In this blog post, I am reviewing a product that I have used on and off for many years. I still have the same device that I had over 20 years ago! Someone gave it me as a Christmas present. You can get newer versions but this one still does the job for me. It is called a Powerball Gyroscope and its main use is for rehabilitation of muscle after sporting injuries.
As with my past breathing device blog, there are various products out there that might not be designed for musicians to use, but can be extremely useful, this is one of them. This post has some affiliate links in the images and below.
I play the guitar as well as the euphonium and this device is valuable for both instruments. Almost all musical instruments require strong fingers, hands and wrists but also require agility, sensitivity and endurance.
I recently spoke to a few adult brass players who expressed that they felt pain in the forearm and hand while playing. This is a device I recommended they try because when I use it, I do notice a positive difference, enabling me to have better control when playing things faster. One of the biggest things musicians on any instruments want help with is strength and speed. While these two areas might not be the most important areas of your technique, they both play a huge part.
There is never anything better than quality practice on your musical instrument. For brass players I have a past post all about how to improve your technique. Sometimes though, we just don't have time for proper practice or might have times where practice is not suitable, but using a device like the Powerball or Ultrabreathe could make good use of your time.
I have my Powerball at my desk and usually use it while I am doing jobs on my computer. Or I use it while I am resting during euphonium practice. For me, I don't have any special routine, I just use it until I feel a bit of an ache or burn and then switch sides. Maybe doing 3 sets of this takes about 5 minutes and I like to experiment to see if I can work muscles in different locations, like the shoulder. Just the same as you would when going to a gym. There are plenty of videos showing how to increase speed and strength using the Powerball on Youtube.
View a selection of different Powerball products on Amazon with my affiliate link - HERE
The ball comes with a thin cord which you use to get it spinning and it can feel strange to begin with and tricky to keep the momentum but once you get used to it, it can also be quite therapeutic.
You can get newer versions that are self starting, have higher rpm and a digital display feature, but these are more costly.
View a selection of other trainers available for musicians - HERE
Thanks for reading! ❤🎵
Mark Glover
08/12/2024
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