Sports Product Review

Gnarly, dude. Trying to act like I know surf lingo is the surest way to make my kids roll their eyes. Even though I’ve lived half my life in Southern California, I’m not exactly part of the surfing and snowboarding scene. But I do know that athletes in any sport can benefit from a strong sense of balance. Using a balance board has been proven to not only enhance an athlete’s stability, but also increase strength and flexibility in knees and ankles, helping stave off injuries. Maybe the coolest boards are made by the folks at HoloHolo (www.holoholo.tv). I’ve had one sitting in the house for a couple weeks and it is fun watching all my kids walk by it on their way somewhere, stop, hop on and fall off a couple of times.

Step on, like riding a skateboard, and the board will have a slight roll and lots of tilt to challenge your balance. Once you are comfortable with the board touching the ground on both sides you can try to stay balanced in the small amount of travel or roll that is allowed by the Pipe-Lock and stops. There is a fine line you can feel when you are centered over the pipe roller and maintaining control. That same senstion is common to most board sports.

Are you a “twin-planker” like me? You can practice your skiing technique by placing your feet on the board inline with the pipe and board lengthwise. From the hips down it really does feel like you’re heading down the slopes. Bend your knees for more challenge.

But if you really want to know who the HoloHolo is aimed at, check out this pitch from the website: Your pint size kids will ride it and then shred the mountains, lakes, surf and sidewalk like never before. This is not just for the little groms, regular size humans love it for all the same reasons they love all of the Holoholo Boards. Like I said, “Gnarly.”