8 Ways to Improve Your Balance for Snowboarding

man on a slackline
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Snowboarding is a great way to improve your balance, but most riders don't have deep enough pockets to travel around the world snowboarding all year. There are numerous ways you can improve your balance when there's no snow on the ground or the lifts are closed. These eight tools are some of the best balance-training devices on the market, so your snowboarding skills won't fade.

1. Bongo Balance Board

There are a lot of balance boards on the market, but the Bongo Balance Board is different than most. It's the preferred balance training tool among professional skateboarders and is often used by physical therapists as a rehabilitation method. It features a skateboard-like deck with a dual-sided wheel that rolls from tip to tail along a track. Unlike most other boards, the deck is tapered to provide balance practice as well as resistance training. The required core control to keep the board steady will help you stay fit and agile while improving balance.

2. Balance Bar

Using the Balance Bar is one of the closest activities to snowboarding off the mountain. This 40-inch long, 8-foot wide, and 5-inch tall board, simulates a handrail or funbox with a black spin top and blue base. It is made to be used with your everyday snowboard or a training board that's sold separately. The Balance Bar is designed to help riders improve conditioning, muscle memory, and tricks like jibbing when they're not on the mountain. It helps beginners learn new tricks and experts master and maintain their park skills.

3. Bosu Home Balance Trainer

Bosu ball balance trainers are already in most exercise gyms, but you can buy one to work on your balance at home too. The Bosu ball looks like half of a giant inflatable ball mounted on a black frame. It's a simple design, but this compact training device can challenge your whole body in one workout. The Bosu ball is used by trainers and athletes to build strength, enhance flexibility, offer cardio workouts, and improve balance. It's helpful for riders of all fitness levels, and the included DVD offers a number of exercises to help you get started with Bosu ball balance training.

4. Core Stability Disk

The Core Stability Disk is a cost-effective balance training tool that you can take anywhere. It's designed to improve balance, strengthen the core, and release muscle tension. Balancing on the Core Stability Disk can be made easier or more difficult by decreasing or increasing the amount of air in the device. It's lightweight and is just 13-inches in diameter, so it can be used in front of your TV, outdoors, or anywhere that inspires you to train.

5. Vew-Do Balance Board

The Vew-Do balance board is designed for extreme sports enthusiasts. There are a number of board models to suit different types of athletes and skill levels, but the cheapest Butter NUB board is suitable for first-time buyers. It features a tapered shape that allows quick maneuvers including a number of Vew-Do board tricks. The board reacts quickly to toe-heel movements, promoting core strengthening, improvement of balance, and rehabilitation. Riders can perform their favorite board sport maneuvers and rotations to advance skills off the mountain.

6. Gibbon Slacklines

A slackline is a piece of webbing that stretches between two points (such as trees or posts) similar to a tightrope. Athletes walk across the slackline to improve balance, coordination, strength, flexibility, muscle memory, and agility. The Gibbon Slacklines ClassicLine is the most popular model in the world for its easy setup, safety features, and durability. The slackline offers a full-body workout that can be practiced by all levels of riders.

7. Indo Board

The Indo Board balance trainer is one of the most popular among extreme sports enthusiasts. It's specifically designed to improve the balance and increase the length strength of surfers and snowboarders. The company's goal is to provide a balance training device that's fun and effective in exercising the body's balance control systems. Riders also choose the Indo Board over other balance boards, because they can perform a number of snowboard and surf-style maneuvers to advance their skills on and off the mountain.

8. A Practice Jib

Riders who don't want to purchase the Balance Bar will find that building their own practice jib is a budget-friendly alternative. A practice jib can be something as simple as a beam of wood (roughly 45-centimeters long, 10-centimeters wide, and 5 centimeters tall) laid on the ground. If you place your wood beam on the grass or carpet, you can strap into your board and practice maneuvers as though you're on a park rail or jib box. It's a simple and cost-effective way to improve your balance and practice jib maneuvers in your backyard.