 Poster: A snowHead
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Hi,
I remember seeing somewhere in Snowheads about some little dome-shaped platic things which you stand on with one foot. It's meant to build up the strength in your knees when you're getting yourself in shape for your skiing holiday.
Well I can't remember for the life of me what they're called. Has anyone got any ideas?
Any hyperlinks too would be good. 
Thx.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Wobble boards? balance boards? Or you could get a piece of plank and a strong can 
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Snowy, you can use a firm pillow to start, and graduate to an under-inflated basketball.
Fitter1 makes a wide variety.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Snowy,  PG posted the DynaDisc, but the piece of plank advo isn't altogether to be dismissed. I just made several wobbles using 20cmx45cmx2cm plank , half-round 'chair rails' and a sandpaper top: total cost with stain and glue $4USD ea.
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Cheap little gismos aren't they? I struggle to balance on one leg on the floor....I don't think it'd help my skiing to break a leg before I even get there!! Still, for less than a tenner.....
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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homphomp, I'm more than half convinced the exercise is not for muscular strength but knowing what to do with your [url=http://www.spudles.com/travels/Europe2002Pics/Vatican%20City%20-%20St%20Peter's%20Square.jpg]center of mass. [/url]
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Nice one comprex 
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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comprex,
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Tnx.
homphomp, I am actually entirely convinced that the inflatable ones are better for skiers than the plank wobblies, at least if used in trainers or barefoot.
The plank wobblies I find sensitive to errors in X-Y foot position, and I believe the beginner instinct is to correct for those errors by ankle flexion. You perceive that, useful as that is for fells runners, it is utterly worthless to skiers.
All of the wobblies I made are intended for use with ski boots, specifically to sort out insole/footbed performance.
WARNING: the above is my opinion and if anyone knows differently, please tell me. I have no formal training in this at all. /WARNING
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You know it makes sense.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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Snowy, let me know how you get on....I'm definitely interested in these, anything that can improve my balance/ankle control would be a good thing!
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Poster: A snowHead
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Snowy, amateur test for progress: without the porcupine stand on one foot. Shut eyes and try to hold for 1 minute.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Snowy tip - lean your back against a nearby wall...
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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I do all sorts of other exercises too....
I do the exercise where I stand on one foot and hold my leg out front at straight ahead for 20 secs, repeating with all 5 minute angles up to half past (straight out behind). I do this with both legs (00, 05, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30 = 7 angles with each leg). Am I making sense here? This is kind of what you were talking about wasn't it comprex?
Another one I do is the lean back again st the wall with my knees at right angles, for a minute or until my legs can't take the burn any longer. Is this the one you mean Mark Lehto?
Well apart from sit-ups and playing hockey twice a week, that was it until today - the day the hedgehog arrived! 
I've just had a go with my hedgehog tonight after a half-hearted attempt when no one was looking in the office earlier on. I think it will do most of it's work strengthening up my ankles though. My other half reckons they have equivalent pieces of apparatus down his gym which are much larger and have the effect of wobbling your knee more than your ankle.
Anyway, I'll give it a go for a few weeks coz it can't do any harm unless I seriously over-balance and knock myself unconsious. Another reason to stop might be that I'm getting fat ankles from all the extra muscle. This I can foresee will be bad for when I dig out my ski boots which won't fit so well....
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Snowy, see above, my understanding is that these are not for muscular strength in the ankle or anything else rather awareness of where your center of mass is and the ability to fine-tune that position using large core muscles as well as hips/knees so that your ankle does no work (at least laterally). If it is locked into a ski boot, it won't be able to anyway.
Ever do inside-outside edge transitions in a one-foot glide with skates unlaced? Same sort of idea. Until you get your shoulder position correctly you will kill your ankles.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Snowy, I had discussed wobble boards with my gym instructor - she said they were fine but you need to be doing your 'normal' exercises on them to benefit, such as squats, lunges, leg raises etc - very good for core stability but by themselves not very useful. Maybe more knowledgeable snowHeads can comment?
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I was given one of these to work on after an injury. It was all to do with 'teaching' my muscles to co-ordinate for balance again or so I was told, after a long period og inactivity.
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With any of these wobble items you are primarily training the muscle motor control not the muscle. Muscle strength, metabolic pathways and motor control are all separate things and should not be confused.
When you train motor control it is best to do the activity for which you are training as any similar movement confuses the motor control. Take balance for example, training on a high wire will not be of much help if you want to ride a bike. The closer that the simulated movement is to the true movement the greater the confusion.
Example - trying to improve your high jump ability by attaching weights to yourself does not help as you are training motor control to leap against a greater weight. Trying to mimic a sports movement in the gym is counter-productive although you do see a lot of people doing exactly that.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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I have a wobble board (a gift from Mrs Laundryman) permanently in the kitchen. I ruptured my Achilles a few years back (squash, not skiing) and that ankle can get a little stiff. Forward and back wobbling seems to help out.
I also try to emulate lateral skiing movement, and grasp the end of a work-top to simulate the centrifugal force of a turn. It feels good to me, so I agree with john wells: this exercise is "counter"-productive
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| Snowy wrote: |
I do all sorts of other exercises too....
Another one I do is the lean back again st the wall with my knees at right angles, for a minute or until my legs can't take the burn any longer. Is this the one you mean Mark Lehto? |
I was at the ski show last week talking to a ski fitness coach.
He said that the wall-leaning exercise used to be all the rage but wasn't actually very good (unless you just enjoyed the pain rush!)
He suggested more dynamic exercises:
* first do some stretches (really!!)
* do 10-20 squats. Keep your head forward and go right down into a tuck (use poles - or sticks).
* do the same with lunges - step right forward with 1 leg and move your weight onto the front foot. Don't let your knee go beyond your toes or you can hurt it)
* eventually try doing 'sumo squats'. Essentially put your feet 2-3' apart and squat like a sumo-wrestler. Make this a dynamic, walking motion by standing on your lead foot and turning as you stand and step into another squat.
My wife and I started running for several weeks before we went skiing last year (only my 2nd time). Well worth it to get some aerobic fitness - but it didn't do our thighs enough good. That's why we're doing some specific ski training this time around :sigh:
| Snowy wrote: |
I've just had a go with my hedgehog tonight after a half-hearted attempt when no one was looking in the office earlier on. I think it will do most of it's work strengthening up my ankles though.
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Have you tried doing it wearing ski boots?
I wonder whether a home-made wobble board in ski boots is a good idea. I think I'll try that later....
David
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