Our History
Hunter Joslin, a surfer and skateboarder for over 40 years, developed the Indo Board Balance Trainer over a thirty year span beginning with the first proto-type in 1975. In 1998 Hunter decided to market the Indo Board commercially and developed the brand, company website, distribution, marketing channels and officially launched the product in September of that year at the Surf Expo tradeshow in Orlando, Florida. Originally designed to train surfers out of the water, Hunter soon 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 and fun when using the Indo Board. Since that time Indo Board enjoys the distinction of being the most recognizable brand of balance trainers in the Action and Board Sports industries.
The Now
From its humble beginnings in a spare bedroom in Melbourne Beach, Florida, to the eventual move into our new office and warehouse in 2005, Indo Board Balance Trainer has stayed true to its commitment of quality and customer service. In recent years Indo Board Balance Trainers have become increasingly popular as a tool for improving balance and for proprioceptive conditioning in all types of athletes in sports ranging from archery to ice hockey. We are proud to have endorsements from countless Olympic Medalists, World Champions, National Champions and other elite athletes in virtually every sport.
The Future
Today we are continuing to expand into the Health and Fitness Industry as an excellent tool for training clients ranging from young to old that are looking for a new, innovative, safe and fun way to improve their balance, proprioception, kinesthetic and postural awareness, kinetic chain stability, agility, coordination, core strength and neuromuscular response. Indo Board is now also found in many elementary, middle and high schools all over the United States and Europe as a tool for introducing youth to a fun, effective way of being active while improving balance, coordination and agility.
Founder Biography
Indo Board Founder Hunter Joslin hard at work
Indo Board founder, Hunter Joslin, has always been fascinated with and passionate about balance. As an avid competitive swimmer, at age 11 he had his first introduction to a homemade balance board kept by a water safety instructor at the country club swimming pool where he was a team member. These were different than the store bought kind of the day (the Bongo Board), in that they had no keel on the bottom of the board or channel in the roller. This balance board was rectangular in shape with stops on both ends; the roller was solid wood and longer than the width of the deck, which made it more stable. The balance boards were a fun diversion for the swim team members, as they would take turns trying to outdo each other, contesting the amount of time they could stay balanced without letting the deck touch the ground.
The surfing boom of the 60's hit Hunter full tilt in 1965, and he was going to the beach at every possible chance to pursue the latest teen craze. One day he re-discovered one of the abandoned homemade balance boards used at the pool, which he quickly claimed as his own. This began an obsession with mastering the device. He would ride on the balance board every night while doing his homework after swim practice. On the sidewalk or in his garage, he would spend hours upon hours on the board, becoming quite proficient, inventing tricks and innovative maneuvers while striving to do something new, always pushing the limits. The results were evident in his surfing, as he could ride a surfboard better than most of his friends who were spending much more time actually surfing.
In 1973 he started working for Lower Eastside Surfboards as a sander and a polisher. With the newly discovered urethane wheels reviving the sport of skateboarding, Hunter began building skateboards, as well as skimboards, and balance boards, which led to the discovery of the unique Indo Board design when he mounted a skimboard on a roller. The wider deck allowed for a more stable ride, and a greatly increased range of motion, which brought hours upon hours of fun experimentation. In 1976 Hunter took a serious look at the possibility of designing and marketing a balance board when he traveled to Washington D.C. to research patents, and educate himself about the legalities and logistics of developing the concept. He quickly decided that the timing was not right, and that his motivations were much more focused on following his surfing and skateboarding endeavors.
Surfing led him to embrace skateboarding as a means to stay in shape for the next swell, and he became well entrenched in the "Dogtown Era" of the sport. While managing the Skateboard Safari Skatepark in West Palm Beach, Hunter formed the Sims East Coast Skateboard Team. His frequent trips out to California shooting 16mm and Super 8 movies brought the latest skateboard moves back to the East Coast. The Sims team, consisting of Mike Folmer, Scott "Red" McCranels, Chris West, Chuck Lagana and John Textor dominated the Florida skateboard competition scene. Along the way Hunter discovered he had a knack for announcing these events with a comic flair and precise descriptive overview of the maneuvers and action. In 1978 Hunter was spending two weeks per month out in California, deeply immersed in the birth of vertical skateboarding. Traveling with Tom "Wally" Inouye, Curtis Hesselgrave, and Chris Strople, Hunter found himself announcing the first Henry Hester Pro Bowl Series. He also wrote numerous articles for Skateboarder Magazine. In 1979, as the fledgling sport of professional surfing was gaining momentum, he traveled to Australia with Larry Bertleman, Dane Kealoha, and Louis Ferrera, acting as their chief cook and bottlewasher, while surfing awesome waves with some of the world's best surfers. This proved to be a pivotal period in Hunter's life, as he formed lasting relationships within the world of pro surfing that continue today. In 1983 he picked up the microphone at a pro surfing event in Jensen Beach, Florida. His broadcasting style, presence and personality were an instant hit, effectively launching his m/c career in professional surfing. To date he has announced over 150 professional surfing events including 16 ASP Pro Tour events in California, Australia, Barbados, Costa Rica and the East Coast. He also announced the very first two Professional Wakeboard Tour events in 1991 as well as several events for the Women on Water Pro Waterskiing and Wakeboarding Tours. In 1998 Hunter was hired by NBC to be the Head Judge for the Gravity Games street luge and downhill skateboard events in Providence, Rhode Island. He made his national TV debut when he disqualified Biker Sherlock in a controversial skateboard race with Lee Dansie. Biker eventually went on to become the West Coast Distributor of Indo Boards. Throughout the years he has remained an avid surfer, and has evolved into a world-class longboarder, recognized as a member of the legendary Donald Takayama Hawaiian Pro Designs team.
Hunter's worldwide surfing adventures have taken him to 23 countries including Japan, Barbados, Nicaragua, Panama, El Salvador, Costa Rica, Mexico, Peru, Ecuador, Chile, Puerto Rico, the Bahamas, France, England, Hawaii, Indonesia, Australia, and the Galapagos Islands. He parlayed his travel experiences into several different business endeavors, including a woodcarving and bamboo furniture import business from Bali, importing bikinis from Australia, and a travel agency for surfers. In the late nineties he ultimately decided what he really wanted to do was pursue his passion and belief that he could design, build, and market a better balance board, one that was versatile, fun, and functional at the same time. This led to a nine-month research and development period; numerous deck and roller prototypes were made and tested. In the fall of 1998 the Indo Board Balance Trainer was incorporated and trademarked, and a new era in balance boards was launched. Originally designed to train surfers out of the water, Hunter soon discovered that the apparatus was much more than just a surfing simulator. Users reported increased leg strength and flexibility, so it became apparent that the Indo Board was an excellent cross trainer for all sports and fitness disciplines. Hunter's keen interest in the dynamics of balance led to a fervent study of the concept of proprioception, biomechanics, and functional mobility training. Today he has emerged as a qualified, passionate coach of balance training and advocate of core fitness, earning him such descriptives as the "Balance Sensei" and the "Balance Whisperer", or simply "Indo MAN".
"The future appears to have no boundaries, as the basic elements of all athletic endeavors - balance, posture, and core fitness are addressed by using the Indo Board."
-"Get Indo it"!