Balance techniques
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Balance techniques
Stance width Let ’ s start with stance width , and the urban legend that wider is more stable . It ’ s not . A wide stance gives you the impression of being more stable , more planted , but this is a false impression . While in fact you ARE more planted , this very fact leads to a rapid downward spiral in stability once the board starts to buck about .
If you ’ re standing close to the outer edge of a board ( regardless of it ’ s width ), and the board is tilted 20 degrees , your foot travels a long way upwards as the rail lifts ( several inches ). Along with this instability caused by this rising high foot trying to shift your ‘ centreline pole ’ off the centreline of the board that comes from raising your foot a half dozen inches upwards , comes the added instability ( further travel away from centreline ) of your lower foot going downwards by as many inches .
This has a tendency to move your entire body out of position with the centreline of the board , and your centre of gravity shifts to one side .
This shift of your centre of gravity will then apply force to the lower foot . The wider your stance , the more leverage you have . Less force is required to drive that low foot lower than with a narrower stance . So the shift of 20 or 30 pounds of body weight applies a large force on the lower foot , and the board tilts even further , moving your centre of gravity even further off the centreline … by now you get the picture .
Usually it ’ s all over , and you fall in . But as frequently , you valiantly try to save it , arching your upper body over your raised foot , shifting your imaginary vertical pole off vertical , or possibly bending it ( by bending your waist ). More often than not this results in the board making a violent correction and you end up in the same precarious position you were just in , but on the other side . This compounds as you rock from side to side before falling in .