Why do you need an Indo Board?
Here in the UK we may be living on an island surrounded by sea, but that doesn’t necessarily mean we have the surf on our doorstep. Cold winters, the 9 to 5 weekly grind and distance to the beach means that many fans of Stand up Paddle boarding (SUP) and Surfing don’t get to play out in the sea as often as they would like. The obvious disadvantage of being a SUP’er or Surfer in the UK is that you end up with less time to devote to your favourite hobby, however another problem you may not have thought of is that lack of practise equals lack of fitness.
Lack of SUP fitness and Surfing fitness is a biiiiig deal as it means that when the day arrives that all the stars align and you actually manage to haul ass to the beach for some Stand up paddleboard or surfing action, your stamina only lasts 30 minutes before your dragging you weary, achey limbs back to shore…Not cool! This is where an indo board can help you out.
What is an Indo board?
An Indo Board is a type of balance board made up of essentially a plank of wood resting on a roller or inflatable cushion which you stand on to recreate the motion of riding a surfboard in your own living room. Not only are Indo boards great fun, they are also a great tool for improving core strength and overall SUP fitness and surfing fitness.
The Indo board roller option shown in the picture above offers you a really fun way to improve your favourite surfing and board sport tricks away from the surf, snow or skate park. There are tonnes of tricks you can try to master including “hanging ten” for longboard fans or “ollies” for Skateboard enthusiasts, as well as many more. A perfect way to keep your surfing skills up to scratch during the long winter months.
That’s not all, the Indo Board cushion option is where the real workout happens as it draws on balance, coordination, and increased leg strength, to enhance and improve core stability…and that’s what’s going to keep you on your SUP board or Surfboard for longer once you hit the sea.
Indo Boards in action
Still not convinced? check out some of these videos of Indo boards in action to understand the true benefit it can bring to your SUP and Surf fitness…
Indo Board Tricks
If it’s tricks you’re after, check out the self-titled “Awesome Indo Board Girl” for a bit of inspiration:
Indo Board Fitness
For those looking for ways to improve their SUP fitness or surfing fitness, this video of US snowboarding Queen Gretchen Bleiler should give you a few tips on how to fit Indo Board exercises into your gym routine:
You can visit out shop pages to buy your own Indo Board.
Got a favourite Indo board trick or video? Add it to the comments below to share will fellow Indo Board enthusiasts!
Laura,
This is brilliant stuff. I’ve seen these in the gym and they look really cool.
What benefits do you think they can give the novice surfer? I can’t say I know much about surfing but i’ve been intrigued by these after seeing them in the gym.
How can they benefit me?
Thanks
Ryan
Hi Ryan,
Thanks for your kind words!
In my opinion Indo Boards are perfect for novice surfers and stand up paddle boarders because they give you the opportunity to practise your technique and improve your balance without the added stress of battling against the tide….plus there is the added bonus that you can play on them after the suns gone down etc – A real bonus for keeping your skill levels up over the dark winter months!
Plus it’s pretty versatile…there is a ‘roller’ option which is cool if you want to work on tricks, or the inflatable cushion’s great for building up your core strength, balance etc which will help you when your out on the real thing. (Check out the video above if you haven’t already).
If you need more convincing, there’s a ton of vids on youtube of people doing tricks, exercises etc…Hope that helps! :-)