Training techniques: Working on balance

Yesterday in the jumping journal I mentioned that not only yesterday was Crash City but also something about a taste of New England.  I kinda forgot to make any mention about it until this morning.  By then it was too late and I decided to wait until I got home from jumping tonight and make a separate post about it under the circumstances.

 

Late last winter I started having a conversation with another beginner adult jumper that live over in Norway.  He mentioned that he was using a balance board to work on his balance on the inrun.  I made a balance board and have used it some.  I observed rather quickly one other benefit of the balance board is that it provides for one of the best ways to stretch your calf muscles.  You do have to have shoes attached to the board or your feet will slip out from underneath you.  As of yet I have found nothing else that provides such an excellent stretch for the calves.  It always nice to have a training device that can serve two purposes.

 

Well...yesterday I stumbled into another balance training technique by accident.  After getting home from the Hanover meet I headed back out to run a few errands.  While putting gas in my car I overheard a conversation and someone had made mention that they were heading out to go ice skating.  I've had ice skates for probably a decade, if not more, and I've hardly ever used them.  The last time I was on ice skates was probably 2003.  The reason I haven't been out on the skates in quite a while is because of ski jumping.  Normally, I'm not around much during the weekdays to be able to do any skating and on the weekends I have typically always been out jumping on the K25 at Lebanon from noon to 4PM and by the time I get back home it is already dark and I don't really feel much like going out skating.  The weather has also been a factor in keeping me off the skates.  The weekends always seem to have the coldest, snowiest, rainiest, etc. weather over the past several winters.  It's hasn't made life easy for being able to get out on the skates.

 

I had to go right by the Newport common where they ice over the yard during the winter months and turn it into an outdoor ice rink.  I saw quite a few people out skating and decided that if I could get everything done rather quickly I would pull the skates back out and finally see some ice time for the first time in several years.

 

I finished up the errands and got a couple of quick projects finished up around home.  I decided to try on the skates to make sure that they wasn't going to effect a sore toe that I have right now.  They passed the test so I put on my coat and headed on back into Newport.  The weather was actually quite nice, partly to mostly cloudy and tempature was hovering the mid to upper 20s.  I just had on my winter coat, hat and gloves.  In the past I believe I have had to put on warm up pants over the blue jeans to be able to stay warm, not the case today though.

 

I remember my first few experiences at skating on the Newport common.  It was always such a sureal moment.  The setting makes you think New England like you would see in the movies.  Yesterday was no exception.

 

I spent about an hour out on the ice, skating around, trying to relearn how to skate all over again.  Fortunately it was coming back rather quickly.

 

Towards the end of my time out I stumbled into another interesting alternative training tehcnique for working on balance.  It so stinking simple its insane.  Skate on the ice with one foot on the ground and see how far you can go and still maintain a straight line.  Obviously if you start to move/turn in one direction then you aren't on the whole foot anymore.  Admittedly, it does help when you have much smoother ice than what I found out on the common but it still will help you develop your balance more.  You might, I didn't try it as I just thought about the idea a minute ago, get down in your inrun position and see how far you can coast along without turning.  By having such a small surface area of contact between the ice and the blade of the skate it will quickly show any imperfections in your balance that you can work on with both the balance board and the ice skates.  Give the idea a try and post comments on what you think.

 

Crash