BALANCE – THE KEY ELEMENT TO ATHLETIC SUCCESS

Balance is the most essential skill for an athlete to possess, and time needs to be spent on developing it. All sports rely heavily on balance. Think of a soccer player attempting to keep possession of a ball, a pitcher winding up and throwing to home plate, a basketball player taking a jump shot, a football lineman blocking a defender, or a tennis player playing serve and volley. In each case balance plays a key role in achieving the precise set of movements necessary for the skill to be performed correctly.

To develop balance, you need to develop “muscle memory”, an unconscious tensing and releasing of the right muscles in just the right increments that enables them to maintain their equilibrium in motion. It is through this process, for example, that people learn to ride a bike. When learning, the body sends signals to the brain to orient the body to where it should be positioned and maintained, allowing the body’s muscle memory to eventually take over and become what seems to be second nature.

A key element in athletics is the ability to maintain balance while in motion. Whether you are rapidly transferring body weight during a golf swing, swinging or hitting and getting out of the batter’s box in baseball, snowboarding down a mountain, or maneuvering around an opponent in ice hockey, soccer, or lacrosse, balance plays a primary role in executing most athletic movements. Balance allows the body to transfer weight while performing. Athletes need to be able to continue to execute while transitioning from a variety of body positions and movements. They often find themselves off balance before or after executing a play. To be in a position to finish a play, or to prepare for the next play, they must be able to adjust quickly to regain proper balance.

The following provides several drills that develop and improve overall balance for a variety of sports.

DRILL ONE – STEPPING STONES

Equipment: Five balance pods

Set-Up: Arrange the four balance pods in a diamond shape approximately 3 feet apart with one additional pod place three feet in front of the diamond. Think of all five-balance pods as stepping stones.

Description of Drill: Each athlete walks from one balance pod to the next until he has completely stepped and balanced himself on all five pods. (see photos).

DRILL TWO – BALANCE BEAM

Equipment: Three to four half-foam rolls, two 12 inch hurdles

Set-Up: Arrange all three or four half foam rolls in a straight line touching at each end, place the two hurdles at the end of the first foam roll and the end of the second foam roll.

Description of Drill: Begin with each athlete walking on the half beams and stepping over each of the two hurdles without losing their balance (see photos).

DRILL THREE – OFF-BALANCE FOOTBALL CATCHES

Equipment: Three to four half-foam rolls, a football

Set-Up: Arrange all three or four half foam rolls in a straight line touching at each end.

Description of Drill: As each athlete walks the length of the rolls, toss a football where the athlete must reach out and catch the ball without losing balance. Throw balls to the right, left, over the head, below the waist, forcing the athletes to extend and catch while keeping their balance on the half foam rolls (see photos).

Please look for our continued series of articles and drills to develop overall and sport specific balance, developed by experts from action sports (snowboarding, surfing, skateboarding, etc.).