"Since I have been balancing on a ball, my backside is almost as strong as my frontside.  I can turn either way without crapping out on the bottom, and I don't have any problems making hard cutbacks. I'm much stronger at making turbulent whitewater sections, and that only means a longer ride."  S. Mays 10 Long Reasons or jump down to some scientific summary

1. Can’t get to the beach in time, no snow in weeks, winds aren't blowing, locked out of the gym, past your curfew, or just plain old grounded? Si-Board at any time, any place and any place you feel like. You need an open space of about 5 feet by 5 feet. Night owls bewar- the downstairs neighbors might not appreciate all the pounding.

2. Getting together with your friends? Going out of town? Traveling an hour to get to the waves, slopes, or concrete? Training out on the field or in the gym? Si-Boards are made for travel. Si-Boards will fit into a board (wake, body, surf, kite, etc.) bag and any other big bag you have around your house. Or just grab the board by the rail and take it with you. You can take Si-Boards equipment to the local park and turn some heads with your own traveling gym.

3. Is it getting warm in here? Just like your warm-up stretches, use the Si-Board for a dynamic warm-up to wake up your legs. You Increase the blood flow, muscle activation and nerve response in your body. Get yourself coordinated and balanced before heading out on your regular sport board or the field. Start your session with confidence.

4 Who is that super star? All sports from action sports, traditional collegiate sports, the Olympics, dart throwing, and even lumberjack competitions require dynamic actions. You need strength, coordination, and balance in multiple planes all at the same time. It makes sense to train for your sport in multiple planes on unbalanced surfaces and simultaneously. You learn to keep your balance and posture control when your legs are your driving force and your opponent (football lineman to the surf and wind) is slamming into you. Si-Boards offer all these benefits.

5. Ever felt a pop in your ankle? You are more likely to get injured when your muscles are fatigued and you lose your ability to balance effectively. Si-Boards constantly work your leg endurance and postural stability. Training your endurance and balance at the same time helps reduce the potential for injury when you are in your actual sport. After 30 minutes, if you aren’t tired then you really must be a super star.

6. Are you a show off? Learn new tricks at home and then show off in real time. Learn some new moves in a safe and controlled environment. If you fall off all you have to do is get back up and get back on the board. No need to paddle out again, ride the ski lift, or run up the ramp. Even for regular exercise (you know PE class) your ability to squat, lunge, dip, push-up... will increase in coordination and stamina. Take that GI Jane!

7. Is Si-Boarding hard? Yes. It takes about 30 minutes to learn how to ride smoothly and control the board when stopping or falling. Si-Boarding constantly keeps you challenged. The harder you ride with coordination- the better your workout. Training for your sport isn't supposed to be easy. Ideally you want to train in a controlled environment and challenge yourself to the max. When you do your actual sport or skill it will be easy compared to your training.

8. What's with the postural stability? Postural stability is your ability to maintain your upright balance, or balance in the position you are in, when opposing forces are trying to knock you down. If you have good postural stability your upper body can right itself while your lower body reacts. This ultimately translates to injury prevention and better sport performance.

9. Is Si-Boarding fun? Yes. No explanation needed. Well ok, if you are having fun... you continue to ride which can only mean you will get better and better... the Si-Board won't end up sitting in the corner like other equipment.

10. So why Si-Board? Why not.

Here is a short summary for easy reading

Need a little more scientific reason to get on a balance board and add a third dimension to your training? We put together a reference list and summary of recent articles with experiments related to balance. Download the science here

ACL and Lower Leg Involvement: Anterior Tibialis is important for balance, women have weak hip abductor strength and control of the knee when landing, landing should increase knee flexion angle, 75% of ankle injury in elite field hockey occurred during a match.  ACL patients have decreased muscle activation and greater postural sway.

Effects of Fatigue: Fatigue protocols decreases postural stability and static and dynamic balance.

Shoulder Injuries: Close chain exercises are beneficial, fatigue protocol decreases joint sense, swiss ball push-ups increase rectus abdominis and triceps activation.  Injury rate is 3 times more likely during competition with 57% player to player and 22% contact with ground for high school athletes.

Body Weight: Increased body weight decreases postural stability.  Balance may be affected by body weight fluctuations.

Spinal Health: Spinal position affects stability and functional exercises should be muli-planar with strategic contraction rhythm for spinal stability.  Whole body training is better for fall prevention.

Core Strength: Balance training will improve reactive ability to reduce lower body injury, core training should be in post-season and can be tested with endurance tests.  Swiss ball prone bridges increase rectus abdominis and external oblique activation.

Balance Training Effects: Balance training programs are effective to prevent reoccurring ankle injury for athletes and elderly.  Training is effective for symmetry of weight distribution for sedentary subjects after 4 weeks.

Dynamic Postural Control: Posture controls is better in the morning. Female basketball players lack postural control compared to gymnasts and soccer players.

Concentration: Postural control equates with drawing accuracy of children and distraction of baseball players in clinical and on field sites.