One way to improve your balance that can also be pretty fun is to use a balance board.
There are several brands out there, but they run about a $100. Ouch. Not to worry, you can make your own for way cheaper. First you’ll need something for the board to roll on. At Home
Depot they have 2 foot long sections of 4 inch diameter PVC for about $6. Once you’ve got your PVC roller, you’ll need a board. A ½ inch to ¾ inch piece of plywood will do the trick. You can pick up a 2x4 foot piece at Home Depot for about $10. If you are just getting started, go with a large board, use dimensions of 40” x 17”. For more advanced riders, use dimensions of 38”x 12”. To make a pattern, fold the paper into fourths. Along the outside edge (not the folded edge) draw the curve of the board then cut along this curve. When you unfold the paper, your pattern should be symmetric along both the length and width.
Trace the pattern onto your plywood and the cut it out using an electric jig saw. Use some sandpaper and sand it smooth so you don’t get splinters.
You can use some paint if you would like to give it a little of your personal style. If you’ve got a few more bucks you can put some polyurethane or varnish on it if there is bare wood showing, but it’s not necessary as your balance board will not be in the water. (Unless you love it so much you want to use it everywhere, including the shower, which is not recommended.) Now you should be ready to ride. You might want to start out on a carpeted surface, as that will slow down the roller a bit. As you become more proficient you can move to a bare surface. Using a wall or a chair to steady you until you get the hang of it is a good idea. As you become more advanced you can begin to practice some tricks. Tricks that transfer well to skimboarding would be body varials (jump and spin your body 180 degrees), shuvits, and ollies. Balance and foot placement are crucial when landing these tricks, both on the balance board and on your skimboard.
Depot they have 2 foot long sections of 4 inch diameter PVC for about $6. Once you’ve got your PVC roller, you’ll need a board. A ½ inch to ¾ inch piece of plywood will do the trick. You can pick up a 2x4 foot piece at Home Depot for about $10. If you are just getting started, go with a large board, use dimensions of 40” x 17”. For more advanced riders, use dimensions of 38”x 12”. To make a pattern, fold the paper into fourths. Along the outside edge (not the folded edge) draw the curve of the board then cut along this curve. When you unfold the paper, your pattern should be symmetric along both the length and width.
You can use some paint if you would like to give it a little of your personal style. If you’ve got a few more bucks you can put some polyurethane or varnish on it if there is bare wood showing, but it’s not necessary as your balance board will not be in the water. (Unless you love it so much you want to use it everywhere, including the shower, which is not recommended.) Now you should be ready to ride. You might want to start out on a carpeted surface, as that will slow down the roller a bit. As you become more proficient you can move to a bare surface. Using a wall or a chair to steady you until you get the hang of it is a good idea. As you become more advanced you can begin to practice some tricks. Tricks that transfer well to skimboarding would be body varials (jump and spin your body 180 degrees), shuvits, and ollies. Balance and foot placement are crucial when landing these tricks, both on the balance board and on your skimboard.
1 comment:
great it worked perfectly
Post a Comment