As the amount of physical activity children experience in
and out of school has declined in recent years, youngsters
have become more overweight and less physically fit. To help
reverse this trend, more and more fitness experts are stressing
that increased emphasis be focused on lifelong fitness activities.
Critics of traditional physical education curriculums suggest
that sweeping changes are needed in the "old school"
approaches to PE, and that innovative new programs that emphasize
fitness, health awareness, and life-long exercise habits can
foster dramatic results in student interest, participation,
and overall health and well being.
Enter a new generation of physical education concepts that
stress lifelong fitness activities, such as walking, biking,
skateboarding, tennis, wall climbing, etc. When students are
exposed to non-traditional activities that they want to participate
in, they can develop a passion for lifelong fitness and good
health, which is the ultimate goal of physical education.
The Indo
Board was developed by Hunter Joslin, a passionate surfer
with over 40 years of experience. Originally designed to train
surfers out of the water, Mr. Joslin quickly discovered from
a growing cadre of Indo Board enthusiasts that the apparatus
was much more than a surfing simulator. Users reported increased
leg strength, flexibility, and core fitness while having fun
riding the board. As more and more people discovered the positive
benefits of using the Indo Board, the product has emerged
as an effective, uncomplicated, and enjoyable balance training
tool, which can be enjoyed by young and old alike.
Indo Board and the New PE
The Indo
Board Balance Trainer offers a unique and innovative way
to provide cooperative balance and stability training to students.
The Indo Board enhances core strength development while improving
balance, power, and agility. It offers controlled progressive
resistance to ones balance. Training on the Indo
Board teaches the user to lower their center of gravity,
thus improving agility. It improves balance, therefore increasing
power, and builds core strength through a variety of training
exercises.
The Indo
Board can be used as a fundamental balance trainer in
elementary, middle, and high school programs, or as an advanced
sport specific training tool for elite level athletes. Offering
a unique "instability" to one's balance, the Indo
Board will improve an athlete's performance by reinforcing
correct form and posture during strength and power related
movement. The Indo Board also creates a unique and fun physical
education experience for students of all ages.
The Indo Board was originally created as a practice tool
for balance dependent board sports such as surfing, skateboarding,
snowboarding, and wakeboarding, but it's user base has naturally
expanded to all sports and movement activities such as dance
and karate. The low center of gravity, form, posture, and
core strength required by these sports are greatly enhanced
through sport specific training on the Indo Board. These same
principals of correct form and balance translate to virtually
all sports, and lay a foundation for superior athletic performance.
The Indo Board is an exciting and dynamic addition to any
PE class, athletic program, or youth group of any age or skill
level. The Indo Board engages the mind as well as the body,
and encourages the user to embrace new challenges, building
life-long wellness by developing characteristics such as problem
solving, goal setting, courage, positive risk taking, perseverance,
will power, patience, confidence, and self-esteem.
Indo Boarding and the National Standards for Physical
Education
The Indo Board enables the student to experience stability
exercises and activities by having them attempt to balance
the board on a roller or the IndoFLO
balance cushion. The objective is for the student to balance
on the Indo Board and keep the ends from touching the ground.
Students can vary the difficulty by adjusting the inflation
of the IndoFLO cushion or by progressing to the more challenging
roller. Movements are similar to those used in skateboarding,
surfing, snowboarding, wakeboarding, and other land based
sports.
Standard 1: Demonstrates competency in motor
skills and movement patterns needed to perform a variety of
physical activities.
Stability movements may
include:
maintenance of balance on the
Indo Board while on flat ground
maintenance of balance on the
board while on the IndoFLO balance cushion
maintenance of balance on the
board while on the cylinder
single skill while on the IndoFLO
or roller
Skills may vary by having the student balance on feet only,
or by a combination of hands and feet. Skill Related Benefits:
Balance as well as core stability, which is necessary in many
sports, can be achieved through repetitive practice in stability
training.
Standard 2: Demonstrates understanding of
movement concepts, principles, strategies, and tactics as
they apply to the learning and performance of physical activities.
Students using the Indo Board will need to be instructed
on, or proficient in the understanding of balance and counter-balance.
Once this understanding is developed through instruction and
experience, students will learn to adjust their body weight
and movement to maintain balance throughout the skills being
performed.
Skill Related Benefits: Balance as well as core stability,
which is necessary in many sports, can be achieved through
repetitive practice in stability training.
Principles of specificity can
be achieved by targeting core strength and endurance goals.
Core strength and endurance are necessary for optimal performance
in related sports like skateboarding, kiteboarding, surfing,
windsurfing, snowboarding, wakeboarding, and other land
based sports. Muscles must be stressed beyond what is normally
used. Opportunities for practice and improvement can be
experienced relative to this principle. As individuals improve
their balance and core strength and endurance, longer lengths
of time can be spent on the Indo Board while performing
various skills and maneuvers.
Standard 3: Participates regularly in physical
activity
The Indo Board simulates many of the movements and muscles
used in water activities like kiteboarding and windsurfing.
Since it also targets the muscles one needs for good posture,
core strength, and stability, it is a great activity alone,
or as a way to condition and improve one's form for participation
in numerous water and land based sports and activities. It
is an activity that can easily be incorporated into many types
of programs, or on one's own time at home or with friends.
Standard 4: Achieves and maintains a health-enhancing
level of physical fitness.
Emphasis with stability exercises on core muscle strength
and endurance. Physical fitness goals that target core muscle
strength and endurance can be achieved through regular practice
with stability training equipment like the Indo Board.
Stability exercises and training aides like the Indo Board
can help to improve one's posture. By participating in stability
activities like Indo Boarding, abdominal, back, and trunk
muscles can get stronger. These muscles help support a healthy
body in many activities of daily life. Additionally, with
a stronger midsection, an individual may increase physical
performance and prevent lower back or abdominal injury.
Health Related Benefits: Principles of muscular strength
and muscle endurance are health related physical fitness
concepts that can be achieved by stability training.
Standard 5: Exhibits responsible personal
and social behavior that respects self and others in physical
activity settings.
The Indo Board activity is an innovative way to work on fitness.
Though there are specific guidelines and rules for use, students
learn to respect each other's abilities and challenges using
the Indo Board because it is an activity where even the most
skilled athlete can have difficulty. This activity also demonstrates
to students the need for them to be responsible for their
behavior around others because of the need to watch out for
each other.
Standard 6: Values physical activity for
health, enjoyment, challenge, self-expression, and/or social
interactions
Students work in partners or small groups to challenge and
interact with each other while using the Indo Board. Students
are taught to spot each other, motivate and encourage each
other, and challenge each other to get better. Through activities
such as Indo Boarding, students get opportunities to talk
to each other while they work out. They also have opportunities
for self-expression by creating single or combinations of
different movements and skills (e.g. creating and naming their
own tricks, maneuvers, and skills).
As far as our Indo Board club, it has about 20-25 members,
and these kids were from all walks of life. I have skaters,
cheerleaders, and even kids who didn't like physical activity
like PE, but love working on Indo Boards.
Quote from Candee Stuchlik 2008 Middle School Teacher of
the Year from Witchita, Kansas.
"As far as how the use of Indo Boards has impacted
us at Heights, I use them within my Freshmen Foundations
curriculum, which is the course students have to take in
order to graduate in the state of KS. I use the Indo Boards
during our Fitness Unit as an exercise through fitness circuits.
We use the boards for push ups, squats, just core work
for balance. We also use the rollers for push ups, to practice
rolling them with their feet. We use the IndoFLO cushions
for balancing during our Orientation unit, when they are
paired with a partner and work on throwing/catching. In
my girls weights class, they are an integral part of our
weights workouts. We use them in the weight room with padded
bars, medicine balls, dumb bells, and lots of body weight
exercises."
Biography: Hunter Joslin, from Melbourne
Beach, Florida, is a lifelong Surfer with more than 48 years
of surfing experience in over 25 countries around the world.
He developed the Indo Board Balance Trainer over
a 30 year span beginning with the first proto-type in 1975.
Originally designed to train surfers out of the water, Mr.
Joslin discovered from his growing cadre of loyal Indo Board
fans that the apparatus was much more than a surfing simulator.
Users reported increased leg strength and core fitness while
experiencing a high degree of entertainment when using the
Indo Board.
In 1998, Mr. Joslin decided to market the Indo Board commercially,
developing the Indo Board brand, company
website, distribution and marketing channels, and presenting
the Indo Board product line at trade shows for surfing, outdoor
life styles, snowboarding, fitness, and physical education.
Indo Board Balance Trainer officially entered the business
world in September 1998 with its introduction at the Surf
Expo in Orlando, Florida.
Introduction
