How do I Improve Balance?

It's possible to improve balance by taking just a little time each day to do a few easy exercises and stretches. Improving body balance is important for effective athletic performance because agility relies on proper balance. Agility is the ability to perform coordinated movements. Body joints operate more smoothly in agile people. Striving to improve balance is a good idea for everyone, because having good balance makes a person steadier on his or her feet and this may help prevent dangerous falls.

A simple "improve balance" exercise is to first try to stand on one foot at a time for 15 to 60 seconds. The seconds spent balancing on one foot and then the other should be gradually increased each day. The time should keep being increased until it's possible to spend several minutes or even more standing on each foot. If done at the same time each day, remembering to do daily balance improvement exercises should be easier. It's important to do them regularly in order to improve balance.

Athletic people may want to try playing a game of catch by throwing a ball back and forth to one other person or more while standing on one leg. This simple exercise may improve coordination and balance. The distance the ball is thrown can be gradually increased to make the balance-improving exercises more challenging. Regularly performing any activity that builds muscle strength is another way to improve posture.

Having good body balance is essential in the game of golf. Without it, when the golfer swings the golf club to hit the ball, the impact can throw the body off balance. This can then affect the shot in terms of power and direction. Cross country skiing is another sport that depends on having good balance since it's necessary to quickly place the weight of the body on one thin ski before transferring the weight to the other ski.

Yoga stretching poses can be good ways to help improve balance. One easy "improve balance" yoga pose is to stand on one foot while placing the ankle of the other foot on the knee of the standing leg. The arms should then be raised gently, stretching them high and then low several times. The position should be held for at least a few minutes before switching to the other foot.