Walking with eyes closed for balance training...

[Wetstuff]

I am seriously challenged ..finally found thru testing that I have asymmetry in my inner ears ..I also throw aberrant beats ..and I'm about as flexible as the Statue of Liberty ..but with the attitude of a Polish mule, (Don't say; "You can't do that.") I love a challenge.  SUP is clearly worthy of making the effort.

I pass on water <55f so I have had to come up with exercises* I can do without the weather needing to cooperate.  The best I have found this winter is walking with my eyes closed.  I really sucked at it - like the first time I attempted to stand on a 9x28 board. (after kiting on teeny boards for 11yrs ..WTF?!)

My driveway is 1/4mi long and I take the dog about 2-3X a week. I cannot do the entire drive with them closed.  It curves and I do not want to walk into a tree -like an idiot- so I open my eyes at about 25 paces and adjust. The dog also helps by inducing unexpected jerks and slacks. 

I am F'ingA pleased with the change.  It's a good feeling to be able to do something so simple that seemed so hard to begin with.   ..who knows if it will make any difference in the surf, but I need all the extra help I can get.  (flatwater is fine with the occasional, stupidly random getoff?)

I have balance boards both at home and my business, but find them boring/tedious ..which means I should use them more.  I have made a great soft pit for my slackline but the weather has been Chitty for months.   Anyway,  I thought I outta report in for those others who may need another exercise to add to the pile.  Cheers.

Jim

*My ENT guy sent me to PT for the asymmetry ..I did three sessions, took notes (eyes closed was one exercise) ..then paid myself.

[Off-Shore]

Wetstuff.. That is a great story. I can't wait to hear if it actually improves your balance on the water. I imagine it must.

After knee surgery, my PT gave me an exercise to stand on one leg with arms outstretched at my sides, and then close my eyes and see how long I could keep them closed. You open them when you have to put the other leg down. Repeat 10 times on each leg. One leg will always be better than the other (the dominant leg).

No driveway needed, but it is surprisingly difficult, but amazing if you practice daily how fast you can improve. I haven't done it for a while but just tested myself. Here are the results on the 3rd try for each leg (make sure you have something close you can grab on to)

Left leg ~20 second. Right leg ~17 seconds.

Would be interested to know what other Zoners get on this test.. We should be better than the average person doing this..

I wonder if practicing this would have the same effect as your "blind" dog walking?

[SUPcheat]

Bosu ball at the gym with flat side up, balance up on it then close eyes and do foot excursions.

 It has certainly educated me about how much over the years my body has forgotten where it is in space.

  Once you close your eyes and drop the visual horizon check for your inner ear system, you are stuck with proprioception and whatever false horizon your inner ear can conjure.  With proprioception, you actually need motion in your parts to begin to sense where they are.

It is taking years to re-draw the body maps but it does seem to come back with practice.

Obviously, my body wants a comfort zone and to submerge as much of the process as possible into automatic, subconscious reactions.  Bringing it all up to consciousness again is labor and discomfort which my body doesn't want.

The process on the water seems to follow the pattern of being non existent, then floundering, then work, then it finally begins to become that subconscious act again where my body seems to know what to do and to anticipate without the labor.

I guess kids and young people do all of this automatically and if you don't refresh the process with age, then you lose it.  I have been able to recover some, I just don't know how much ultimately.

[Subber]

Great!

I've read that the human body has two balance systems
one visual and one non-visual.  Of course, I quickly tested
it out and, wow, my eyes-closed balance was way worse
than my eyes-open balance.  Now it is much better!
 

I do believe it is the non-visual that goes first,
so practicing with eyes closes is a great idea...
I do it on my sup sometimes when flat water paddling.

My balance has improved dramatically since beginning SUP
around four years ago.

Yes, let us know how it improves your balance.

[supthecreek]

Jim... good conversation!
Good responses coming in.
I like it... but I would walk off the deck in 4 seconds.

Couldn't help having some fun with the visuals (?)

[mrbig]

Boogie board on small jfit half balls. Close your eyes and feel the force Luke. Or fall and break a chair! LOL! See wetstuff's slack line thread for a bunch of interesting things for balance that work.

Paddling on water with eyes closed FUN. NOT in winter however!

I do all my kettle bell work on either indo bladders or the jfit balls.

A year later my 67 year old thrashed carcass has way better balance on a board in the water. Sold my 32" wide boards..

[surfinJ]

Is your driveway paved?  Skateboarding is a great way to keep the balance on tap. There are boards where a couple of pushes and off you go pumping surf style. You don't need to do any tricks, just cruise about enjoying the glide.

If you do this regularly when the water isn't accessible, the first day back on the water you'll have no balance loss.  Balance training seems to work best when done daily.

I love walking with my eyes closed, big wide open spaces.  Try standing on your sup with your eyes closed, real relaxing unless you're not outside the break line.

[stoneaxe]

There are actually 3 parts to your sense of balance, vestibular, visual, and proprioception. There is a particularly tight connection between the visual and the vestibular. The test of my vestibular-ocular reflex gave the 1st indication that I had a problem. Vestibular therapy for the balance challenged includes a lot of exercises that are done with the eyes closed. I'm so visually dependent now that fog kills me. When the sky blends into the sea I'm done unless it is absolute glass. The crisper the horizon the better for me. When you close your eyes and exercise or walk you are strengthening the connection between the vestibular and proprioceptive. Balance is at its peak when all are working together.

[linter]

   my issues are similar to bob's.  in my case, i can't walk two steps with my eyes closed.  even when standing still, if i close my eyes, i start to sway, until, well, the building topples over.  this is one of the confirming tests for my particular disease.  needless to say, i passed with flying (ie swaying) colors.

[supthecreek]

Last night, I reread this thread.
I jumped up, closed my eyes and tried balancing on one foot.
Yikes.... I didn't realize how weak my feet would feel.

Eyes open or closed, just standing on 1 foot is a great workout for old feet.
Now I just have to work that into daily life.
Smaller boards are my plan this summer, so I need this.

With any luck, I'll be the guy who is quivering while you talk to him. Until I'm not.

[Wetstuff]

Such a great group of people...  it's certainly nice to be around youse guyz. 

SJ.. Gravel - there's a slight ridge in the middle, it helps me feel my way.  I agree a skate is massive fun.  I had to get elbow pads to add to the helmet because I took a nasty fall when the Big Stick I first had got caught in a wheel and chucked me off in micro second.  I was having Giovanni, the dog, tow me but at 45lbs vs. 185, I began to feel as it was abusive. It was working him hard. ..plus was very difficult to time a kick and his pull - dangerous.  One must judge the dangers in pushing limits - like Rick having me walk across I-95. (and do not carry hard objects when attempting slacklining! -- I tried a long iron pipe like tightrope walkers use ..nearly need facial surgery)

O-S,  Ya, you don't need to go on a Ray Charles walkabout - standing in place works.  I need a distraction so (when I remember) I do it running an electric shaver over my mug.


Cheers.   
Jim