Balance skills and proprioception or joint position awareness exercises can help you begin to skate or work to improve your current skating and might even prevent some skating-related injuries. There are many cross-training balance products that you can add to your off season balance and fitness training routine. Here is a selection of balance exercise tools to add to your gear archive. You will find that there are also balance boards and balance training exercises that can help you build or maintain skating skills, too. Please remember that these products are an option among many ways that you can build your body for inline skating activities.
Balance Balls
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Balance balls also called Swiss balls, are fun and they are a great training tool for inline skaters or any athlete. They are a popular choice because there are dozens of balance, agility, strength and proprioception exercises that can be done with this one fitness tool. Balance balls usually come with an instruction book or video and there are many other balance or fitness ball books available. Balance balls are known by many other names including exercise balls, Swiss balls, gym balls, Pilate's balls, fitness balls, stability balls, yoga balls, body balls and even birth balls. Balance balls are a safe and effective way to develop balance. Plus, they are durable and inexpensive compared to other types of fitness equipment. If you want to get the best results from your balance ball, be sure to use the correct size for your height.
BOSU Balance Trainer
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Bosu Balance Trainers are designed to let you use familiar exercises like lunges, crunches, leg raises, stretches or push-ups to develop your balance on an versatile soft surface. Each Bosu Balance Trainer comes with a workout video with instructions for balance training, aerobic exercises, strength training, stretching and flexibility exercises. Inline Skaters can use this tool to build balance, develop core stability and increase body awareness and coordination. Many coaches and trainers around the world use the Bosu for athletic conditioning and to improve sports performance.
Dual Grip Medicine Balls
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If you are looking for a safe and inexpensive way to build the strength, agility, balance and core stability needed for your inline skating activities, try a medicine ball workout. These workout balls are suitable for skaters and other athletes of all levels and ability from the beginners to pros and competitors. The Dual Grip Medicine Ball design shown allows more versatility for core and functional training exercises than traditional medicine balls, and they can be used for abdominal, strength and rotational movement training.
Agility Ladder
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An agility ladder has adjustable rungs for different stride lengths with sides made of durable cloth and rungs made of durable plastic. It can be used for a variety of skills training and drills to improves agility, balance, and coordination. Common uses are walking, running, and hopping drills to improving proprioceptive abilities and lower extremity functions. Agility ladders can be used for indoor and outdoor training. The flat plastic rungs reduce the chance of ankle injuries and will even stay in place in high winds.
Foam Rollers for Balance
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No matter what your inline skating needs and goals are, foam rollers provide a unique training surface. Foam rollers come in half-round cylinders that can can be used for starters and full-round cylinders. The half round foam rollers can be used for starters, while the full round foam rollers can be used for more advanced advanced balance excercises. These rollers can also be used for pressure massage by rolling them over the target area to relieve muscle soreness and tightness. Foam rollers are constructed of high-density styrofoam that is fitted inside a 3'mvinyl sleeve.
SPRI Xerdisc Balance Training Tool
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The SPRI Xerdisc Balance Training Tool is a lightweight, portable air-filled disc that measures 13.5" in diameter and 2.5" in height. The Xerdisc can be inflated for easy exercises and deflated for more difficult workouts by just using a standard ball pump with an inflation needle. It comes with an exercise chart, too.
FitBball Balance Disc
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The FitBALL Balance Disc is a core stability cushion that is versatile and can be adjusted to accommodate a variety of different skating and athletic training levels. This balance disc can be used while sitting, standing or kneeling or sitting to help develop balance, build joint stabilization, strengthens the core muscles and improve posture.
BOSU 3D Balance System
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The BOSU 3D Balance Training System is suitable for strengthening and coordinating core muscle groups. It is also good for performing lunges, curls, shoulder raises, hip extensions, flies, and more and boosts performance across wide range of activities, including inline skating sports. BOSU 3D is suitable for anyone from elite athletes to children. It helps strengthen and coordinate several major muscle groups and comes with a balance bar and adjustable resistance tubing for more versatility in your workout.
