Balance Boards

[BoMan]

If you workout with a balance board between surfs, what do you use and how do you use it?

I have a long skateboard with a kick tail and use it to slalom on the hills around town. It helps with my "turning balance" but it responds much faster to weight shifts than my long surfboard. I suspect the other products will do a better job building the skills I need, but it's way more fun cruising OUTSIDE than wobbling on a mat indoors. What do you think?

Indo Board


Goof Board


Kota Longboard

[Big H]

I have a longboard skateboard, a carver skateboard and an indo board....longboard doesn't see much use now that I have the carver....use the carver just about every day, indo board every once in awhile, usually when I've missed a sesh or two....for the indo board I mainly just balance while doing squats as if I were pig dogging.....skateboard I cruise around, pumping and just practice syncing my body and arms with pumping and turns....I do minor rear wheel slides, full four wheel slides on smooth concrete (mall parking lots until security guards stop me), grab rail front and backside bottom turns, squat deep on faster bottom turns and generally try to imagine myself as if I were on a wave....

[BoMan]

The longboard doesn't see much use now that I have the carver.... I cruise around, pumping and just practice syncing my body and arms with pumping and turns.

What Carver model do you have? I have some money burning a hole in my pocket!

[oldmansurfer]

I don't skateboard but if I did I might go for this one. The Razor Ripsurf

[BoMan]

I don't skateboard but if I did I might go for this one. The Razor Ripsurf.

You are a brave man! This would send me straight to the morgue. If anyone has a Razor Ripsurf, can you tell us more?

[waikikikichan]

We have one at the shop. Feels just like any other Caster Board ( Ripstik being the most known brand ). Ask one of the neighborhood kids to borrow theirs. Word of warning, the wheels get torn up fast.

[Big H]

The longboard doesn't see much use now that I have the carver.... I cruise around, pumping and just practice syncing my body and arms with pumping and turns.

What Carver model do you have? I have some money burning a hole in my pocket!

http://shop.carverskateboards.com/colle ... k-complete

I love it.....

[drowningbitbybit]

I've got the Smoothstar. They're quite a lot looser than the Carvers - you can decide whether that's a good or a bad thing

Having the smoothstar has been really helpful - not only can you practise actual surf manoeuvres without any surf, but it's really good at identifying bad habits. In the water, your foot being in the wrong place means you don't go quite as fast/turn quite so well/surf quite as good - on the skateboard it means you fall off

Took it to the skate ramp for the first time last week - loads of fun. I might even admit that it was more fun than most of my recent surf sessions

[Big H]

FWIW what I've read from people who have tried both is the Smoothstar edges the Carver for performance realism.....Carver is US made and based, Smoothstar AUS....follows usual trade agreement placement etc (more likely to find a Smoothstar in HK or Singapore or other Commonwealth Trade Partners (Canada) than Carver and vice versa. I really like my board, never tried smooth star, but I can speak to the durability and from one year of use the board holds up as well as the alva or powell peralta boards I used to ride with indy trucks. Changed the bearings to what the kid in the shop said were the best, some swiss brand, I forget, but that was it.

[BoMan]

My longboard doesn't see much use now that I have the carver.

Carver makes a 42 inch Hotdogger which is more expensive but might be better suited for practicing longboard skills (trimming turns, tail stomping carves, and cross steps) What do you think?....and sorry for beating a dead horse.

http://shop.carverskateboards.com/collections/longboard/products/42-hotdogger-complete

[Big H]

I think it would be horrible honestly....get something that is about the size of a standard skateboard and you'll be set. Look at the carver specs; all the boards in the middle of the range are just about the same size; choose one of those and go have fun.

[BoMan]

Thanks Big H! I'll take your advice.

Here is a re-post of an interesting comment from RinkyDink to expand the discussion.

Here's a suggestion. Since you don't have a lot of opportunities to practice at the beach, try using a balance board at home while you watch TV. You can either make one yourself or buy one. I use a Goofboard when I just feel like chlling at home. I think it helps my surfing. I can't do the cross step moves or balance on one foot without a chair, but eventually I'll get there. You might want to pick one up.

I changed Rink's video link to show different features.

[pmcaero]

I made a sort of balance board:
https://mihaipruna.wordpress.com/2016/0 ... version-2/

Also, this cheap surf-skateboard:
http://ridesupboards.com/wp-content/upl ... carver.jpg