How cross country skiers can improve balance in the offseason-Part 2

The bongo board is a fun challenge

by Keith and Heather Nicol

   Cross country skiers often train through the summer by doing various activities like sea kayaking, biking or hiking. Maintaining aerobic conditioning in the off season certainly a great way to get ready for the ski season but often cross country skiers forget about practicing balance exercises. The bongo board is a perfect fun tool for really challenging your balance as well as working on improving your reaction time.  As a cross country ski instructor at the early season Supercamps at Silver Star and Sovereign Lake Nordic ski areas near Vernon, B.C. , I ask my students if they do specific balance training in the off season.  The typical answer is “no” and I get the same response at Mt Washington ski resort where I teach through the winter.

    As we age both balance and reaction time deteriorate and it declines more rapidly as we get into our 50’s,60’s and 70’s.  Cross country skiing is a true lifetime sport but often people stop skiing since they lose confidence on the snow and have an increased fear of falling. But there are ways to improve balance and one bongo board is great fun way to challenge yourself. First of all start I suggest starting on grass. That way you can get a feel of how to balance on this tricky board. Once you have some confidence on grass then graduate to plywood and I suggest still placing it on grass so that if you do fall you will land on a softer surface.  A good transition is to use ski poles to start as I am showing in this case. Then when you are ready, try to bongo board with no ski poles. Since the bongo board is a demanding  piece of balancing equipment,   Fitterfirst who produces these boards recommends using a helmet and wrist guards.

Try using poles as part of the learning curve

   I like the bongo board since to avoid falling off of it you need to be forward on the board just like in cross country skiing.  Try to feel that your weight it centred just behind the balls of your feet. The last thing you want to do is get back on your heels since that throws your balance off very quickly. Keep your ankles, knees and hips flexed and hold your arms out for balance. This is very similar to how you want to cross country ski on downhill sections of the trail.  In addition to improving balance the bongo board also is great at speeding your reaction time.  Often when skiing we need to move our feet rapidly to avoid falling or to make a turn and the bongo board will help speed your ability to react swiftly.  So try a bongo board to improve your overall balance and reaction time and your cross country skiing will thank you for it.  Fitterfirst has many different types of products for improving your balance so check out their website for more information (www.fitter1.com)

You need to keep your ankles,knees and hips flexed and arms out for balance

This video shows how the bongo board can improve your balance and reaction time