"Vew-Do balance boards are far superior to any other balance board on the market.." - Tyler Emond, Team Member – Elan Snowboards

How to bring the skatepark to you…

Are you a skateboarder? Want to get better at it faster with big ollies, kickflips and stalls? Want to bring a skatepark to you, rain or shine? Then skateboard balance board training is something that will interest you. We're going to tell you why it helps, how to do it using a Vew-Do balance board and why you can't get what you need from any other balance training product. The only thing you need to bring a skatepark to you is a dry, open, three to five foot square area and a Vew-Do Balance Board.

Almost every body motion from athletics to common everyday movement requires dynamic balance using the entire body, in three planes of motion; not one just one joint or limb at a time.

In reality, balance training is actually training for sub-conscious balance recovery. The body loses balance while skateboarding and most other activities very easily. When you ride a Vew-Do Balance Board, the action and motion of the board throws you off-balance, just like the out of balance situations you encounter on a skateboard. So, when we balance train, we are really training for balance recovery. The recovery mechanism is stimulated by motion and gets stamped into the central nervous system through muscle memory. It fires up sub-consciously when a similar situation occurs. The more you train, the more consistent your reactions will be.

From the shape and composition of the riding deck, the patented tapered design of the rock to the action and motion of the board and the body positioning required to ride it, nothing comes closer to skateboarding than riding a Vew-Do balance board. And there is no piece of balance training equipment on the planet that is better for skateboarding than the Vew-Do Sk8.

As you set a Vew-Do board in motion, whole body, dynamic (in motion) balance recovery in all three planes of motion fires up the proprioceptors in skeletal muscles, joints and ligaments.

While riding and stunting a Vew-Do board, the heel/toe action of the board on the rock while you're in motion allows you turn (carve) just like the action you feel from the trucks on a skateboard. And don't forget about that landing Eugene. After taking air from an ollie, kickflip, blunt stall or any skateboard stunt, you'll need to adjust your balance on landing to the horizontal flex of the skateboard's trucks. It's all about balance recovery and the versatility of your training tool.

Nothing beats the fun, crossover benefits and versatility of Vew-Do

Let's take a look at what, how and why…

Balance training devices, like wobble, teeter and rocker boards and balance boards with a fixed fulcrum (boards that don't move over the rock) - These are static balance training, recovery and stabilization devices. We can compare this to an upside-down pyramid in that the base of support and center of balance never changes, its static. They're fine for basic balance training and rehab, but not skateboarding. Skateboarding requires dynamic, whole body movement across all planes of motion.

Balance boards with non-tapered cylinder type rollers and flat riding decks - You can get lateral dynamic balance training on them, however, these boards lack any heel/toe balance recovery benefit. Not only does this leave you short for turning and carving, but there's another problem with these types of boards for skateboarders. That's balance recovery training for the landing. The trucks on a skateboard flex horizontally. When you're practicing landing an ollie, a kickflip or any other skateboard maneuver that requires you to take air, you won't be landing on a stable base. Heel/toe training on a concave riding deck is a must for skateboarders.

Other multi-directional dynamic balance boards - Ever wonder why you'll only see the occasional lame ollie or kickflip on these boards? That's because either the decks or the rocks aren't designed or constructed to handle the 300 pounds of force generated when a 150 pound person lands after taking air. Don't take our word for it. Talk to any dealer that sells Vew-Do and any other balance board. Just ask them which brands have the highest rate of breakage and returns. Vew-do performance series boards like the Sk8 are virtually bomb-proof.

Balance/Swiss/BOSU™ Balls - Balance/Swiss balls are popular and have their place, but not in a skateboarder's balance training toolbox. Balance balls have no ability to balance train the lower extremities, regardless of sport or activity. You would find it almost impossible to find any functional motion that mimics standing on a ball. Some users will claim that standing on a balance ball is balance training. In actuality, the body positioning required to balance on a ball puts your musculature so out of whack, there is absolutely no crossover benefit to any functional activity and only exposes the user to upper and lower body injury.

Another popular balance training tool is the BOSU™, unfortunately, not for skateboarding. First, it's static, just like an upside-down pyramid, whichever side is up. Now unless you skateboard with a thick rubber seat cushion glued to the deck there are no dynamic or proprioceptive crossover benefits. It doesn't feel or react like a skateboard flat side up either. That's because standing on something akin to half a beach ball with a plastic platform doesn't have the feel, form or motion that you get when riding on a skate deck. Geez… almost forgot to mention that you can't kickflip one either.

Hopefully we've helped you reprogram whatever you previously knew or didn't know about skateboard balance training and why a Vew-Do Balance Board is the best balance tool for skateboarders. Now all you have to do is get yourself a board and ride. We recommend the Vew-Do Sk8 for skateboarders and those interested in high-performance balance training.

By: Brew Moscarello