What is Balance (Sport)?

Balance is the ability to maintain the body’s centre of mass over its base of support, and it is fundamental to nearly all sport. Static balance is holding a position (a gymnastics handstand, a yoga pose); dynamic balance is maintaining control while moving (skateboarding, surfing, skiing, a fencing lunge). Balance relies on the integration of vision, the vestibular system (inner ear) and proprioception (the body’s position sense). It is highly trainable through balance-board work, single-leg exercises, unstable-surface training and, most effectively, practising the balance-demanding sport itself. Good balance underpins agility, injury prevention and skill execution.