Balance Boards

pkh · Since 27 Feb 2005 6548 Posts Couve / Hood Site Lackey

Seems like they'd be better than my normal balancing of my ass on the couch....

Indo Board
http://www.indoboard.com/

Wobble Board
http://www.power-systems.com/Nav/CloseUp.aspx?sc=31&c=3&g=883&Src=Froogle

360 Balance Board (looks almost too hard)
http://www.balance360.com/site/home.html

Any advice on these?

gabe · Since 16 May 2005 475 Posts Obsessed

you don't want to get a basic indo board or make the comparable. what you want is a board with 2 degrees of motion. i don't know how many companies make them--but i have one called vew do. basically you have the standard left foot--right foot weighting, but you also have rocker for heel-toe movement which is the relevant motion for snowboarding, surfing, etc, and kiteboard carving.

this kind of board is way better. you can do things like a toeside carve while moving weight from front to back etc. this will take longer to master. basically all these boards seem hard at first, but very easy after 2 weeks. then what? this board gives you more to learn.

still expensive, but much more worth it for this. it would be hard to make yourself. i do agree that kiteboarding doesn't rely on this as much as snowboarding, surfing, etc. but still good skills to have. i got seriously into this when i started snowboarding and it absolutely catapulted my ability. and i have then been able to use the skills for every other related sport.

just looked at t he vew doo site. the board i got a couple years ago was the indy. t his seems like the best one b/c it's the hardest (heel/toe edging is most sensitive).

to make it easier do it on carpet. more challenging on a hard floor.

note that the pivot board has a large range of motion, but i believe they are static. this board moves from end to end, so it is much more interesting. the 360 seems like a similar concept. maybe it is smoother in some dimensions. get the hardest one possible.

http://www.vewdo.com/cart/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=2&zenid=1bd3baf3a298eab59455e3a816944160

cheaper, maybe the same idea as vew do: http://allwake.skilimited.com/cgi-bin/allwake.com/detail/pdetail2.cgi?request=detail_view&item_num=1003633

Sasquatch · Since 09 Mar 2005 2062 Posts PNW Bigfoot

Whatever you end up getting, I think they are great. I use the origianl bongo board. Yeah, its 45 years old and was/is a toy for my siblings and myself.

Cement and hard floors really don't feel good when one falls, so I ride mine on top of 1/2'' plywood sheet that is 2.5' x 2.5' and place the plywood on my lawn outside. I also make sure to give myself ample room to fall ie plenty of distance from hard objects etc. . .

I can invision someone riding one inside while watch tv and falling on top of a glass coffee table or something.

Great idea while watch tv.

pkh · Since 27 Feb 2005 6548 Posts Couve / Hood Site Lackey

Mark · Thu Nov 03, 05 1:57 pm

Ha I use to have a "bongo" board when I was a kid. I am convinced it helped me have good balance. I use to ride it while watching tv. I recently purchased a board from Gorge Performance. Looks like a Bongo but alittle smaller. Almost a skateboard on a round "log". I have my kids using it. Very fun to watch how hard it is for them in the beginning then watch the rapid increase in their riding abiltiy.
My son was very excited to have the record of 3:32sec. Until the old man schooled him and put down 17:93 sec!!

So in short I recommend them!

pjc · Since 06 Mar 2005 649 Posts Addicted

Myself and my officemates have had much fun on the Indo board. Some of the moves can get pretty challenging. I.e. once you get the basic side to side down, you've got to start walking up and down the board, or riding one knee down and then getting back up again.

But after a while it does sort of plateau, unless you're willing to risk major trauma by jumping/doing ollies etc. Still, well worth the $90.

We have to warn new employees to be carefull at first. It's probably a liability concern but the inmates run the asylum at my office.

I'll have to check that vew board out. Thanks for the tip!

Slipin Lizard · Since 23 Sep 2005 88 Posts Hood River, Oregon

I read this post/thread awhile back, held off responding but couldn't resist getting my 2 cents worth. Just a comment about the View board versus the Indo. The Indo boards seem like "novice" boards because they are quite simple. However, you can get the same heel/toe pressure workout by first working the board so that sideways, its about half on/half off the roller. From there, apply heel or toe pressure (depending on which way you're facing) until you are actually tilting both the board and the roller, bringing the roller up on its edge. This is pretty tricky, and will work you quad and calf muscles like crazy, but then that's the point. The View board has a built in slope on the outer edge of its roller, which will actually make it a lot easier, if that's what you're after.
You can do a lot of strength training with the Indo Board that is actually very challenging, but because its not "built in" like the View board, its just not as obvious. You could probably do all the same stuff with a large section of PVC pipe and a piece of cabinet plywood.
Balance boards are great for winter workouts, but like the other guy was saying, be careful starting out. Deep pile carpet will slow down the action until you get used to it, then you can try on smoother, harder surfaces.

pkh · Since 27 Feb 2005 6548 Posts Couve / Hood Site Lackey

Got my vew-do sk8 board today. Pretty fun, and hard! Even on thick carpet, the board had me sweating after only 10 minutes.

The vew-do system doesn't work exactly as I would have expected, the groove in the "rock" (wood log) is deep enough that the rail in the center of the board doesn't balance on it at all. Thus the board doesn't rock on that axis as much as you'd think. It does have a bit of movement on that axis, but I am not sure it makes the board more difficult than an Indo. In fact I think it might even be a bit easier than the Indo board as you can use the groove to balance on. Could be wrong though, it's been awhile since I tried the Indo.

One thing is certain: My balance really needs a lot of work! Can't wait to see what this can do for my boarding skills once I get it dialed.

Very Happy

gabe · Since 16 May 2005 475 Posts Obsessed

told you to get the indy. it has more curve in the rocker, so much more sensitive heel/toe. you can get the board over 50 degrees tilt.

and for nose/tail riding, the indo boards often have small stoppers that you can fly off of at speed. vew doo lets you go really fast to one side--stop instantly and then balance on the extreme. to do this you need your feet up on edges--upturns. that is one thing to work on. then the heel toe, then the combination of heel/toe and nose/tail. 45 degree toeside carve as weight goes from front to back, then heel and slide the other way. balance on forward extreme, at 50 degrees toe. not easy on hardwood floor.

website has all the ollie tricks, but seem impossible to me.

pkh · Since 27 Feb 2005 6548 Posts Couve / Hood Site Lackey

Interesting, I didn't know that the different boards rode any differently, the Sk8 was on sale so that's what I went for. Very Happy

Don't get me wrong, I am having a blast on it. This morning I woke up and my legs were all stiff and tired, pretty amazing that just trying to hold your balance can be such a work out. Especially when you try to do a squat on the board, legs start trembling about half way down.

Maybe once I get good enough I'll order an Indy and the Sk8 will go in the break room at work.

Thanks for the help gabe Thumb's Up

gabe · Since 16 May 2005 475 Posts Obsessed

i think you can just buy the different rocker also for cheap.

pkh · Since 27 Feb 2005 6548 Posts Couve / Hood Site Lackey

wow, after just a couple days on the balance board and a few tweaks to my snowboarding stance, I really progressed today... My balance is so much better, as a result I don't "fight" the board and my feet within my boots, so my feet and legs feel so much better after each run. Not to mention I am going a lot faster with a lot more confidence than just a week ago.

Pretty sweet day on the mountain, tons of sun and no wind. Lameo cell phone pic below, but you get the idea. Tomorrow I'll be back on the water. Thumb's Up

colby · Since 23 Apr 2005 613 Posts Celebrity Photographer

I'm heading up to Hood tmrw to give snowboarding a try and am intrigued by your progress on the balance board...let me know how it helps your kiting if you get out tmrw.

pkh · Since 27 Feb 2005 6548 Posts Couve / Hood Site Lackey

Nate came over last night and showed me how its done!

NateDogg · Sat Dec 03, 05 9:50 pm **Natedoggs got balance!**

I'm just glad i didn't eat shit an put that board through a window...or worse yet, eat shit and drop my beer. Good times though... Very Happy