balance board training

Has anyone ever used a balance board in training. I have been told that some goalie coaches have their students use them. The only one I have been able to find is at http://www.indoboard.com/ and I am not sure if this is the same balance board as is used in training. I am considering getting one of these for both my younger son who plays goal and my older son who is a center. It looks like it's fun and it would be great if it really does help develope better balance. Does anyone have any experience with ones of these things or know of something better?

[robbf]

I hate those things!!
For practice and dry land training they can't hurt, I have been using one for part of my knee rehab, one leg/foot at a time and work on 30-45 secs. of balance on each leg.
The one I am used to using is different than the one you referenced in that the 'board' is circular and the balance point is a 'half-ball'. You can use it one leg or two legs at a time. The object of course is to keep the edges of the board from touching the ground. For rehab the objective is to help strengthen some of the ancillary muscles used to stabilize the lower joints (knee/ankle).
Another device you may want to consider is a slide board (especially for your goalie son). It is a great device for working on weight balance and transfer in a shuffle/sliding motion. You may want to check out this url:
http://www.mrassist.com/ . These things are really easy to make (just use the picture as a template) and they have some pretty good training tips at the above mentioned web site.

Thanks for the advise. Sorry for taking so long to get back to this. I have gotten a bit of education in the importance of balance in hockey (especially for goalies). I knew that balance was important but I didn't realize how important. Who ever looks at a goalie and says "he's got good balance". It's a pretty subtle. In conversation with a goalie coach I found out that balance is the foundation for everything the goalie does. The one thing a goalie can do that will most effect his overall game is develope his balance. So with that in mind I'm going to get a balance board for both my kids to train on and see how much a difference it makes. I saw an example during a training session where each goalie was required to skate on one leg and jump over hockey sticks laying on the ice. The A level goalies wiped out whereas my sons B group that does this all the time had no problem. The A level goalies have at least a year more experience and were very upset when they flopped and fell their way through most of the drills.

[badgerit]

where does one purchase a balance board?

[Squealagig]

Hey badgerit,

Try making your own I'm sure it's not too hard. I just tryed with a shelf (I removed the books) and a can of beans (full). I'ts a lot harder than I thought it would be. I'm going to see if I can find a hard ball or something and maybe a bigger shelf.

Good luck!

[Squealagig]

Update: Don't use cans of beans. It takes way to long to clean up the mess after the can bursts. I'm now using a small glass jar which is working much better as it's slidyer and provides more side to side movement.

I did a search on the balance boards and found lots of companies making them. One is
at http://www.indoboard.com/, however there are cheaper brands and there is another type. I found out that most skateboard and snowboard shops have these. They advertise that surfers, wakeboarders, snowboarders, ice skaters, skiers, and skateboarders use these for training. One of the companies advertised that the New York Rangers use their boards as part of their training program and have been using them for several years. I hope to have one of my kids using the board while the other is playing or practicing in the rink. I suspect that we will see these boards popping up at rinks in the next year or so. A kid can stand there and watch a practice while he rides the thing. Most rinks don't let the kids skateboard or rollerblade. But who can they hurt if they are pretty much in the same place. I thought about using a plank of wood and a maxwell house coffee can but my wife accused me of being cheap.

[TartanBill]

And what's wrong with beging cheap?

Nothings wrong with being cheap as long as you get the quality your after and the thing does what you want it to. I think most inovative products come from people who like to do it themselves and save some money in the process.

[Clyde]

I thought I would resurrect this thread from the dead, mainly because the use of a home-made balance board has helped me so much that I just dropped 60 bucks on a Pivit Board so I have something a little nicer.

Using a balance board has really helped me to work my lower back and abs by getting in a low stance and trying to remain perfectly still. While it also burns the quads and hammies (and calf muscles if you raise up on the balls of your feet) it is the lower back and lower abs that seem to have had the most benefit for me, mainly through me not being sore anymore after playing marathon back-to-back-to-back games anymore if nobody else's goalie show up for league games.

I also think that learning to juggle while balancing on the board has helped my catch and glove hands, as I seem to be following the puck better.

Anyhow, if you have issues with leg strength/lateral movement or with core body strength, I have to recommend buying a board, a piece of 6-8 inch PVC pipe, and hopping on for a ride.

[Goaliedad]

We bought a balance board for my son when he started playing goal. He used it and developed really great balance. It helped in all sports. Now days he practices his stickhandling patterns while balancing on it. He learned to do tricks on it for example he could spin the thing in 360's and he could kick flip it. I think its a pretty good training tool.