Union Force vs. Strata snowboard binding review

So I was obsessed with researching bindings and was primarily focused on getting the Strata, but then I saw the 5 pack Force binding and it caught my eye.

I decided to buy both the red 2022 Union Strata and the 2021 limited edition “5 pack” Union Force binding. Ohh and before I get into it I will mention changes for 2024 and there will be links on the bottom of the page for more info on those.

Union Force snowboard binding review (vs. the Strata)

This is a review of the Union Force snowboard binding compared to the Strata. This is actually a limited edition “5 pack” model from 2021.


Of course you must be wondering…

How does this 2021 model compare to the 2024?

It depends on the model.

In 2024 there are two options for the Force.

  1. The Force in 2024 has a redesign that does away with the classic Force highback look. The ankle straps have been updated to the Exoframe 6.0 padded Ankle Strap. And the toe strap to the TS 5.0 Rhombus Toe Strap.
  2. The Force classic 2024 is very similar to the 2021. The only difference I see isthat the ExoFrame 4.0 Ankle Strap and the 2.0 Rhombus toe strap have a slightly different look.

2022-2024 Union Strata snowboard binding review

This is a review of the 2022 Union Strata snowboard binding. I rode this binding first.

The 2022 model did not appear to be any different from the 2021. The only visible difference I could see was that the word “Strata” was not on the highback.

The 2024 Strata also does not appear any different than the 2022 except for a different color way (black, royal blue, red, and white). The black one looks cool and I really like the shape of the Strata highback.

The straps, highback (no holes in 2024), baseplate and buckles appear to be the same as 2022.

The one I got in the video above was the team highback.

What did I think?

I tried the Strata first. And it was definitely different feeling at first and a bit painful underfoot. Perhaps it was the mini-disk or my boots or whatever. It did feel more loose.

The footbed is wider and there was some extra space between my boot and the interior sides of the binding.

The Force was tighter fitting meaning my boot cinched up tighter on the sides.

The Strata feels a little lower to the board and little more flexy. The Force feels a little more stiff underfoot (standard baseplate?) and more responsive.

It’s a little more powerful and aggressive feeling to me.

The Strata looser. More casual. More barefoot feeling.

What I didn’t like

  1. One of the toe straps on the Force (despite being the same on the Strata) would slip off occasionally and had a funny sort of warp to it. A random imperfection.
  2. They are painted bindings and that stuff chips and scratches off easily. But perhaps most metal bindings are like that.
  3. The extra space in the Strata (the footbed is wide).

The Strata’s a little less adjustable. There is no adjustable toe ramp and the heel area is less adjustable. The Force is more adjustable.

If you like lots of forward lean then the Strata has less cause you can only adjust it so far (3 settings I believe), but it’s more of a “freestyle” focused binding as they say so many may not want much.

And the Strata forward lean adjustment isn’t as easy to adjust but most people don’t fiddle with that much so it doesn’t really matter.

The Force is more of an all mountain binding. But whatever binding you get you can ride it anywhere, don’t feel too limited by the labels.

I suspect the Strata would feel better for jibs, but I personally don’t jib much.

As far as shock absorption goes I think they are both good. The Force has a thicker softer area underfoot. The Strata’s isn’t as high and the material is more rubbery.

Holy highbacks?!

Both bindings are available with holy highbacks;-) if you like them – I don’t. But the holy highbacks were discontinued with the Strata in 2023.

According to one of the Union reps I was emailing the highbacks with holes are  a “tad bit softer”.

The Strata highback doesn’t really have any padding whereas the Force has a lot.

The Strata is a bit more minimalist. I like the asym shape though.

Other snowboard bindings I was thinking about

Other bindings I was considering/comparing were several Salomon shadow fit bindings and the Bent Metal Transfer. In the end I went with these two. Salomon’s kind of looked cool, I was tempted to try out their shadow fit, but being a ski company kind of turned me off a little;-).

The Bent Metals are cool. I like Mervin’s stuff (currently ride a Lib board (Banana Magic), but I went with the Union’s. Maybe they felt a little heavier to me or liked the design of Union’s better.

Older bindings I had were old Burton Missions. I’ve had a few Burton bindings and wanted to try something new.

Learn more about the 2024 Union Force and Strata on Evo.com or Amazon

On Amazon:

Update. One of my ankle connectors on my Force bindings began to crack so I contacted Union and they sent me a new one in like a week!

“…So, if you break, or even crack your baseplate or heelcup during riding, we’ll replace it for life. Guaranteed.” – Union bindings

Best snow for snowboarding in the Northeast?

Who gets the most snow in the Northeast? If you are looking for a new snowboarding mountain to call home or some good places to go snowboarding/skiing in New England then this is for you.

The biggest mountains or ski areas in the Northeast lie in New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine.

The tallest mountains in the Northeast lie in New Hampshire (Mt. Washington), but is that where the most snow is?

Yeah, possibly due to its’ higher elevation, but there is no ski area up there and areas to the west tend to get more snow so they say.

Who gets the most snow in New England?

This is kind of general but interesting. The most snow (annual snowfall average) unfortunately in New England is in a portion of New York known for its’ lake effect snow but there aren’t any tall ski areas there. Big NY ski areas like Whiteface and Gore are to the east.

Then in VT you have Jay towards the top leftish, Stowe and Smugglers. Then going south you have Sugarbush, Killington, etc.

Then the deepest places in NH are in the very north, around Mt. Washington, Wildcat, Cannon, Bretton Woods and Loon ski area.

The deepest snows there are maybe 200″ a year in Wildcat and the rest being closer to 160″ like Cannon was where I worked.

Cannon has a similar or higher elevation than some places in VT but it’s icy as hell.

Highest snowfall in Vermont and the Northeast so they say:

  1. Jay Peak (350+)
  2. Stowe (300+)
  3. Smugglers notch (300+)

I was skeptical and dug a little deeper and found city snowfall totals. They did kind of vary depending on the site, but I did find usa.com and New York gets the most snow. But like I said there are no big ski mountains in those areas that you will see below.

Vermont Average Snow City Rank

A total of 294 results found. Show Results on Map.

Rank Average Snow ? City / Population
1. 149.64 inches Cabot, VT / 246
2. 143.72 inches East Calais, VT
3. 142.87 inches Woodbury, VT
4. 138.05 inches West Danville, VT
5. 137.12 inches North Troy, VT / 572
6. 136.82 inches Troy, VT / 153
7. 136.59 inches Westfield, VT
8. 136.54 inches Marshfield, VT / 298
9. 136.26 inches Hyde Park, VT / 511
10. 136.09 inches Lowell, VT / 129
11. 135.96 inches Albany, VT / 204
12. 135.31 inches Craftsbury, VT
13. 135.07 inches Morrisville, VT / 2,194
14. 134.54 inches Eden Mills, VT
15. 132.34 inches Danville, VT / 346
16. 131.89 inches North Hyde Park, VT
17. 131.57 inches Johnson, VT / 1,316
18. 131.21 inches Peacham, VT
19. 130.70 inches Lake Elmore, VT
20. 127.40 inches Stowe, VT / 587

Troy is near Jay Peak and Stowe is near Stowe and Smugglers notch.

New Hampshire Average Snow City Rank

A total of 264 results found. Show Results on Map.

Rank Average Snow ? City / Population
1. 111.92 inches Pittsburg, NH
2. 109.78 inches West Stewartstown, NH / 283
3. 108.82 inches Colebrook, NH / 1,404
4. 101.60 inches Jackson, NH
5. 101.40 inches Intervale, NH
6. 99.69 inches Glen, NH
7. 99.57 inches Groveton, NH / 1,159
8. 99.49 inches Errol, NH
9. 99.17 inches North Stratford, NH
10. 98.36 inches Kearsarge, NH
11. 97.59 inches Center Conway, NH
12. 97.51 inches North Conway, NH / 2,347
13. 97.21 inches Eaton Center, NH
14. 96.92 inches Conway, NH / 1,232
15. 96.21 inches Madison, NH
16. 95.67 inches Bartlett, NH / 198
17. 94.46 inches North Walpole, NH / 1,074
18. 93.74 inches Silver Lake, NH
19. 93.70 inches Chocorua, NH
20. 93.60 inches Lancaster, NH / 1,514

Jackson is near Wildcat and Attitash. Up north where the higher snowfall totals are there isn’t any open ski area now. Maybe Balsams Wilderness will open again.

New York Average Snow City Rank

A total of 1,915 results found. Show Results on Map.

Rank Average Snow ? City / Population
1. 191.37 inches Ava, NY
2. 188.31 inches Taberg, NY
3. 185.42 inches Lee Center, NY
4. 183.07 inches Westernville, NY
5. 177.24 inches Richland, NY
6. 176.12 inches Westdale, NY
7. 175.50 inches Camden, NY / 2,398
8. 174.49 inches Redfield, NY
9. 174.26 inches Constableville, NY / 239
10. 172.92 inches West Leyden, NY
11. 167.99 inches Mc Connellsville, NY
12. 166.83 inches Boonville, NY / 2,120
13. 166.03 inches Eagle Bay, NY
14. 165.41 inches Lyons Falls, NY / 761
15. 164.92 inches Brantingham, NY
16. 164.79 inches Glenfield, NY
17. 164.76 inches Greig, NY
18. 162.56 inches Blossvale, NY
19. 160.78 inches Woodgate, NY
20. 160.73 inches Alder Creek, NY

Maine Average Snow City Rank

A total of 470 results found. Show Results on Map.

Rank Average Snow ? City / Population
1. 117.31 inches Stratton, ME
2. 117.19 inches Oquossoc, ME
3. 113.99 inches Rangeley, ME
4. 111.16 inches Eustis, ME
5. 106.95 inches Kingfield, ME
6. 106.60 inches Jackman, ME
7. 106.49 inches West Forks, ME
8. 104.29 inches New Portland, ME
9. 103.52 inches Phillips, ME
10. 103.18 inches Strong, ME
11. 102.68 inches New Vineyard, ME
12. 101.44 inches Rockwood, ME
13. 100.09 inches Portage, ME
14. 99.81 inches Greenville Junction, ME
15. 99.15 inches Ashland, ME / 737
16. 99.11 inches Roxbury, ME
17. 98.97 inches Sheridan, ME
18. 98.61 inches East Andover, ME
19. 98.32 inches Oxbow, ME
20. 97.97 inches Saint Francis, ME
So why does Jay get so much snow?
Well, it’s further north and colder so when it might be raining in other places it could be snowing at Jay.
But I can’t imagine much more snow because of that.
Yet, another thing is that to the west of Jay there are fewer mountains to absorb the moisture that hits Jay. It seems like many of the storms come from the west.
And that could explain more snow and why NH and Maine get less.

Do they get as much as they say?

IDK, maybe, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they inflate their totals.
This last season they claimed around 300″ of snow but only had a base of like 18-48″ or so?
Cannon where I worked this last season only claimed like 130″ for the season and for a while their base total was similar. I went to Jay in the early season December and they had a little bit more snow then.
A few months later I went to Smuggs and Stowe and there wasn’t a significant difference.
I’ve done most of my riding out west and areas that claimed they got similar amounts of snow usually had deeper bases.
But you got to ask where are they measuring this snow?
Is it in the sun or shade?
Is it on a groomed trail?
Did they blow snow on that trail? If so how much?
A visible place where everyone could see would be best.
Maybe something like Grand Targhee.
Instead of telling us how much snow you have show us.
Taken from zrankings

I am planning on going out west next year. This last season was good to be riding again, but the west is the best for snowfall.

 

How to choose the best snowboard boot size for you

How do you choose the right size snowboard boots?

Very carefully.

Should yo you get a size bigger than your normal street shoes?

Not usually.

Usually people size down if anything.

Why? Because you definitely don’t want any play.

But it depends on you.

Do you want a “comfort” fit, a “normal” fit or a “performance fit”?

A “comfort fit” might be for the person who snowboards twice a year or maybe 3 times if they are lucky. A “normal fit” is kinda like what we do at Cannon in the rental dept.

Normally we tell people if your toes touch the front it’s okay.

Then kick your heel back, lace up or buckle up your boot then bend your knees and flex and if your toes come back a bit then your probably good.

You don’t want your foot to move around in the boot.

Now a “performance fit” isn’t for someone renting gear.

Rented boots are usually all packed out so they aren’t going to feel like a new boot.

One of the things we do in rentals is we size their foot using a Brannock device. Those are one of the things you might have used before in the shoe store.

You might be surprised what your foot actually measures.

Here I am measuring my left foot.

My left foot on a Brannock device

Ever use one of those?

This is a good place to start.

Forget your current shoe size and start with one of these.

It measures my left foot at 27.5 which translates to a 9.5 US mens and my right at about 27 which is a 9.

So that’s a good place to start, but keep in mind all boots don’t necessarily follow that.

My old boots were 9.5 Burtons then I recently got a size 9 in Thirtytwo boots which felt very tight when I first tried them.

I was questioning if they were too small, but after heat molding and 2 days I decided they were two big because my foot got loose in the boot.

DON’T GET HUNG UP ON A NUMBER (a certain size).

People come into rentals to get boots often saying, “I wear a size ___ (fill in the blank)”.

That’s their street shoe size. Some have it in their head that they are a certain size and their ski boots should be the same.

Sometimes they are and often they aren’t.

But we pretty much always start with the Brannock scale.

Here’s a little story…

Recently I had pretty much narrowed my choice of new boots online down to a 9.5 TM 3 Thirtytwo boot.

I thought 9.5 because my old Burton’s were a 9.5 and my larger foot measures 9.5 and I almost bought them online, but I decided to go back to this shop to try them on.

The 9.5’s felt like sort of comfy, but I could tell they were going to pack out and be too roomy. So I tried the 9 on and I felt pretty tight in those and after about 10 minutes I got some pain in one pinky toe.

I couldn’t imagine going any smaller.

It didn’t even cross my mind. Hesitantly I went back the next day, bought them and did heat molding. I put a little soft foam toe cap over my toes, stood and sat in them for 10 minutes+.

It was actually a little painful.

After the heat molding I took the caps off and put my foot back in and noticed they were a little more spacious although it felt like the foot bed on one foot was bunched up in the toes.

I sort of shrugged it off and figured it would fix itself.

Later I read the sign below in the boot box, examined the messed up insole and figured it was either defective or damaged from heat molding.

At the end of my first day riding in them I noticed one of my feet (actually the longer one) was sliding a little bit.

Then I did one more day noticed further play in the boot then I decided I would sell them because the boot was only going to break in more.

Here’s my Thirtytwo TM 3 boots review.

Should you feel any pain?

Depends on what you are going for. And it’s hard to see and no one wants to feel pain, but will that boot feel the same after you use it 2, 5, 10 or 20 days later?

No, it won’t.

Why not?

Because it’s going to break in and pack out.

More comfort now might be more pain later (and less control) when your foot is sliding around in the boot. But it depends what you are going for. If you are someone who just rides less than ten days a year then yeah, maybe you want to stay away from pain.

As Angry Snowboarder said you have 3 kinds of fits:

  1. Comfort fit
  2. Normal fit
  3. Performance fit

It’s kinda like buying athletic shoes but different.

Have you ever played B-ball or soccer and needed some sneakers or cleats? You don’t want to play with your foot moving around in those right?

If your foot is sliding around in the boot or sneaker then your game is going to be off and that’s the same with boarding, but sneakers and snowboard boots are different in that a snowboard boot contains a lot more soft material.

That will pack out.

To some extent.

How much will a snowboard boot pack out?

Well, that probably depends a bit on the construction of the boot and liner and you.

But this site says:

Snowboard boots will stretch approximately 1/4 of an inch to 3/4 of an inch wider and longer during the break-in period…

And this site says:

…at least 15 hours of wear before they break in and pack out to half a size bigger.

Is pain and “curled” toes a bad sign?

Most every place you look will say “yes” but is that necessarily so?

In the rental shop this is usually a bad sign and we will give people larger boots if their toes are curled.

But what’s different about rental boots and the people who rent them?

A rental boot is usually a packed out boot.

They’re not new boots and these people are just going for a day. Most of them are newcomers and don’t want to be uncomfortable at all.

They want a comfort fit or…

If they are a little more experienced then they are probably going to want a normal fit.

A normal fit is how we try to get them and that’s toes touching the front, heels back, and when they squat their toes should come back.

Then there’s the performance fit.

I don’t think anyone comes into rentals looking for a performance fit. That’s for people who ride a lot and are buying a new boot.

A new boot is not a packed out boot.

How that boot feels in the shop when you try it on won’t be how it feels 10 days later.

So it’s tough because a little short term pain now is a better fit later. And if the inside of a boot expands in width and length anywhere from a 1/4 to 3/4 of an inch then just maybe toes curling a little bit isn’t bad.

But don’t get my wrong you could go too small.

So how small is too small?

Do a shell fit

This  makes sense when I saw it. So take the liner out of the boot and put your foot inside the shell. Does it make contact with anything when centered in the boot? If so then it’s obviously too small.

Then slide your foot forward till your toes touch and see if you can stick at least a finger behind your heel.

The liner will flatten out to a pretty ridiculous degree, but the shell isn’t going to change much at all. So check your shell fit:

Take the liner out, put your foot in, if your forefoot touches the sides of the shell, you definitely want out. If you push your foot all the way forward so your toes touch the end of the shell, and have less than one finger’s width of space behind your heel, you definitely want out.

If your foot does neither of those things with just the shell, then your liner will most likely pack out enough to accommodate your foot. Most liners will lose just about a whole shoe size worth in space after 5-10 days of riding.

Irahi

Does the thickness of the liner matter?

I think it could but that’s tough to measure.

Perhaps get a smaller boot than you think

Start with the Brannock scale, but don’t assume that’s set in stone as each company and each boot is going to be a little different in terms of size and fit.

Do a shell fit.

I like to be in the smallest boots I can manage. At first, my toes are definitely curled up a bit. There’s some mods you can make to ease that pressure until the liners pack out, and some mods you can do to speed that process along. It’s important to really seat your heel into the heel pocket by kicking your heel on the ground before you lace the boots up. Maybe settling that heel pocket issue will be as important as making more space in the toe box.

wigwar

That’s interesting.

Most heat molding techniques involve expanding the toe area by wearing the top of an extra sock or special toe cap or I’ve even read of some people kicking their toes into something.

But what about kicking your heels into something?

That is a good way to put your boot in. It’s what we recommend people do when they first put on a boot in the rental shop.

Kick your heels back and lace your boot up and do a squat or riding stance.

If you stand stiff legged your toes should touch the liner but when in snowboard stance it should only barely graze the liner.

Motogp990

Should your boots be comfortable to walk in?

Snowboard boots are made to snowboard in not to walk in. So walking around in them isn’t the best test. A better test is simply mimicking your riding stance.

I think doing a shell fit (above) is one of your best tests for a how a boot will feel in the long run.

Bonus: How to fix a new boot that’s too tight

  1. Do heat molding (maybe wear a toe cap), but make sure the guy takes the footbed (insole) out of the boot 1st or it might deform it.
  2. Wear it: around the house or just snowboard in it and possibly alternate it with an old boot till it breaks in.
  3. Kick your heels into the floor.
  4. Kick your toes into the floor, ouch.
  5. Get a foot bed with less volume (a thinner insole).
  6. Put a foot bed with a higher arch in the liner. A higher arch will pull your toes back more.
  7. Wear a thinner sock or no sock.

Bonus: How to fix an old boot that’s too loose

  1. Put a flat insole or some sort of dense foam in the boot between the shell and liner. Make sure it’s sized right.
  2. Use a thicker insole.
  3. Put some foam behind the tongue of the boot.
  4. Buy a new liner.
  5. Buy a new boot.

What sources say for choosing a ‘ski boot’ size

Of course you are a snowboarder, but how do skiers think when it comes to sizing boots? I took this bit from EVO.com:

Beginner/Intermediate Skiers should generally choose a boot close to their indicated Mondopoint length or slightly longer, even if it feels small. Keep in mind that the liner of the boot will compress after you ski in it a few times, and you’ll generate more space fairly quickly.

Intermediate/Advanced Skiers should also choose a boot close to their indicated size or slightly shorter, but in a stiffer flex. Pay attention to the width of the boot as well, and choose one that offers a snug fit if possible.

Advanced/Expert Skiers normally choose a shell size 1/2 to a full size smaller than their indicated size for a super precise and responsive fit, and a stiff or very stiff flex. Downsizing in ski boots may call for a collaboration with a skilled bootfitter to make the boots comfortable enough for skiing.

Any differences compared to snowboarding?

The sizing above sounds kind of like the different fits mentioned before like: comfort fit, normal fit and performance fit.

To generalize…

It’s like most beginners want a comfort fit because they don’t understand the difference and snowboarding is painful enough to begin with.

An intermediate rider wants a normal fit because they’ve learned.

Your average advanced rider has probably had a number of boots and knows boots break in and they want that glove like fit when it does because they want a performance fit.

Boot stiffness=rider ability???

I’ve heard skiers say that and I think it partially applies for snowboarding.

Beginners do tend to use snowboard boots that are softer and more advanced riders tend to use boots that are stiffer.

BUT…

Some advanced riders prefer softer boots. For example, lots of guys (some of them professional) who ride a lot of park and do jibbing use softer boots.

They may like the flexibility for tweaking their tricks and setting tricks up at slower speeds.

Yet, then there are even pro riders who do lots of jibbing that wear stiffer boots.

People who ride a lot of steep terrain and like to go super fast also tend to like stiffer boots as they offer more stability, support and control at higher speeds.

And some people ride lots of different terrain and want an all around boot so they look for a medium stiffness boot.

The flex is part preference and not just ability.

ThanXs for reading!

There you go I hope this helps you decide on the right snowboard boot size for you. Let me know how it goes.

Related:

Discover something

I think that’s what I want. To discover something. Discover something on my own.

For example…

I’ve been looking at these maps for snowfall in Nh and Vt and I think I want to find somewhere new something untouched something unknown.

They say Jay peak has the most snow and that’s cool I went there once 20 years ago or so. It was early season, icy and there was not much snow. Like they say it probably does have the most snow around here as far as anyone knows.

But for some reason I am not drawn there.

Everyone knows it.

Then the other night some high school friends and I were talking about places nearby where we could move, but the places they mentioned didn’t inspire me or sound so interesting. I think…

I want to discover something on my own.

Why is that?

IDK, but I think there is some unique place there in the hidden dark. Some unique thing, interest, talent, place and maybe even person.

Maybe not.

Maybe it’s just a search and what you learn along the way.

Like they say it’s not the journey it’s the….

No it’s not the destination it’s the…

That’s right.

Where to live?

What to do?

What to focus on?

What to stop focusing on?

What do I want to stop doing?

Hitchhiking adventure + should you go home & live with your parents?

Yesterday I wanted to go to St. J to get some food which is about 10 miles or so and I grabbed my skateboard and took off. I was thinking no one might pick me up given this COVID thing, but I was gonna give it try and if I didn’t then maybe try to walk and skateboard.

But I actually found my first ride by an older guy who gave me a ride about 2 miles or so. Then we did a little more walking and skating and then I made this video…

About the COVID shake.

Then after a little more pushing I got another ride in the back of someone’s truck who just came from skiing in Killington.

It wasn’t that cold though. He had a camper and I saw he had a skateboard in the back. He gave me a ride to St. J then we talked a bit. So then I went to the markets to get some food and then on my way back I saw a couple young skaters maybe 10 and 14 years old.

And they were cool. They were curious… Let em try out my board even though it was like 20 years old and they thought it was cool. Then we started home and made this video.

About should you live with your parents?

Fee fi fo fum… Universal income

Here’s a new video I made. Been working on it for a few weeks.

It was fun making the beat. It was very simple. I found this online drum machine called the Sampulator. It had some cool 808 style beats.

In the past I’ve messed around with Garageband which is sort of like cutting and pasting musical tracks together. IDK. It serves a purpose but there is no drum machine.

The drum machine is cool I like the idea of touching a key and sound coming out. No, not a piano sound, a beat.

I think in the future I will play around with some of these online drum machines or it would be cool to actually get one or if I could create one???

I made the mask out of paper mache, a vacuum cleaner hose, glue and bolts I had and a couple of cheap belts I got from the dollar store here.

I have a couple of other ideas for related videos in the future.

Anyways this is a song about universal income.

But it’s not serious it’s just a goofy rhyme.

Thoughts on feminism, BLM, SJW’s, trans activists (and RELIGION)

I believe in equal human rights. I don’t think you should be treated any differently if you are a woman, gay, trans or any other race.

And I also don’t think you should be given any privileges or special treatment either.

Am I a sexist because I don’t like feminism?

Am I a racist because I don’t like the black lives matter movement/slogan?

If your answer is yes, then I think you are arrogant. Did you know that BLM is run by black feminist lesbians?

I heard that first from Lord Jamar of the old rap group Brand Nubian I used to listen to back in the day.

Then I saw an article on Medium about its “queer roots”.

So it’s backed with a triple dose of political correctness, and resentment.

All these groups…

What do they have in common?

Go Bernie
Go Trump
Go Christian
Go Mormon
Go woman’s rights
Go Red Sox
Go USA
Go Gay Pot
Go Black lives matter
Go Jim Jones
Go Lakers

There’s forbidden language too. And if you don’t believe what they do then you are a bigot and not part of their group.

Politics, religion, team thinking…

Collectivists…

How about humans first?

If you really want equality why call yourself a feminist or join black lives matter?

If you are trans or gay then do what you want but I see it like baseball, personally I don’t like baseball.

I think it’s a boring sport and I don’t play, but just because I don’t play doesn’t mean I am going to vote against banning it.

How to breath better (through your nose)

I found this video a few weeks ago that I helped me and I wanted to share it, but didn’t get around to it. Then today I saw an episode with Joe Rogan and James Nestor talking about breathing and that reminded me.

They talked about all kinds of things related to breathing: deviated septum’s, athletics, tumo breathing, anxiety, asthma, co2, oxygen, nitric oxide and basically how to breath better.

I found the below video to be quite helpful.

Years ago I had seen some videos of Patrick McKeown and the butego method which is like plugging your nose, nodding your head and holding your breath and then releasing, but that wasn’t that helpful for me.

How to unblock your nose

I found this one and I’ve been doing this daily for probably 2 months or so now. It definitely helps.

It makes more sense to me as you physically manipulating the airways more.

A word of warning…

When you do the last part when you blow hard out through your nose (5 times) you might want to get a tissue beforehand because you are likely to blow snot everywhere :=/.

But I definitely recommend it. I think you will notice a difference. He recommends doing it twice a day for 3 weeks I think. I would do it more than that if needed. I sometimes do it 3 times a day.

I don’t think it has straightened my nose, but it has helped my breathing at least temporarily.

I’ve often thought that if the septum was made crooked by basically being pushed out of shape (struck) then maybe it could be pushed back into shape somehow.

Can you pry it open?

I bought a killian’s speculum about a year and a half or so ago and dabbled a bit with trying to pry my nose open more based on this. But it’s painful and a little sketchy.

I noticed on my right side I can’t insert it as far as I can on the left side.

I remember when I went to the ENT in SF and he used one to look inside my nose and when he did I could instantly breath better. Pushing my nose to my right where it deviates has a similar effect.

Another idea I had was to make some sort of nose guard (out of friendly plastic) at night that would push it back in place or DIY nose dilators. The later would be easier to do

I had surgery (septoplasty) in Taiwan back in maybe 2006, but it wasn’t very helpful. Actually I don’t think it did anything except cause a whole lot of trauma and bloody discomfort following. About 3 years ago I saw a couple surgeons in San Francisco and was considering it again.

One talked about removing a piece of cartilage from my rib or ear to use.

Recently started looking into it again. I remember reading once about using laser to heat and remold the cartilage instead of surgery and found the above video by Austin Goh.

I also learned in SF that I had an allergy to dust mites when I was living in an old apartment with carpets. So if you have an allergy that could affect your breathing problems too. If you have carpets and a stuffed up nose you might want to get rid of them.

Doesn’t matter if you clean them or vacuum.

I don’t think that is going to get rid of them. Dust mites are tiny and it’s not them but their feces that causes the problem so I was told.

I’ve got a crooked nose. How about you?

I broke my nose for the first time when I was 14 years old at St. Johnsbury Academy in VT. There I was standing in line in basketball practice waiting my turn and then suddenly the back of someone’s head came flying into my nose.

Lots of pain, black and blue eyes, a crooked nose and like 30 years of bad breathing habits followed.

Since I’ve had breathing problems mostly in my right nostril. And at least one more broken nose since.

Mouth breathing might have actually changed the shape of my face too and made it longer. I do have a long face. There is research out there that says this happens with mouth breathers.

About 2 years ago or so I started taping my mouth at night time when I sleep.

Research also shows that mouth breathing can also change your teeth, make them crooked, cause an open bite and even affect your posture.

Also as far as sleeping goes it’s better to sleep on your side. Sleeping on your back will make your mouth open or cause snoring.

When I was 25 I started doing something that will help your breathing…

When I was 25 (circa 2000) I started practicing yoga. Initially I trained with several different teachers 3-4 times a week for a year.  Then after that I I have practiced it daily for close to 20 years. I do about 15 minutes a day or so.

That helps my breathing, because in yoga most of the time you are trained to breath through your nose not your mouth. Certain positions also open up your chest and airways too.

Then when I was about 32 or 33 I started practicing meditation which was actually inspired from a book I read that talked about tumo meditation mentioned in the Rogan video above.

Simple meditation is to either sit still or lie down on the floor (without a pillow) and breath through your nose and focus on your breathing.

You can try:

  • Slow and steady breaths and maybe…
  • Holding your breath after you exhale for maybe 5-10+ seconds and then slowly and deeply inhale and continue.
  • 6 seconds in 6 seconds out (or vary the number)

I didn’t really learn how to do the tumo meditation, but I have learned some basic meditation practices since and do it everyday for at least 20 minutes. Again it’s breathing through your nose.

Breath through your nose.

Breath through your nose.

Breath through your nose.

One of the things they talked about was that some people may need surgery to correct a badly damaged or deviated septum like Rogan did. But Nestor also had a deviated septum but said he forced it open through breathing.

Bad habits like mouth breathing may shrink your nostrils.

I notice often during the day at times I can walk around with my mouth partly open. It’s a bad habit.

Mewing might also help your breathing

Another thing I’ve been doing is called mewing.

It’s a relatively new thing named by fans of the orthodontist or dentist Michael Mew. It’s basically about changing your posture, head, neck and tongue position.

You can also look up exercises to improve your posture or “text neck”. Yoga includes many of these exercises.

Some basics…

  1. Look up more
  2. Squeeze your shoulder blades together
  3. Tuck your chin
  4. Do sun salutations

It’s hard to change your habits, but if you do you’ll likely see various benefits. It takes discipline and practice like anything.

Conclusion

To breath better you can…

  1. Do the exercises above by Austin Goh (you might notice immediate improvements)
  2. Close your mouth.
  3. Breath through your nose.
  4. Correct your posture.
  5. Get rid of the allergen (mites, pets, food).
  6. Do yoga, meditate and/or exercise with your mouth closed.
  7. There are also breathing strips or dilators you could use which I haven’t tried yet.
  8. Mew: tongue on the roof of your mouth.
  9. Surgery is an option too, but if you get religious about the exercises then you will likely see an improvement.

I need to practice exercising with my mouth closed more. Bit by bit. Practice makes perfect.

Flat feet? How to strengthen your feet, lower legs, and improve your balance and focus (at the same time)

I’ve got one foot that’s flatter than the other. It’s not as flat as my dad’s feet where the arch is totally flattened out, but enough.

When I was a kid the doctor said I had “flexible flat feet”…

And gave me some orthotics, but those don’t help and you can’t do anything athletic in them.

And recently I was reading some of the things problems and disadvantages about having flat feet.

  • knee problems (have had several knee injuries)
  • hip and back problems
  • postural problems
  • kyphosis or lordosis

So since about 6 months ago I’ve been working on rehabbing a knee injury (torn meniscus).

And one thing you can do is strengthen the surrounding muscles. Ironically the knee that I tore was on the flatter foot side. It’s weird my lower right leg and foot is weaker than my left, but my upper right leg is stronger than my left…

Have asymmetry in your body?

Anyways here’s a yoga video I made that will help your lower legs (feet, ankles, calves), balance and focus. Also there’s a pose in there where I bend forward that also will work your hamstrings and glutes (1 side at a time).

If you do this 5-10 minutes a day everyday you will notice a difference because I have.

I’ve always practiced yoga – well for 20 years, but about 1-2 months ago I started to set a timer for 10 minutes for the second half of my yoga routine and just focus on one legged balancing exercises.

You’ll feel it in your feet.

I am sure you will notice a difference in how your feet feel in a week. The benefits of doing poses like this vs. normal exercises such as curling a towel with your toes is that it’s more engaging for your body and mind.

You’ll use your whole lower leg, improve your balance and focus at the same time. If you just do towel exercises, well I think they are boring and they are kind of isolated – at least the ones I’ve seen.

Try.

My feet feel stronger from doing this and I noticed I can stand still and type on my computer for longer periods of time.

My feet feel more like they are gripping the floor vs. being flattened out.

That video above I made near a park (Momochi seaside park) near my home in Fukuoka. It was a bit rainy and windy that day. They have some big stones that you can sit or lie on and that was what I was standing on.

Occasionally I will go and do yoga there. It’s nice the ocean meets the river there.

5-10 minutes?

What if my feet get tired? They will. Then just switch sides. I focus more on my right side since that is the weaker side.

How can you balance?

Focus on a point in front of you. This is harder outside since there is more space. But if you are inside just find a point on the wall or something in front of you.

And focus on your breathing.

Last words…

  • Will walking in the beach sand help? Somewhat, not as much as I thought, but if you do it daily… Since I currently live near the beach for the last 30-40 days I would walk maybe a half of a mile in the dry beach sand barefooted. But the yoga exercises above are more efficient.
  • Will toe shoes help? Maybe a little, I’ve had a pair for maybe 4-5 years or so. Back when I was street performing I would wear them all the time or now in the summer sometimes.
  • Will doing toe raises help? Yes. Back in high school I used to do these a lot. I played basketball and wanted to be quick and able to jump. I think these strengthened my feet.
  • Will foam rolling help? Indirectly it could as the surrounding muscles may have an effect on your flat feet. I have been rolling on my tight IT bands, calves and glutes because I saw a few videos on Youtube that suggested tight muscles there and in your calves could cause you to be duck footed.
  • Will doing box jumps help? Yes. Box jumps are a good full lower body exercise. They will work your feet up to your glutes. I noticed my feet felt stronger when I was doing these.
  • Will doing squats help? No. Squats are primarily an upper leg and glute exercise. They don’t work your feet. Box jumps are a much better full lower body exercise that will work your feet+.
  • Will jumping rope help? Yes. Although it tends to other one of my knees.

Here’s a little more yoga that I did on the beach.

Deadbeat

I’ve had in my mind that over the next year or so I will do 12 or more creative video/music types.  And here is one that I completed recently.

Well, it’s never really completed, but it’s enough for now. I got tired of working on it. Because I had some problem with the clipping and then I would lower it and it was fine in the software (old Garageband) and then export it and then it was distorted and I went round and round with that.

And just decided it’s good enough for now considering my computer and software is like 11 years old.

Maybe be too many tracks for Garageband.

But anyways here is the slow version.

I started off with a song that was one of my favorites from when I was around 12-13 and then took a bit out of it. I changed the speed and then created a new loop and added some samples from elsewhere.

Then the video I had lying around for a long time which seemed kind of fitting and a few pics of old paintings I did. I actually have a bunch of video, kinda creative stuff lying around that I plan on using in the future.

Deadbeat.