Stability
Page 5 of 8
Keep your center of mass lower than that of your opponent. The abdominal region of the body coordinates balance for the entire body since it connects and supports the upper and lower extremities of the body. It has some of the largest and strongest muscles in the body, and it contains about one-third of the body weight.
Keep hips and waist pointed in the same direction as the toes of your weight-bearing leg. When fighting, no matter the stance you use, you will usually have most of your weight loaded onto one leg or the other. For maximum stability and power, keep your hips and waist pointed in the same direction as the toes of the foot with that has most weight loaded onto it.
Methods for cross-training to improve balance
- Eye Exercises. Performing eye exercises aids the visual aspect of balance.
- Resistance Ball Workouts. Resistance balls are used by a lot of physical therapists to improve balance. Many muscle conditioning exercises maybe done on this over-sized ball.
- Balance Boards. Balance boards come in different forms. Their main focus on improving balance.
- T'ai Chi. Balance is considered the single most important movement skill in this art. It concentrates on utilizing the energy of gravity well.
- Yoga. Many Yoga exercises are done on one leg to enhance balance.
- Pilates. Pilates exercises emphasis on the stomach and back, which are key in maintaining balance.
- Slide Workouts. Using a slide apparatus improves lateral movement and balance.