Athlete Balance Balance Training
Balance Training
Skills - Balance
Written by 2 Athletes   

Definition of Balance

Balance is defined as the ability of the body to statically and dynamically stabilize against resisting intrinsic and extrinsic forces.   To expand on that, the 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 several particular types of balance and all are important for optimal athletic success.  These types of balance are different and have to be trained for in different ways. 

Types of Balance

There are five types of balance:  internal muscular, internal vestibular, internal visual, external direct, and external indirect.  Internal muscular balance refers to having agonist and antagonist muscles at optimal size and length ratios.   When the muscles from one side of the body become stronger than their antagonist on the other side of the body, the risk of injury is greatly increased.  Not only that, but these discrepancies can cause postural alterations which would result in diminished performance.  Muscular imbalance can also lead to limited range of motion due to muscular size.  All muscular balance issues need to be in complete harmony for optimal performance. 

This first type of balance is internal muscular and it refers to the bodies abilities to sense changes in tension and velocity in the muscles.  A person can get a much better sense of this type of balance when they close their eyes.  When the eyes are closed, the body must utilize certain segments of the muscle used to detect tension and velocity.  The body will also use the vestibular system to assist as well.  Once the eyes are closed, an athlete will have to become more aware of what their muscles are doing to stay balanced.  This can be very important for sports a wide variety of sports where the person must use their vision to focus on other things besides balance.

The second type of balance is internal vestibular.  This refers to 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.  It is a good idea to ensure ear health at all times to make sure this balance stays on line.

The third type of balance is internal visual.  The body internalizes visual cues to make sure it is properly balanced.  Vision is responsible for depth perception and the relative location to an object.  It is important for athletes to keep their eyes healthy and working at optimal capacity.
The two other types of balance are subsets of the internal muscular balance.  As mentioned above, there are receptors in the tendons, muscles, and ligaments that help the body stay balanced.  External direct balance refers to the 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 refers to situations when an individual is indirectly touched or contacted and the body has to stabilize.  These examples are considered more random in nature.  These could be things like the wind, changes in footing due to unstable stable forces due to locomotion, or the feel of an oar in the water.  All of these examples take an indirect route to the body and are much harder to train for.

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 can sometimes be forgotten about by athletes because the results are not as readily apparent.  An athlete with impeccable balance could go from getting hit and taking a loss in the backfield to taking the hit, staying on their feet because they have excellent balance, and then breaking loose for a touchdown.  So it goes without saying, balance training should be a part of any integrated training protocol for an athlete.