Balance Training for Athletes

Kristen A. Gostomski, CSCS, NSCA-CPT
Founder & President
Team Fitness
3980 NW Urbandale Drive · Urbandale, IA · 50322

Athletes require exceptional strength, endurance, speed, and agility, but an aspect of sports not often considered is balance. Athletic success depends highly on the ability to exert force while balance is challenged. A close assessment of lower body bio-mechanics reveals that the majority of sports are played with unequal distribution of weight. Simulating those off balance movements is a must for improving performance and preventing injuries.

Although traditional exercises do play a role in athletes' overall development, it should not be the sole focus of any sport specific program. A well-rounded program should include a variety of balance training exercises including balance board and single-leg training.

•  Why Balance Training?

Maximum functional strength is achieved by safely combining balance, speed and resistance. As balance is challenged more muscle fibers are recruited while individuals struggle to stabilize. The key is to safely recruit as many muscle fibers as possible. This is accomplished by removing athletes from their stable zone, and forcing them to use the muscles in their core (abdominals, back, and hips) to stabilize. For some, this may be as simple as moving from machines to free weights, while more advanced athletes will need to use a variety of balance boards, balance beams, and Swiss balls to defy their stable zone.

Another important benefit of balance training is its ability to simulate sport specific movements. Rarely during competition are athletes on two feet and in a completely stable position. Most sports require individuals to be on one leg, in the air, or with weight unevenly distributed on either side. This demonstrates the need for single-leg exercises as well as other balance exercises that mimic those actions utilized in athletics.

Balance training is also an important part of injury prevention . Most sports occur in an extremely fast paced and uncontrolled environment. Many times it is the competitors who control athletes' movements. Which direction to cut, run, and jump may be dependent upon other player's actions. These decisions have to be made in an instant while still maintaining control over one's body. Because a lack of control could result in an injury, training balance in a controlled training facility is key to injury prevention.

The first step to improving balance is to include free weights in a program. Machines are beneficial under certain circumstances, but most require little to no balance, and prevent athletes from fully developing their core muscles. Moreover, most machines require individuals to perform exercises from a seated position, while most free weight exercises can be performed standing. Standing exercises recruit muscle fibers through the core and legs as well as the primary muscles for the exercise being performed. The result is higher muscle fiber recruitment, better simulation of sports movements, and heightened injury prevention.

When free weight exercises have been mastered from the floor, stability may be challenged using a balance board. Athletes begin by simply standing on the board and working toward stabilizing. This may seem difficult at first, but as the brain learns how to recruit muscle fibers efficiently, stabilizing becomes easier. Training the brain and muscles to work together efficiently breads stronger and faster athletes.

Good body positioning during a standing exercise is very important. Proper form includes feet shoulder width with a slight bend in the knee, weight toward the heels, and back slightly arched (not rounded or hyper extended). The key is to keep the muscles along the spine flexed. This aids in the development of those smaller muscles along the spine resulting in greater stability and power through the core. It also protects the spine, and prevents injury to it.

When stabilizing becomes easier, athletes move on to free weight exercises from the board. Movements progress from basics like a bicep curl to more complicated exercises like a squat. The progression is such that each requires the recruitment of more muscle fibers as well as a higher degree of neuromuscular involvement.

Single-leg exercises are extremely important for land based power sports because actions like running and cutting, which are fundamental to those sports, require the exertion of force by a single leg. Two-legged exercises are useful for improving total body strength and size, however single-leg training is more sport specific and should take precedence over two-legged training.

Body positioning for single-leg exercises is the same as that from the floor or a balance board. Again, the key is to keep the muscles along the spine flexed. Start by simply balancing on one leg, and then progress to more advanced exercises.

Correctly performed, balance training will improve performance and decrease chances for injury, but it can also be dangerous if not executed properly. Athletes should progress slowly, and not add weight too quickly until basic skills are mastered. Advanced exercises may take months or even years to learn.