When you think of athletic movements, what comes to mind?  Speed, agility, quickness?  All of these skills are important to have, but one skill that most people overlook is balance.  You could be the fastest player on the field, but if you don’t have the balance to stabilize yourself, you’ll be wasting your speed.   Coordination and agility are completely dependent on balance.  Think of a running back in football.  The best in the business can take a hit and stay on their feet to gain extra yardage.  Remember when Michael Jordan used to fly through the air?  He could stabilize himself in mid air and make shots that no one else could.  He was a good shooter, but he made those “off-balance” shots because of his extraordinary balance.

Traditionally, people think of balance as something you do when you’re standing still (like a gymnast on a balance beam).  Most of the time, however, balance happens when we’re moving.  Because of this, we must train our balance in motion, not stillness.   It is important to train balance in all the directions we move.  This means front to back, side to side and rotating clockwise to counterclockwise.  How do you do that?

No matter what sport you play, balance is important for optimal performance.  Refer to your ARC training program for your specific balance exercises.