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The Question: Balance can be a pretty important factor for some athletes. It can be a strength, or it can be a weakness. How important is balance to an athlete? What are some good techniques to improve your balance? Bonus Question: Which sport requires excellent balance? Why? Show off your knowledge to the world! The Winners:
2nd place - 50 in store credit. To use your credit, e-mail Will @ will@bodybuilding.com for more info.
Balance: what is it and why is it important? Balance is a key asset to an athlete. It is often overlooked in many situations. Athletes can become too pre-occupied worrying about strength and speed, and neglect balance/core training. Let's look at balance more thoroughly. An object is at rest, or in a state of "equilibrium" when all forces acting on it are zero. An imbalance of forces will cause either a linear or rotary motion, according to where the force is applied. For an athlete, this can be a bad thing. An example: a sprinter is set to race. The starting shot has been fired, he's really quick out of the blocks, but his balance is off. His body position falls to one way, and an imbalance of forces occurs. He stumbles, and his race is over. Balance (Equilibrium) Relies On:
Consciously making sure you are always in the correct position will ensure that you will eventually do it subconsciously over time. Sport dependent foot work can make or break you.
Take a look at a basketball player; if his feet (base of support) are close together, he is naturally more unstable when throwing the ball. If he maintains a wider base of support, it takes more for the center of gravity to make him unstable when throwing the ball.
Follow through. Notice how baseball players, cricketers, ten pin bowlers (just to name a few) all follow through their initial movement/force with a smooth motion, hence retaining balance. Now that I have discussed the fundamentals behind balance, an athlete can integrate balance training into their regimen to improve their balance, which can have a big impact on performance.  Core Training
Stand upright, and still. Place one hand on your belly button. Take a step or two further. Feel anything? You should feel your abdominal muscles contract and relax. Your core comes into play just about every time you move. Does this tell you anything? Yes, it sure does. A strong core is very important for athletic balance and movements. The idea behind core training is to work the area that supports your trunk and spine. There are many anatomical reasons for doing core training. These are very easy to see once you understand the relationship between the core muscles and your spine. A strong core will stabilize the spine, hence acting like a "girdle of strength", creating greater power throughout your movements with much better balance.
This is of great advantage to the athlete. For example, let's take a look at that sprinter setting off again. His spine acts as a powerful support base ("girdle of strength") for his legs so with a strong core he will be able to put more power behind each step. He sets off. Despite his speed, his core/spine holds firm. The center of gravity stays more constant as the body is not stable per se, however moving with constant linear and angular velocities balance each other out. This is known as dynamic equilibrium, and the sprinter continues.
Superset one exercise from group 1, with one exercise from group 2 for 10-15 reps. Group 1:
    Click Here To Enlarge. Dragon Flags.
Poor posture is not good for overall bodily balance. When the body is in a poor posture, the force of gravity has an exaggerated rotary effect on weight bearing body parts. As we have discovered earlier, this is not good for balance! The main causes of poor posture are poor standing, sitting and walking habits.
So, I have discussed the basis behind balance; explained the forces and how balance is achieved. If you understand these principles, you can slowly make a conscious effort to put them into play through training and monitoring technique, and as a result, your athletic performance will improve!
Gymnasts require an extraordinary amount of balance and coordination. Have you ever tried walking along logs in the park? If so, you can appreciate this isn't the easiest thing to do. Now imagine walking along a narrow beam, suspended in the air, and a judging criteria panel watching for just the slightest mistake/imbalance. Other gymnastic activities include doing flips on the bars, floor movements like cartwheels, somersaults, handstands etc and some do this whilst waving a long ribbon or something similar. The amount of balance required is exceptional. One mistake or an imbalance of forces make or break gymnast's success. Understanding balance and how important it is, is key in gymnastics. Try doing a triple somersault, and landing fluently with perfect balance. Definitely not an easy task to achieve which is why I believe gymnastics require outstanding balance.
An elite athlete should not only be strong and explosive, but they should have exceptional balance. Balance can make or break an athlete. Balance is often overlooked by individuals. Many people focus solely on strength and explosion and leave out balance work. Neglecting balance could be the difference in a top level college recruit and the "middle of the road" athlete.
Balance is pretty self explanatory. Balance is the ability of an athlete to stabilize themselves by keeping their center of gravity in line with the playing surface.
For instance an athlete "posting up" in a basketball game would be at a greater advantage if their balance was good. The athlete would be less likely to be pushed out or moved off of their spot. Balance also plays a role in changing directions. An athlete with a low sense of balance is more likely to stumble or trip when changing speed and direction. This could give the opponent the fraction of a second they need to get an advantage.
 Click Here To Enlarge. The Core Makes Up The Majority Of A Person's Mass. The abdominal muscles are stabilizers to your lower body and spine. If you neglect training your abdominal muscles or core you are limiting your body's ability to stabilize itself. Thus decreasing your balance.
I suggest you include weighted core training in 3 times a week with your skill and training. I prefer to keep the rep range 8-12 with a weight that can be done in that range. Pick 3 out of the following exercises and perform them 3 times weekly.
  Click Here To Enlarge. Dumbbell Side Bends. Bend to the right as far as you can, then bend to the left as far as possible. After finishing your desired reps, change the weight to your other hand and repeat. Bend at your waist only, not at your hips or knees!
  Click Here To Enlarge. Hanging Leg Raises. Try to straighten your legs as much as possible while at the top. Lower your legs as SLOWLY as possible until you reach the starting position. Repeat. Don't swing and use momentum!
  Click Here To Enlarge. Jack Knife Sit Ups. Lower arms and legs back to the starting position. Keep your elbows and knees locked!
  Click Here To Enlarge. Plate Twist. Rotate from side to side and touch the plate on the floor. Twisting to the left and touching the plate to the floor and then twisting to the right and touching the plate is 1 rep! Remember to breathe throughout the exercise!
While core training will greatly help balance, you can also do some of the following drills and movements.
 
  Click Here To Enlarge. Line Jumps.
Aside from gymnastics I would say golf requires the best balance. You have to have exceptional balance in order to line up your shot be able to swing a club. One slight movement can pull your whole swing out of line.
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