Balance Board Training - Part 2

A few months ago I did a post on using a homemade balance board to fiddle around with rail tricks or just master the finer points of balance.  With any homemade creation, and especially with training exercises, a visual demonstration is always much more valuable.

Braving the 110ºF heat, I managed to get a couple of minutes of footage showing both my homemade balance board setup and how I use it to practice tricks.  It isn't pretty, but training and learning new things rarely is:

So you can see what I mean when I said to try jumping right into tricks.  I also tried a variety of tricks, including 50-50s, boardslides, 270s, switch-ups, nollie on, and a few switch tricks.  My biggest focus with each one is keeping the board nice and flat.  Especially with boardslides, spins and switch-ups, I pay special attention to where I turn my head, and how I manipulate my arms, hips, and shoulders.

You can also see my homemade setup. The deck I have is old, beat up, and practically snapped; if you have friends that skate, or especially if you skate yourself, chances are you have one of these lying around.  The tube is just a 4' long, 4" diameter black PVC pipe I bought at Home Depot--I don't recall there being a choice, but make sure you buy thick so it doesn't buckle when you jump on it.

As mentioned in the first post, balancing these tricks is actually much easier at speed, and I can honestly say I owe a lot of my confidence and the successful outcome of many on-snow attempts this season to the time I put in with my balance board.

Hopefully having this visual example clears up any confusion about balance board training...at least my homemade version of it.  So go find $10 and give yourself something to do while you wait for next season.

Balance Board Training

 

Pushing further into spring, we have ushered in the era of slush; with the size of jumps shrinking in proportion to the amount of speed you can't get to clear them, springtime works great for getting reacquainted with the various jibs our resorts offer... Take advantage of these sunny skies and all of that soft slush by using a balance board to really step up your rail game.

Balance boards provide a safe, controlled way to practice all of the precise movements needed for today's standard rail tricks.  Being able to try these tricks mere inches from the ground takes the pain out of getting things wrong; play with and perfect your body position and weight displacement with very little consequence when things go bad.

Now, owning a Vew-Do or an Indo balance board would be nice, but that's a lot of cash money for what is essentially a skateboard deck and pipe.  Speaking of, find yourself an old skateboard deck and buy a 4"+ diameter PVC pipe at your local hardware shop. Add straps to the deck for that snowboard type feel.

OK, it's trick learnin' time!

If this is your first time on a balance board, or you are not comfortable ollieing into boardslides on a box or rail, you may want to start by setting the board on the pipe and rocking into things; this is a mellow way to get familiar with how a balance board moves while improving your balance. From there you can even add an extra progression by hopping onto the board while it is placed in position.

For those riders comfortable with most spins and slides, try jumping right into tricks.  Visualize the PVC pipe as a rail and set your approach accordingly.  Build your confidence to try any number of tricks; boardslides, 50-50s, spins on, spins off, and don't forget nollies and switch.

Pay attention to your shoulders, where you turn your head, the placement of your arms, hips, and your overall weight distribution (more on your toes or heels, etc).  Most important play with these things to see how they help or hinder your tricks.

Finally, take it on the hill.

First things first, if you are new to sliding then you want to start with wide ride-on boxes.  Take the time to get used to the sensation of sliding so you will be able to adjust your balance accordingly when try more advanced tricks and features later on.

With that out of the way you can trust yourself to slide; all you need to focus on is manipulating your head, shoulders, hips, and arms the way you practiced on your balance board.

Any trick you land on a balance board can be done on the hill.  Just like a bicycle, it's easier to balance in motion than standing still, so if you can land 270s on a stationary balance board then you'll have the upper hand when you take it to a real feature.  That PVC is also round if you haven't noticed; flat boxes and rails are a way more stable sliding surface.

As always, make sure you pick the appropriate feature and trick to your ability. Balance boards are a tool to aid progression; they won't help you skip steps.

Otherwise, get creative! Really, anything you do on a balance board will translate into more control and stability the next time you strap in.