Balance Training

Definition of Balance Training in Sports

Balance is defined as the ability of the body to statically and dynamically stabilize against resisting intrinsic and extrinsic forces.  To simplify this definition, it means the ability to stabilize and produce movement.  These intrinsic forces could be flexibility issues that hinder movement or muscular imbalance.  Extrinsic forces could be things like the wind or another player on the field.  Therefore, it should be no surprise that there are different types of balance that are important for athletic success.  Since each type is different, they have to be trained in different ways.

Components of Balance

There are three major components of balance:

• internal muscular - Internal muscular balance is your ability to sense changes in tension and velocity in your muscles.  It also refers to your ability to recognize your position in a given space.  An example of using your internal muscular balance would be when you feel like your going to slip, you try and contract muscles in your body to keep you from falling.
  • external direct - External direct, or internal muscular response to direct external stimulus, is your body's ability to balance against a direct contact from another source. This external resistance could be being tackled in football, getting hit with a punch, or grappling in wrestling.  There are many examples of external objects acting on the body.  The body needs to be aware of how to react to these stimuli to improve overall performance.
  • external indirect - External indirect, or internal muscular response to indirect external stimulus, is your body's ability to balance against random or inadvertent contact. The big different between external direct and external indirect mainly steps from the lack of visual cues associated with external indirect contact. For instance, the ability to balance against a blind-sided tackle in football would be considered external indirect. More straightforward examples include the wind, water, or condition of ice.
• internal vestibular - This is the balance provided by the inner ear.  The inner ear helps keep the body aware of its spatial orientation.   When this system is not functioning properly, like in the case of vertigo, it can be a real detriment to athletic performance.  Ensuring proper hygiene of your ears and getting treatment for any ear infections or symptoms is important in maintaining optimal vestibular control.
• external visual - External visual balance refers to your body's ability to assess the external environment and orient your body accordingly. Vision is responsible for depth perception and the relative location to an object which is important for skills like shooting a basketball.

Final Look at Balance

There are several forms of balance which all must be closely examined and monitored for optimal sports performance.  In terms of training, internal muscular and external direct are the easiest to directly target; however, all forms of balance are important.  Balance training is often overlooked because training results are not as readily apparent; however, an athlete with impeccable balance could go from getting hit and taking a loss in the backfield to taking the hit, staying balanced, and then breaking loose for a touchdown (to use a football example).  So it goes without saying, balance training should be a part of any integrated training protocol for an athlete.