6 Best Balance Exercises All Athletes Must Do to Improve Their Stance

Balance is the foundation of every sport. Whether you are an experienced athlete, beginner, or returning to the ground after a sedentary period, including specific exercises can improve your overall stability. This in turn can potentially help support your athletic activities like cycling, running, swimming, etc.

From building muscles, improving flexibility, and reducing injuries to enhancing athletic power and strengthening your core muscles, exercises that improve balance can do wonders for your overall athletic performance.

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Balance exercises for athletes

1) Weighted BOSU ball squats

Bosu ball squats. (Image credits: Pexels/ Jonathan Borba)

Squats are considered one of the best balance exercises when it comes to strengthening the core, quads, and glute muscles. Performing squats on BOSU and adding weights, however, challenges your balance and helps improve it.

• Put a BOSU ball in front of you. Keep the round side on the floor and the flat side up towards you.
• To add weight, use dumbbells, barbells, an EZ curl bar, or a weighted vest.
• Step on BOSU and make sure to keep your feet at a shoulder-width distance.
• Maintaining the position, perform a squat and lower your body while keeping your knees, toes, and back straight and your abs tights.

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2) Paloff press with rotation

Paloff press with rotation is another workout that challenges your balance.

• Stand tall facing a cable machine and use both hands to hold the handles at your chest level.
• Walk towards your left and extend your arms straight, away from your body.
• Engage your core muscles and turn away from the handle while maintaining the alignment through the centre of your body.
• Keeping your arms extended, return to the initial position.
• Switch sides and repeat.

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3) Single leg squat

Pistol squats. (Image credits: Pexels/ Jonathan Borba)

The single leg squat is an important exercise to improve your balance and strengthen your hip muscles. If you are a beginner, use a chair for extra support.

• Start by standing on your left foot.
• Lift your right leg out and hold it in front of your torso. You can also bend your knee and keep your right leg raised to start.
• Keep your arms by your side or simply rest them in front of you for balance.
• Keeping your core muscles tight and your torso lifted, push your hips to lower your body into a squat position. Lower your body enough so that your hips get parallel to the floor.
• Squeeze your gluteal muscles as you push into your left foot to stand back up.
• Switch legs and complete the desired number of repetitions.

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4) Slideboard reverse lunge

Performing the slideboard reverse lunge requires great quad strength as well as enough balance because your foot is on a sleek surface.

• Put a slide board just behind you. If a slide board is not available, use any slick surface or a towel.
• To add weight, use dumbbells or a barbell.
• Now take a lunge position with your right (front) foot off the board and your left (back) foot on the slide board.
• Maintain this position and perform a reverse lunge. Make sure your knee, toe, and back are straight and your core muscles are properly engaged.
• Use your right leg to bring yourself up and do not use your left leg for assistance.

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5) Bulgarian split squat with elevated leg

Bulgarian split squats. (Image credits: Freepik)

Bulgarian split squats are an all-around full-body workout. This exercise requires you to raise your leg, which then enhances the difficulty level of this exercise by allowing more stabilizer muscles to get activated. This results in improving your mobility and increasing your quadriceps strength.

• Place a plyometric box or bench behind you at your knee level.
• Add weight using dumbbells or a barbell.
• Lift your right leg and put it on the box behind you. Simultaneously, perform a standard lunge, keeping your knee, toe, and back straight and your abs properly engaged.
• Switch legs and repeat.

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6) Plank with flying plane arms

Plank varitaion. (Image credits: Freepik)

This exercise requires you to lift one hand while doing a plank, which as a result enhances your core strength and also improves your balance. To make this workout a bit challenging, try to keep your feet wider.

• Take a high plank position with your legs extended behind you and your arms directly under your shoulders.
• Make sure to keep your hips stable and your abs engaged throughout the exercise.
• While keeping your body stable in the plank position, lift one arm in front of you.
• Hold this arm and slowly fan it out to your side.
• Return to the front again and then lower your arm to the floor.
• Repeat the movement with the opposite arm.

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Practicing the above-mentiond exercises on a regular basis will definitely improve your overall balance and allow you to have more control of your body while performing athletic activities. These exercises will help you gain coordination and stability, boosting your sports performance.