Author Topic: Upper Body Movements and Balance  (Read 6207 times)

SUPcheat

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Upper Body Movements and Balance
« on: March 09, 2014, 05:41:11 PM »
This may be a strange question, but what do different people think of the role of moving the arms and shoulders to enhance balance performance?

I ask because when I showed my neighbor my shore bound practice balance board, I noticed he immediately used motions of his arms spread and moving to balance on it, whereas typically I move my body around my hips with very little motion from my arms.  My arms are usually held in a downward position, not upward.

I see surfers doing all kinds of things: from the guys who seem to cruise with very little upper body motion to those who seem to use lots of arm waving and shoulder rotations.

I don't really know if anything is right or wrong, or if it just depends on how one's instincts in balance panic tend to make you move your upper body.

If upper body movements are important, than it looks like something I could probably try to practice. Haven't seen much about the purposeful use of the upper body/shoulders in balance.

Opinions welcome.
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Board Stiff

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Re: Upper Body Movements and Balance
« Reply #1 on: March 09, 2014, 05:56:22 PM »
Hi SUPcheat,

I recently got a balance board and at first could not stand on it for even a second without holding on to something nearby. As I started to be able to balance for a few seconds at a time, I was mostly moving my upper body around, trying to keep the board as still as possible. As I've continued to improve and am now able to balance for minutes at a time, I've found that I do so by keeping my upper body very still and moving my lower body (and the board) a lot to maintain balance. I actually find it easier to stay on if I constantly move the board with my legs rather than trying to keep it still. I mostly move my upper body only when the board has shifted far enough past its pivot point that I can't pull it back just applying more pressure with one leg and have to "throw" my weight to recover.

Funny, though, I went out in small (knee-thigh high) surf yesterday for the first time in a a couple months and really had a hard time getting my balance on my board. Part of it was probably just being away from the water for so long, but I think part of it was also that having balanced exclusively on my balance board for a while, I've lost the habit of relying on my paddle planted in the water to maintain balance!


SUPcheat

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Re: Upper Body Movements and Balance
« Reply #2 on: March 09, 2014, 06:15:03 PM »
I haven't challenged the harder exercises on the Si board yet, but, yes, I find that more or less constant motion seems to help rather than attempting complete stillness around a balance point.  Don't know if that will change with practice.

Also, getting some rapid twitch response in the adductor (inner thigh) muscles seems to be a direction to go in.  I may start some adductor specific exercises at the gym along with the Bosu ball.  I notice in me at my age those muscles don't want to respond very quickly, but improving their response time may help.
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mrbig

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Re: Upper Body Movements and Balance
« Reply #3 on: March 10, 2014, 05:42:43 AM »
My experiments have led me to the conclusion that I try to keep my hands at my side and still as possible. I rock from side to side and bounce for fun. Check out the thread started by wetstuff Jim in fitness and training on slack line to see where we have gone where no one has gone before! LOL! Am now using an old boogie board resting on indo bladders, or on jfit half balls. It has helped me tremendously with major balance issues from reconstructed ( can you say deconstructed) knees.
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TallDude

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Re: Upper Body Movements and Balance
« Reply #4 on: March 10, 2014, 07:54:40 AM »
Having gone narrower and narrower over the years, I've realized there is a whole other world of balance we are capable of. Being 6'7, I always said " you're not my height, so you can't understand my balance situation. Now I paddle a very tippy 25" wide x 18' in the ocean. It's micro adjustments with a quiet side to side upper body movement.  At this point I know I can go a little narrower, but I can't just stand still and balance on these boards. Like a surfski, every stroke keeps me up. I have to have the paddle touching the water. My paddle is my Ama. If I'm not moving and checking my balance with my paddle, the board will roll over. In flat water I can just stand still, but out in the open ocean it's a different story. To get a realistic feel, you should try a very narrow balance board and hold a paddle in your hands while you do it. You almost need to put that balance board on a trampoline to give it the ocean effect. And do it in the wind.
Another aspect to balance is the way that each board moves. An 18' board rolls side to side and yaws slower than a 12'6 board. If you paddle either of these for a long enough time, they will be locked into your muscle memory. Anytime you get on a new board, you will have a learning curve no matter how skilled you are.
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mrbig

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Re: Upper Body Movements and Balance
« Reply #5 on: March 10, 2014, 08:03:42 AM »
Good stuff. Balance board on a trampoline in the wind. Madness. LOL! And don't forget to close your eyes..

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SUPcheat

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Re: Upper Body Movements and Balance
« Reply #6 on: March 10, 2014, 11:04:52 PM »
Thanks, TallDude, good words!
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mrbig

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Re: Upper Body Movements and Balance
« Reply #7 on: March 11, 2014, 04:39:16 PM »
TallDude, How long did it take you to progress to the 25 inch board? Beyond my imagination. I appreciate your comments on board length. My 12'6" Marlin is my narrowest at 30 " and has become easier over time. A buddy loaned me a race board at 27.5 and for once I did not get a board that was too narrow.

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supsurf-tw

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Re: Upper Body Movements and Balance
« Reply #8 on: March 11, 2014, 06:56:36 PM »
One thing I've found in my 1 year of SUPing is that the side to side balance is better done by pivoting your hips side to side and keeping your legs only slightly flexed and using the hips instead of the knees for adjusting and keeping a quiet upper body. Also when you're standing waiting for a wave always have your board pointed towards the chop and\or swell movement
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TallDude

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Re: Upper Body Movements and Balance
« Reply #9 on: March 11, 2014, 09:43:09 PM »
TallDude, How long did it take you to progress to the 25 inch board? Beyond my imagination.
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MrBig, Because of where I live, I'm fortunate enough to be on the water a lot. I paddle year round, so it's hard to say how long it has taken me to go very narrow. If you are committed, you can go narrower as well. What helped me was stand up surfing on smaller than comfortable boards. Like SupSurf-TW said about the actual technique of balancing, and just actually practicing on your balance. Usually when your Sup Surfing, you know you're going to get wet. You probably will even be wearing a wet suit. Since the 'fear of getting wet' (which cracks me up) is why people cling to wide boards is a moot point. Just paddle out and struggle on a very small board. You'll get wet, so what. Your whole reason for attempting to paddle the small board is for balance practice. You don't have to catch any waves, just try to stay upright for an hour or so. Paddling around in circles, because you need to stay moving. You will find a sweet spot to stand, and a whole new level of balance ability. Keep the paddle in the water almost always. The paddle is your third point of balance, and developing the constant use of it is critical to paddling narrow boards.   
« Last Edit: March 11, 2014, 09:45:43 PM by TallDude »
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mrbig

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Re: Upper Body Movements and Balance
« Reply #10 on: March 12, 2014, 02:28:03 AM »
TallDude, Thanks for confirming my pretzel logic which is the reason I paddle and surf on my Tipp Wan Ken Obi Lopez which is slightly below my threshold. I go almost every day in cold conditions as I have a quiver of wetsuits from my prone days. Paddling in chop is the special sauce. Thanks for your input!
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PonoBill

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Re: Upper Body Movements and Balance
« Reply #11 on: March 12, 2014, 04:56:34 AM »
If you watch acrobats working you note that they stay in motion all the time, the difficult stunts are those where they can't move.

I've discovered that I can balance better on a board in chop than in flat water. I have no idea when that transition happened, but recently playing with my Ku Nalu (12'2" X 26") made it obvious. I can paddle it out to the lineup at Kanaha on a rough day without getting my hair wet (what little I have) but I fell a dozen times in the Cove the other day with just baby waves.
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Re: Upper Body Movements and Balance
« Reply #12 on: March 15, 2014, 05:58:07 PM »
 :TallDude, Thanks for your thoughts. The ice has melted on my pond, so I practice falling again on my Lopez. Checking used markets for a trashed vibe! And the new Angelo 8'8" 32 w is easy now. Closed eye paddling on the water is a continuation of my balance work on land, splish splash I was takin' a bath! Feel the force, baby!
« Last Edit: March 15, 2014, 06:05:46 PM by mrbig »
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TallDude

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Re: Upper Body Movements and Balance
« Reply #13 on: March 15, 2014, 10:53:18 PM »
Sounds like your committed. "Ice has melted!" Our spring has hit as well, but no melting ice. I trunk'd it yesterday. ;D
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