I’ve found that training using a surf balance board is a great way to stay surf-fit when you can’t get into the ocean. In particular, focused balance board exercises are a great way to improve your balance. Additionally, balance board exercises will help improve your surfing by improving your ankle, knee and glute strength, agility and flexibility.
Over the last decade, many surfers, including the team at Beginner Surf Gear, have taken to using balance boards to improve their balance, as well as their core strength and agility.
These days, there isn’t a surf camp worth it’s salt that doesn’t have a surf balance board available to its guests.
The Best Surf Balance Board for Surfers
The best balance board for surfers is the balance board that is available to you – whether it’s bought, borrowed or a DIY!
We’ve tried and tested almost every surf balance board in search of the board that provides the most enjoyable experience and best correlates with surfing movements.
At Beginner Surf Gear, we all agree that the Blue Planet Balance Surfer is the best surf balance board for surfers who want to improve their surfing.
The Blue Planet Balance Surfer: The best balance board for surfers
The Blue Planet Balance Surfer is the only balance board designed by surfers for surfers.
Additionally, the Balance Surfer provides the best value for money by offering seven different balance levels within one board.
Best of all, this balance board accurately simulates the balancing sensation you get while surfing or skating.
Another remarkable aspect of the Balance Surfer is that it comes with three different top-sheet options: EVA foam, clear skate, and black skate. This means that the Balance Surfer can be used for lots of different workouts.
Additionally, the team at Blue Planet provide plenty of videos with ideas for exercises you can try!
The Blue Planet Balance Board is PERFECT for beginner surfers!
The Balance Surfer is perfect for beginner surfers as it includes three separate balance modules that can be used to adjust balance difficulty.
In short, ANYONE can start using the Balance Surfer, no matter their skill level. It will support you to progress from a complete beginner and level up with you as you increase your confidence and skill.
Blue Planet has also designed the surfer to support practicing rotations on the board, which simulates the motion of cutbacks and turns in surfing.
Similarly, the Blue Planet Balance Surfer is a great balance board to support rehab as part of physical therapy and injury recovery to strengthen muscles and joints.
This is because you can incrementally increase the difficulty level of this surf balance board as you recover.
Without any plastic balance modules inserted, the Balance Surfer operates in what is called “Office Mode”. This is an ideal way to improve posture, engage your core and increase blood flow while remaining entirely focused when working at a standing desk.
With the challenging balance module inserted, the Balance Surfer is an ideal training tool for anyone wanting to improve their balance. The unique 360 balance challenge is optimized to simulate the balance required in board sports such as surfing, foiling, supping, skateboarding, snowboarding, wakeboarding, kitesurfing and windsurfing.
Balance Board Reviews
There are many different types of balance boards, and loads of reviews cover each type. However, this post mainly focuses on the balance boards that most closely simulate surfing.
The rocker-roller balance board is seen as the most challenging balance board to use. This is because the wheeling motion, combined with the left-right tilting motion, makes staying on the board very difficult. However, there is quite a broad range of rocker-roller balance boards on the market.
We also cover non-rocker-roller balance boards, designed explicitly with surfing in mind. These boards have custom features designed to simulate surfing and other board sports.
RevBalance Swell 2.0: Designed for surfers and skaters
The RevBalance Swell 2.0 is specifically designed for surfers and skateboarders and handcrafted locally in the USA. If you can’t get out for a shred, then the Revolution Swell is the ideal indoor replacement for surfing.
You might not be able to cut back, but you’ll be able to ride the nose, practice equilibrium balance and simulate the sensation of the force of the wave.
The balance and coordination skills learned using the RevBalance Swell 2.0 translate into tangible improvements in the water. In addition, the Swell makes for a fun toy around the house when friends come over.
It makes for excellent entertainment. But, if you’re a surfing or skateboarding novice, fear not; the Swell allows you to start slow and work your way up to becoming a balance board aficionado.
Combining these attributes with the Magswitch stop system allows for various heel-to-toe and side-to-side balance training moves. This also makes the Swell balance board ideal for tricks like cross-stepping to the nose and simulating popping up on the board.
Indo Board: The original balance board for surfers
The Indo Board is probably the most well-known balance board for surfing. This is because it’s been around the longest and is built with high-quality wood for the board and plastic for the roller.
Shortboarders can practice riding barrels on this board by dropping into the pig-dog position. Longboards can practice their nose riding by bringing the board over to the edge of the roller.
The Indo Board was originally designed to be used indoors, but people use it anywhere where there is enough space to roll back and forth – on a porch, tennis court, or garden.
When you use the Indo Board, make sure to have cleared the surrounding area of any sharp or potentially dangerous objects in case of a fall. Since the Indo board is the original balance board, first introduced in 1998, it’s attained somewhat of a cult following. As a result, many Indo Board enthusiasts have over the years invented their own tricks of which many can be watched on YouTube.
Revolution 101 A great balance board for beginner surfers
This Revolution 101 Balance Board is constructed from an 11-ply hardwood, making it highly durable. It also comes with a soft-track gripped top deck – essentially a finer sandpaper texture than the Indo Board.
Improve your balance skill and body control, all while getting a workout. The 101 balance board is extremely fun to use. The roller is smaller than the Indo Board roller making it easier to ride with less variability. So is a great starter balance board for beginner surfers!
The roller is made from ultra-dense plastic, which reduces vibration and sound. It comes in pretty rad colors and is one of the sleekest balance boards on the market today.
Core Trucks Balance Board Trainer: A Fast and Responsive Balance Board
The Core Trucks Balance Board Trainer is a faster, more responsive surf balance board. This is due to its rail-system design that allows for seamless vertical tracking up and down the board. Additionally, the Core Trucks Board more closely resembles a skateboard due to its narrower dimensions.
The Core Trucks Balance Board also offers quick heel-to-toe rotational performance, simulating sports like surfing, snowboarding and skateboarding. Its narrow, twin-tip deck and steep rocker allow for fast energy transfer from hips to legs and finally to the board for perfect lower-body conditioning.
The downside to this board is that it cannot slide on the roller at different angles and do skating tricks like ollies and shove-its.
The board is made of high-quality maple ply and consists of a concave deck with shovel ends and skateboard grip tape on the top deck. In addition, it comes with a 4.25-inch wooden roller.
Whirly Board Wide: The Best Standing Desk Balance Board
The Whirly Board Wide is another innovative balance board coming out of the balance board revolution.
The Whirly Board is designed primarily to be used in an office with a standing desk setup. Instead of a roller, it comes with a fully adjustable air cushion base, making it easier to balance. As you improve your balance, you can inflate the base for more of a challenge.
Standing desks have become increasingly popular recently, especially for surfers stuck in the office. Many studies have shown that standing at a desk for at least half the workday can improve efficiency and personal well-being.
When you throw the Whirly Board into the mix, it not only helps you increase the benefits of your standing desk, but it’s a lot more fun. So it’s no wonder more people are buying balance boards for standing desks.
Let’s face it, finding time to get to the gym or stick to your running schedule is challenging. So using the Whirly Board at your desk is a great solution!
By getting you into a more fun and exercise-centric habit, the Whirly Board forces you to engage your core which will help prevent back pain.
Go on! Challenge the status quo this year. Try a Whirly Board balance at your standing desk. Perhaps you may even be able to get work to pay for it as part of your employee benefits.
Do it Yourself (DIY): Make Your Own Balance Board
Making your own balance board may be fun if you’re more of a DIY-type person.
To create a balance board for surfing, you’ll need to procure the parts which will – the board and the roller.
Before I bought my Blue Planet Balance Surfer, the first balance board I made used a foam roller that I already had and an unused bookcase shelf.
The easiest way to make the roller is from PVC pipe or foam roller. The roller must be proportional to your board if you want the most benefit. If the PVC pipe you’re using is relatively small in circumference, the board you use should be shorter.
For the board, you can use any piece of wood. For example, procuring an old skateboard or skimboard deck can work very well and keep costs down. Alternatively, you can buy some seven or 8-ply wood from a hardware store and then cut and sand it down to your exact size specifications. From there, you can paint it, add a layer of grip tape and then add a layer of varnish to make your surf balance board unique.
Conclusion
Balance boards are an ideal solution to improve your surfing when you’re not in water. Your training goals will ultimately determine which balance board exercises you choose to do.
Remember that if you’re a complete surfing beginner, learning to surf on a foam surfboard is a great starting point. Using a foam surfboard in conjunction with a surf balance board can help beginner surfers accelerate their learning path at a rapid rate.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are balance boards worth it?
Absolutely! In our experience, balance boards significantly help beginner surfers by increasing their confidence in their balance and overall core strength. Additionally, balance boards help beginner surfers get comfortable with counterbalancing to avoid falling and learning to fall “safely”.
Are balance boards safe?
Yes! Balance boards are safe. In fact, balance boards provide a fun way to learn how to fall safely and get more comfortable changing your center of gravity, which will improve your safety in the long run.
The most important thing to remember when using a balance board is to set it up in a suitable location. So that if you fall, you won’t run into any obstructions that may cause an injury.
Is a balance board good for surfing?
Yes! We can say confidently, from experience that training with a balance board will improve your surfing by helping you get comfortable with adapting to a moving centre of gravity. Similarly, balance boards are great for skaters and other board-riders alike.
Which balance board is the best?
At Beginner Surf Gear, we all agree that the Blue Planet Balance Surfer is the best surf balance board for surfers who want to improve their surfing.