Balancing Act
Can you remember the last time you practiced balancing on one foot? Maybe you're a basketball player running full court to shoot a lay-up; a soccer player taking a free kick; a football player attempting to catch a pass at the sideline in the end zone; or a dancer leaping into the air. All of these situations require precise balance and control in order to perform them with success.
Becoming a better athlete starts with balance. "Balance is a key aspect of movement that is closely related to a strong, properly functioning core." (T&C 9/02) The core muscles control your body. Core muscles are the muscles in the abdomen, back, and trunk. Core strength can be achieved in various ways: physioball exercises, closed-kinetic chain exercises, pilates, and yoga. All of these can be done on a daily basis without harming the body, if done correctly.
Once your core muscles have been addressed you may begin focusing on balance and proprioception activities. Balance starts with simple static activities and progresses to dynamic/sport related activities.
You can begin balancing on a single leg (flat surface) and progress as follows:
- Even surface with eyes closed
- Uneven surface with eyes open
- Uneven surface with eyes closed
- Uneven surface with ball toss or perturbations
Start by trying to maintain your balance for 30 seconds and work up to 90 seconds. You can progress to the next level once you have mastered 90 seconds of balance with ease and accuracy. Uneven surfaces can include foam mats, foam rollers, mini trampoline, Swiss balls, air discs, and wobble boards. All of the equipment listed above adds difficulty to your balance routine. Additional options to increase difficulty include using weighted balls, theraband, and a bounce back /rebounder. These items can be used in conjunction with any uneven surface once you can perform the exercise on a flat surface. As you can see there are many ways to vary your work out routine and add various challenges. Repetition is the key to success!
An advanced progression is sports specific balance. This is a way to incorporate your sport into your balance routine. Balance is a part of every sport, no matter what your sport is. Sports, which require wearing protective equipment can change your balance significantly. One way to practice balance is to wear your protective equipment while performing your balance routine. This allows you to train your body to adjust to the weight and sometimes awkwardness of the equipment. Football and Ice Hockey are examples of sports requiring bulky padding and helmets. Even the weight of the helmet can be enough to throw off your balance while performing a skill. The ice adds a whole new dimension of balance to the sport of hockey and can be the topic of another article all in itself.
The following are specific balance training ideas that incorporate different sports. These ideas can all be done using and of the uneven surfaces mentioned earlier in the article.
Soccer:
- Single Leg Balance (SLB) while moving a soccer ball in a circle around you clockwise/counter clockwise
- SLB while practicing head balls and throw-ins (throw-ins can be made harder using a weighted plyo ball and a rebounder)
Basketball:
- SLB while dribbling a basketball clockwise/ counter clockwise
- SLB while handling a basketball around your body
- SLB while throwing and catching a bounce pass, chest pass, or overhead pass using a plyo ball and rebounder
Ice Hockey and Field Hockey:
- Perform skills in full gear (no skates)
- SLB while maneuvering the stick for passes, shots, and dribbling
- SLB while using the stick and glove to block thrown balls (goalie specific)
Volleyball:
- SLB while setting and passing with a plyo ball and rebounder
- SLB while going thru an arm swing for a hit (with or with out ball)
These are just a few ideas for various sports, but you can take just about any action in any sport and transfer it into your balance routine.
Start simple and perfect your balance then use your imagination to create different challenges to vary your balance routine. Take a few minutes a day to practice your balance! Remember to strengthen your core muscles! Balance and strength allow your best athletes to make a hard play or move look effortless, with finesse and total control of their bodies.
Kim Voss, ATC; Sports Medicine Director for PRORehab