Author Topic: Have you used a bosu ball to help with balance?  (Read 12405 times)

SupNinja

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Re: Have you used a bosu ball to help with balance?
« Reply #15 on: August 22, 2013, 10:15:29 AM »
I use it for balance,and really strengthens the ankles.

SUPflorida

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Re: Have you used a bosu ball to help with balance?
« Reply #16 on: August 22, 2013, 10:48:04 AM »
Bosu is awesome...not just the product but the company and customer service as well... here is my encounter with them....its long but shows such stellar customer service I just feel compelled to share.

First the letter I wrote to them explaining my situation....
"I recently bought a Bosu ball through my wife's employers association with Vitality Health program with points I earned for running nearly every day for 6 months. It was stated to be the "Professional" model and it stated so on the box. I had been anticipating getting this for some time as a balance trainer for Stand Up Paddle Boarding...using the bosu flat deck up, rather than dome up. I am emphatically not interested in using it dome up for my purpose. My research stated that the professional model came with a non skid surface on the "deck" and not the little feet (which I have stubbed my toes on a number of times already)... that the "Professional" model was designed to be used either deck up or dome up. This was reinforced by multiple Youtube videos I saw on its use "deck up".

I did my research, knew what I wanted, made what I was believed to be an informed decision that would get me the model bosu ball that would work for the purpose I needed. I ended up with either the "home" model or some type of hybrid somewhere between the "home" and "professional" model (possibly the "Pro" dome with the "Home" model deck).  This really sucks as Vitality does not allow returns, so I'm stuck with it.

Is there a non skid deck piece I can get from you to cover the bottom? If so what type of adhesive will stick to the plastic base. Can I remove the feet? I am going to use this deck up regardless, as that is the only way it will do what I purchased it for...but it would be a lot more comfortable and safer to have a non skid surface on the deck. Can you help me? It's apparently next to impossible to get the proper model bosu ball without "physically seeing it" as there seems to be more than one "professional" model. I feel deceived after doing everything in my power to "get it right". Anything you can do to help me will be greatly appreciated. I am sure you have heard the saying "People may not remember what you do for them, but they do remember how you made them feel". How I feel about bosu is entirely in your hands...Thank you for your help."

There response:
" Hi Robert
I'm sorry this happened to you .Please send me a picture of the box where you say it say's Bosu Pro.
If that is what happened then we will get this situation fixed for you ASAP.
 Thank You
 
    Steve Brown
    Customer Service
  Hedstrom Fitness "

After providing the proper verification as to what I had received as opposed to what I ordered this is Steve's response:

" Hi Robert
I placed an order for a new PRO to ship to your (deleted) address tomorrow
if that is not a good address please advise
You can keep the other one too for your hassle
Thanks
    Steve Brown
    Customer Service
  Hedstrom Fitness
Bosu   Kamagon  Surge"  

My response to him:

"Steve...That's awesome! Your the best...you represent the best of a customer service...If you have no objection, I would like to pass your outstanding handling of this matter on the Stand Up Zone paddling forum....great customer service needs to be celebrated and acknowledged. Thank for your help in this matter! As for the address, it would be better to ship it to my current out of town location as follows:"

Businesses take note: No amount of advertising dollars can buy this kind of good will.

Awesome product, awesome business, awesome people!!!! What more can I say?
« Last Edit: August 22, 2013, 10:50:26 AM by SUPflorida »

natas585

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Re: Have you used a bosu ball to help with balance?
« Reply #17 on: August 25, 2013, 08:54:41 AM »
 I am curious, does it work?  Are there any links to research that we can look at that shows balancing on an unstable surface with weights improves your board handling skills in the water?  Or is it all anecdotal?  Is balance a function of strength plus peripheral vision?  Would I use it if I was bored with my current strength protocol?  I read somewhere that if you want to make money with something make it complex and if you want something to work make it simple.  We ask these types of questions with our food, our cars, our jobs, why not with our fitness?
« Last Edit: August 25, 2013, 09:00:08 AM by natas585 »
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gladwell4

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Re: Have you used a bosu ball to help with balance?
« Reply #18 on: August 25, 2013, 09:13:53 AM »
! use it when watching tv or some other waste of time activity. Flat side up, makes a sore back feel a lot better quickly when paddling ail take too much time. That's my research.
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SUPflorida

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Re: Have you used a bosu ball to help with balance?
« Reply #19 on: August 25, 2013, 11:14:50 AM »
I believe the concept is to develop your "fast twitch" muscles that help stabilize us. Or so Tony Horton says about the stability exercises in P90X. No bosu ball or other balance equipment is used in the original P90X videos but I am sure it would be a useful tool to expand on the basics concepts.

Like gladwell4 said, it turns wasted TV time (or even internet surfing the zone  ;) ) into balance training time...

I had my son get me a Versadisk Pro to compliment my bosu, now I can sit on the bosu (deck up) or stable ball and put my feet out on the versadisk pro to simulate the instability of a surf ski as well...I going to have to try doing it on my two bosu balls to take it up a notch...

Great core and balance workout...

dontblamemyboard

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Re: Have you used a bosu ball to help with balance?
« Reply #20 on: September 25, 2013, 12:15:10 PM »
Absolutely use it to sup train but since had to put it away because the 4 yr old  2 yr old use it as a trampoline which isn't bad but to scary to imagine the ifs anyways I've used it round side down and combined it with a weighted body bar to simulate a weighted paddle but better to use elastic bands to simulate the water resistance from pulling the paddle thru water. Aloha and God bless.

AirJunky

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Re: Have you used a bosu ball to help with balance?
« Reply #21 on: September 25, 2013, 02:39:02 PM »
I've used the 1/2 bosu & liked it. Definitely helped with my balance, especially when you have waves coming from 3 different directions.

Laird sure likes it. Lots of videos out there of him using the full bosu.
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dontblamemyboard

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Re: Have you used a bosu ball to help with balance?
« Reply #22 on: September 25, 2013, 05:57:40 PM »
The full bosu is nuts, but one thing that I've learned from using it besides balance is the relationship of the lower body with each stroke in other words how the lower body keeps the board as level as possible during the power phase and weight shift recognition while in staggered foot stance, all the bosu company needs to add on is a ball with sensors to detect weight shift during each paddle stroke and allow us to see which specific muscles we could strengthen to achieve a more efficient stroke or whatever. I'm sure this invention prolly already exists, if not I've got phys therapist friends with golf training equipment with sensors I could fabricate onto the flat side of the bosu. Wow I just thought of a fun experiment. Aloha.

blackeye

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Re: Have you used a bosu ball to help with balance?
« Reply #23 on: September 25, 2013, 08:07:22 PM »
all the bosu company needs to add on is a ball with sensors ... I'm sure this invention prolly already exists.
The Nintendo Wii Fit board is exactly the sensor you want.  Anyone have some programming skills?

One of the Wii fitness tests is the ability to balance standing still - I don't know if the paddling motion would be too much variation?

 


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