I need a few tips to help improve my balance. I have really good posture so I'm pretty sure that's not the problem. Does anyone have any off-ice tips to improve balance? I also heard balance takes a LONG time to develop, will I see an improvement in one month?

Yoga did great things for my balance.

Wobble boards help. Other exercises ... balance on one foot while bouncing a ball off a wall, or juggling it is a simple but effective one.

If you truly have a balance issue, then, a physiotherapist can be quite helpful in terms of diagnosing it and/or treating it. We have used this in the past.

If it's just getting your balance on your skates ... then, time, mileage, and practice are the key!

You'll definitely see a difference in the first month of skating. I can easily tell that my balance is much better than when I started, just from simple things like putting on my socks. It may take a long time to get perfect, but it will get much better really fast just from skating. I just do everything I can while standing on one foot, no idea if it actually helps on the ice. Probably the most important thing is just having strong enough leg muscles to correct your position without over-correcting.

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Do you have your own skates or are you using rentals? Rental boots tend to fit poorly and the blades are often dull, 2 factors that contribute to poor balance.

Kay

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I don't own my skates yet, I can't even get to a skating rink for 6 weeks.
That's why I'm trying to work on my balance off-ice because I want to get my balance, flexibility and strength in shape before then.

Work on core strength. CORE CORE CORE Can't emphasize that enough.

Gymnastics helped me a lot.

How do I work my core exactly? I tried sit-ups but all I felt was my lower back.

Pilates!

Of course, you really need to take a class with an instructor who can correct you. I did pilates for a year thinking "this is easy" and it wasn't until I got into a class, that I realized I was doing it all wrong, and that's why I was seeing no benefits. Working with someone who could tell when I was doing it right, vs cheating it- really showed huge benefits in core strength.

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I second Skittl in that some of this stuff really requires an instructor to make sure you're doing it right. If you're feeling your lower back pull on sit ups, you're not doing them optimally. You'll need someone to show you how to do a proper crunch. In the meantime, how about trying planks? Lie face down on the floor, then raise up to balance on your toes and forearms. You'll feel this in your abs.

Can anybody link to a picture so he can see what this looks like?

There is a very simple exercise that I learned at a PSA conference. You can do this any time and anywhere. Simply stand on one foot. Pick up one foot very slightly, about ankle height and balance on the other foot for a count of 10. Do both feet, of course. After you can get to 10 with no problem, increase the count.

I embellished this exercise with additional balancing with my weight on the ball of the foot and then on the heel.

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If this is too easy, close your eyes.

Or raise the free leg higher, use a wobble board or exercise ball, etc. Situps aren't the only way to work core muscles at all! Youtube can be a great source for videos of how to do various exercises. There are also a lot iphone apps if you have that, & several of them are free.