# Balance board?



## Milo303

Anyone have experience with a balance board? Curious about the benefits from one when advancing with buttering, boxes and rails

Pondering making my own and the brain storm on what to use has started. If anyone has accomplished it, advice would be appreciated. 

So far this is the best I've found if I wanted to just buy one
Carrom® Balance Board - Dick's Sporting Goods


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## arsenic0

I think a lot of peeps like the Vew-Do and Indo boards i think they are called...im thinking of getting one in the off season to keep my balance goin..

If you want to make your own you can if you have or can find a skateboard deck...i used my roomates old deck without trucks on it ..fill a 2 litre bottle full of water with no air and cap it...and goto town. I couldnt nail/tack stopper pieces near the end as it wasnt mine but you could do that and have basically the same thing.

Just be careful and dont do it near breakable things! You will fall and maybe shoot the board out from under you a few times


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## BoulderEagle

Indo Board Balance Trainer. Indoboard, Indoboard.com, Indo Board, A Unique Balance Training Device!


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## gjsnowboarder

If you do the 2 litre bottle thing which works great remember to duck tape around it to add support because they can break and spill water. You can also use other objects like bowling balls, que ball, a dowl, etc.

Don't worry about stoppers on the ends as stoppers limit your ability to do different tricks.


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## Rufus

My daughter has a Vew-Do and spends a lot of time on it, sometimes I see her reading or playing her flute while on it. It does seem like it has helped her balance quite a bit, she's had it for about a year.


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## Extremo

I have a Vew-do board and I think it probably depends on how much time you spend on it. I get pretty board with it and go hop on my skateboard, or if its raining I have a skateboard with softrucks. The Vew-do board is pretty dangerous so I keep things pretty simple on it.


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## Guest

The skateboard deck with a 2 Lt bottle can be epic, it works a treat an you can do all sorts of stuff on them: 180s, pop shuv-its, go for the kickflip its also possible. Its great for balance as well, try chugging a beer on one.


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## Miles_K

I use my indo board when I watch tv. I think they help with balance quite a bit.


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## n2i1c3k7

will a balance board help with balancing in the air off jumps?


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## ready2shred

balance boards are sick! i have a Vew-do and its crazy. i dont use it a whole lot but i kinda notice the muscle memory on rails and boxes. after a while your body and legs with make balance ajdustments automatically. my buttering and pressing has improved aswell. they can be hard to get used to if you cant balance on a skateboard tho! i was fine but my friend cant do it at all. check out the Vew-Do Indy, its the one i got and the one they recommend for snowboards. its got a snowboard shape vs. the one thats more of a skate deck. Vew-do's are more maneuverable and playful than the big ass Indo boards. you can do ollies, shove-its and other tricks that you cant with the Indo's.

they are def a good tool to have! takes time tho so dont expect to master it in a week.


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## Jon T

I agree, balance boards are huge. They help strengthen your core, and your over all body. If you want to do presses and stuff like that, picture yourself doing it while you are on a balance board. I made my own board which mimics a indo board. I had the benifit of a wood lathe to make my roller. I have never hear of using a 2lt bottle, but I sure wish I would have. I just might have to try it now. The key is using it and not letting it collect dust. The more you use your balance board the better you will get and the better you will feel while you are on the snow! Indo boards and vew-du are both pretty good! Jon T


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## n2i1c3k7

are indo boards and vew do boards alot better than just a 2lt bottle and a skate deck?


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## Leo

Just be careful on those things when you first start out. It's a good idea to start off by having something that is planted firmly in the ground that you can hold onto. Also make sure there is nothing that can be easily damaged around you because I've seen those rollers shoot out and crash into stuff. I have a co-worker here who faceplanted big time here getting on one of those things. It wasn't a funny fall either. Scared all of us.


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## ready2shred

n2i1c3k7 said:


> are indo boards and vew do boards alot better than just a 2lt bottle and a skate deck?


hell yess vew-do boards can pivit and spin and the roller stays with the board. if you just want to balance back and forth do the bottle thing or the indo. if you want to work on spinning, ollies, and heal/toe control aswell as balance get a vew-do. thats what i have and its def the most versitile of the three. the 2L and skate deck is fine for a couple times but its probably gonna break after a while. Indo Boards are used in gyms and by middle aged women in aerobics class haha. YouTube Vew-do boards and then Indo boards and you'll see what i mean.


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## gjsnowboarder

You can use the trailer park version for all of the above tricks, and as long as your two litre bottle only has water and was duct taped well it will last a long time. So 41.00 dollars (deck 38.00, dut tape 1.00 and two litre bottle 1.00) vs 79.95(the cheapest from the site) and on up from Vew-do vs Indo 68.00 and on up.

P.S> you can use other objects to balance on as well such as bowling balls, cut short dowels, Basket ball, etc.


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## n2i1c3k7

gjsnowboarder said:


> You can use the trailer park version for all of the above tricks, and as long as your two litre bottle only has water and was duct taped well it will last a long time. So 41.00 dollars (deck 38.00, dut tape 1.00 and two litre bottle 1.00) vs 79.95(the cheapest from the site) and on up from Vew-do vs Indo 68.00 and on up.
> 
> P.S> you can use other objects to balance on as well such as bowling balls, cut short dowels, Basket ball, etc.


great, thanks. i think trying a basketball or something is a good idea since using s 2lt bottle only works on front to back balance and not side to side at all.


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## Technine Icon

A great way to progress on boxes and rails is to take a few 4x4, cover it with carpet, and staple the carpet to it. Then just put it somewhere flat, strap into your board, and practice getting onto the box and into slide and press positions. This really helps to learn how to get into the trick position and how to got out of the trick. Once you have that down, taking it to a real box or rail on the mounatin is much easier.


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## ready2shred

gjsnowboarder said:


> You can use the trailer park version for all of the above tricks, and as long as your two litre bottle only has water and was duct taped well it will last a long time. So 41.00 dollars (deck 38.00, dut tape 1.00 and two litre bottle 1.00) vs 79.95(the cheapest from the site) and on up from Vew-do vs Indo 68.00 and on up.
> 
> P.S> you can use other objects to balance on as well such as bowling balls, cut short dowels, Basket ball, etc.


ooh shit god forbid spending money on something specifically designed for the task at hand. you might be able to get the tricks to work on a 2L but its not gonna be as smooth, efficient, or stable as a solid carved block of wood with a track keeping the board and roller together. twice the effort to get half as far. you get what you pay for i guess. im a college student so im far from rolling in dough, i am as cheap as it gets, but i cant see why buying pre-made from a company is such an issue. 

Hey *Technine Icon* is your avatar Wachusett???


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## Technine Icon

ready2shred said:


> Hey *Technine Icon* is your avatar Wachusett???


Yep, thats my home mountain


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## gjsnowboarder

ready2shred said:


> ooh shit god forbid spending money on something specifically designed for the task at hand. you might be able to get the tricks to work on a 2L but its not gonna be as smooth, efficient, or stable as a solid carved block of wood with a track keeping the board and roller together. twice the effort to get half as far. you get what you pay for i guess. im a college student so im far from rolling in dough, i am as cheap as it gets, but i cant see why buying pre-made from a company is such an issue.
> 
> Hey *Technine Icon* is your avatar Wachusett???


Hey now, I did the research and gave him quantifiable information. And by your reasoning that it might be harder to work doesn't that in the end make the white trash model better? It takes better balance and more consistent use of stabilizer muscles, and proper alignments to make something happen. Having a track is like having training wheels. Great for beginners, not so great for some of the advance moves possible like shove-its and the like where the track gets in the way. I'm not saying that buying pre-made is bad, I'm just giving mulitple options.


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## arsenic0

I would get the real thing if you dont already have a skateboard deck..

I just did the 2L And Skate Deck thing because it was free, my roomate had an old deck and we had some empty 2L bottles...im fairly light so i didnt even need to ductape it...but thats probably a good idea.

And yes do it away from anything you dont want to break. It will slip out from under you eventually shooting into a wall or TV or something...


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## ready2shred

Technine Icon said:


> Yep, thats my home mountain


me too dude. im there every weekend during the season.


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## ready2shred

gjsnowboarder said:


> Hey now, I did the research and gave him quantifiable information. And by your reasoning that it might be harder to work doesn't that in the end make the white trash model better? It takes better balance and more consistent use of stabilizer muscles, and proper alignments to make something happen. Having a track is like having training wheels. Great for beginners, not so great for some of the advance moves possible like shove-its and the like where the track gets in the way. I'm not saying that buying pre-made is bad, I'm just giving mulitple options.


the track doesnt get in the way, it moves the roller with the board instead of slipping out from under you. shove-its work even better with it. it also allows you to do butter type spins without eventually sliding off. its not training wheels it allows you to do more with it than just practice balance in one spot.


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## Technine Icon

ready2shred said:


> me too dude. im there every weekend during the season.


Yea man I love that mountain. I ride the park there during the week, I never go on the weekends, it gets way too crowded


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## ready2shred

Technine Icon said:


> Yea man I love that mountain. I ride the park there during the week, I never go on the weekends, it gets way too crowded


true statement haha especially if theres 5 schools there. soo many little assholes just sitting on the fucking landings. i found out this winter that tuesdays between 11am and 2pm is the perfect time to go. park is empty and everything raked fresh. thats probably true for every weekday but i got out of class at 11 only on tuesdays.


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## Technine Icon

ready2shred said:


> true statement haha especially if theres 5 schools there. soo many little assholes just sitting on the fucking landings. i found out this winter that tuesdays between 11am and 2pm is the perfect time to go. park is empty and everything raked fresh. thats probably true for every weekday but i got out of class at 11 only on tuesdays.


Yea, the park is great during the weekday. I usually go on Wednesdays and get there around 9 and leave around 3, just before all of the school kids get out. I love the park during the weekdays, it's just all cool, experienced riders. What did you think of the park this year? I loved that wooden pole jam and hated that rainbow rail


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## mannie

i made a balance board modeled after the indo board... from home depot supplies. I used 3/4" plywood (you can buy small sized pieces as hd), a short cut of 6" pvc pipe (you can move up to 8" if you get good). Helps to have a jigsaw to make the round cuts and a sander to smooth it out. I used some paint-on-sandy-grit stuff (don't know what it's called) to add some grip to the top of the board and then sealed with a wood sealer. You can also just use skateboard grip tape. It works pretty well and def helps with balance and moving to different positions fluidly, etc. if anybody is interested i can post pics later.


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## xelxguapo

I noticed on the vew do website that they have a new balance board for snowboarding. I've seen this on a video showing the Burton Snowboard Academy. Has anyone tried this thing out?

Vew-Do Balance Boards :: Fitness Boards :: The Vew-Do Progression Trainer

Edit: Let me also add this question - Does this help an intermediate rider? Or would it be better for the intermediate rider to go with a different model?


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## BoulderEagle

IMO the Indoboard is a better balance trainer than the Vew-do simply because it allows for infinite movement, whereas, the Vew-do has the groove that holds the board in place. 
It's extremely fun busting out tricks trying to one up your buddies on the Indoboard.
I recommend the package that comes with the rubber half sphere and the roller!


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## ready2shred

Technine Icon said:


> Yea, the park is great during the weekday. I usually go on Wednesdays and get there around 9 and leave around 3, just before all of the school kids get out. I love the park during the weekdays, it's just all cool, experienced riders. What did you think of the park this year? I loved that wooden pole jam and hated that rainbow rail


really liked it this year, there werent a lot of speed issues like there usually is. the jumps were really smooth too and no crazy nuckles but that step-up was dumb. yea that rainbow sucks. they havent used it in a few years.


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## sidewall

Get this one, seriously it's amazing. Unlike an Indo board it moves in all planes so you can never, ever reach a spot where you keep your balance. 

Fitterfirst Soft Boards from Fitterfirst


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## yusoweird

Indoboard is more versatile than Vew Do. Vew Do is more skateboard inspired. Indoboard is more for surfing and snowboarding.


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## yusoweird

mannie said:


> i made a balance board modeled after the indo board... from home depot supplies. I used 3/4" plywood (you can buy small sized pieces as hd), a short cut of 6" pvc pipe (you can move up to 8" if you get good). Helps to have a jigsaw to make the round cuts and a sander to smooth it out. I used some paint-on-sandy-grit stuff (don't know what it's called) to add some grip to the top of the board and then sealed with a wood sealer. You can also just use skateboard grip tape. It works pretty well and def helps with balance and moving to different positions fluidly, etc. if anybody is interested i can post pics later.


You could have made it from cheapo skateboard from walmart for 12 bucks. Remove the truck and mount some stoppers on the tip and tail and/or sides.


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## EPHOOG21

i just shook up a full 2L sprite bottle and took my old skate deck with no trucks and went to town on it. its fun and i sometimes notice the differences jibbing. and make sure to duct tape the cap


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## ev13wt

n2i1c3k7 said:


> will a balance board help with balancing in the air off jumps?


No. Once you are in the air you aren't gonna balance anything.


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