Cross country skiers need to build balance practice into their summer routine- Part 1

by Keith and Heather Nicol

Try a balance board to work on your fitmess

   When I teach cross country skiers at the early season snow camps at Supercamp or at Mt Washington Ski Resort the biggest problem area for virtually all skiers is the ability to balance on a single ski. This skill is needed to ski well in both classic and skate technique. When I ask skiers at Supercamp (http://www.xcsupercamp.com/) what they did for training for the summer I usually hear about activities like biking, hiking, running, sea kayaking, and hitting the weight room. These are all fine but none of them work on improving balance which is the foundation skill in cross country skiing.  Many cross country skiers know that they must work on aerobic and strength workouts to stay in shape in the summer but forget about one footed balance for some reason. 

Cross country skiing (either classic or skating) involves balancing on one leg at a time

       Also as we age we naturally lose our ability to balance. Some studies show that balance starts to decline after age 25.  

The Fitterfirst pro balance board has 3 adjustements

Yikes!! So just to maintain balance requires that we dedicate time to this activity.  For general well being balance is crucial to staying health and it is estimated that between 20 – 30 percent of the general population over the age of 65 falls every year costing the health care system millions of dollars. A broken leg or arm also has a bigger impact on overall health as we age since muscles atrophy more quickly and healing is slower. So it pays to build balance work into your fitness routine to prevent falls and to improve your cross country skiing. 

   I use a balance board regularly through the year and really like this pro balance board by Fitterfirst since it allows you to dial in 3 degrees of difficulty.  So as you get better you make the board tippier.  I use the board to practice one footed balance and I recommend starting on grass or carpet to start.  As you improve I then place plywood under the board which makes for a harder surface and balancing becomes more difficult.  You can ramp up the difficulty by then placing a short piece of 2x4 under the base (see adjacent photo).  By performing this on grass should you lose your balance you will land on a softer surface rather than a hardwood floor or pavement.  So make sure balance practice is part of your summer workouts and skiing and general health well being will thank you for it. For information on Fitterfirst see: https://fitter1.com/ .

 

This video will show you various ways to use the balance board to improve 1 footed balance