have gotten these rolla bolla basics down you can start adding in other props. Why not watch some of our other tutorials so you can try juggling balls, poi, or even hula hoops.

You can watch all our tutorial videos here

Difficulty: Easy

Safety Warning: Be very careful when balancing on things outside as you won’t have crash mats and the ground can be hard. Make sure you aren’t choosing something too high, and always ask an adult to spot you if needed.

Rachel B shows you how to push your tightwire skills – without a tightwire – using outdoor balancing objects!

In Tightwire 1, Rachel B showed you how to use household objects to practice your balancing in the home. In Tightwire 2, Rachel challenges you to find some safe outdoor objects to practice with.

A kerbstone is a safe and effective tightwire substitute. When you get confident, you could also use a low bench, a low wall, or even – as Tom shows – something to balance on without walking, like some logs.

Rachel shows you how to practice your tightwire moves on a kerbstone. Try your half turn, your dip step, and your sit down stand up moves.

You can also try cartwheels, but remember that this is very tricky – Rachel recommends practicing on a painted line on the floor first.

Can you do all of the tricks shown in Tightwire 2?

You can see all our videos and activities here.

Difficulty: Medium

Safety Warning: Make sure you can mount the unicycle safely before you try this – you don’t need to be able to ride it yet. Use a wall, or kind tall person, for balance and try to come off forward if you lose your balance.

In Unicycle 2, Els shows you how to do bunny hops! You don’t need to be able to ride a unicycle properly for this one, but you do need to be able to mount it. If you want to go back to the basics, watch Tom’s beginners’ unicycle video first.

Els shows you how to hop on the spot on your unicycle, holding onto the seat and pulling upwards as you hop on the spot. Once you get really good, you can even move with your hops!

This is a great trick that’s not too hard and looks really cool.

You can see all our videos and activities here.

Difficulty: Easy

Safety Warning: Always ask before repurposing a household object for your circus activities. Luckily, as you’ll be on the floor, you shouldn’t hurt yourself if you fall off, but be careful when balancing on objects that may roll.

Don’t have a tightwire at home? Don’t worry! In Tightwire 1, Rae shows you how to use things from around the home to practise your balance.

Practising your footwork on a flat line is a great way to improve your balance. Rae shows you how to step on to the ‘tightwire’ and move along it slowly, using your upper arms only to balance.

Once you’ve got the hang of your flat objects, try using a slightly thicker round object. This will wobble a little, making balancing harder – just like a real tightwire!

Rae suggests objects like a walking stick, tent pole or hula hoop for Tightwire 1. Can you come up with any more?

You can see all our videos and activities here.

Difficulty: Easy

Safety Warning: Adults, it’s advisable to spot your child as they find their balance. Always use a firm wall to lean on at first, and don’t try it without the wall until you are ready! Wear kneepads, elbow pads and a helmet to avoid injury if you do fall off.

In Beginners’ Unicycle, Tom shows you how to mount and ride your unicycle!

Tom demonstrates how to mount your unicycle using a wall for balance, and how to use the wall to learn how to balance on your unicycle. You’ll need to use the wall for a little while as you find your feet – a bit like using stabilisers on a bike. You can then try coming away from the wall, perhaps using a parent’s hand to help you.

Don’t worry if it takes a while! Take your time finding your balance, and eventually you’ll find it as easy as riding a bicycle.

If you don’t have your own unicycle, you can buy a decent one online for home delivery – if you want any advice on where to purchase one from, drop us an email.

Beginners’ Unicycle is our first unicycle video – keep an eye out for more advanced tricks coming soon!

You can see all our videos and activities here.