BALANCE

Why do we need to talk about this topic? What is balance? Do we know the definition of it? What is important about balance in running?

The word sounds very familiar to us. We seem to be so much involved with balance in everyday life, that it seems like we know what it means. We use this word when we talk about everything around us: music, painting, building and movement. Balance of the size, balance of notes, and balance of colors. It is a commonly used concept related to many aspects of our life.

What is the meaning of the word 'balance'? According to the dictionary, balance means equality in weight, amount, force proportion, in harmony, equilibrium of mind, anything that counteracts the effect of a weight/force. To summarize it all, we can say that balance is equilibrium of opposites. Basically, it means equilibrium. Balance means equality of opposites. It could be expressed mathematically in quantitative terms and in qualitative terms. Balance is also the opposite of unbalance, when one force dominates over another, for example.

Balance in movement appears to be a part of the movement, which is the opposite of unbalance. If balance is equality, then unbalance is prevalence of one of the opposites. By Leonardo da Vinci's definition, movement starts from destruction of balance and then it needs to come back to balance and leave this state of balance again. This continuing alternation of balance and unbalance is the essence of movement.

In running the importance of balance is seen in falling or to be more exact in the ability to fall and therefore to use gravity's interaction with other forces in order to get a horizontal propulsive component. The body movement from one leg to the other consists of moving from a balanced position (through falling) into the state of unbalance and then returning to the ground into the balanced position again, so that it could start falling again. From this point of view, the quality (and quantity) of balance predetermines the quality (and quantity) of falling and therefore, the quality of running in general.

We recover balance to have a possibility to use the external force of gravity for the forward propulsion. There is a dynamic balance in running: a very short lasting, almost invisible, imperceptible balance, which is more difficult to perceive with higher speed or growing fatigue. When we start losing the perception of balance, then we do not feel the point we are falling from. We start tensing our body muscles, not allowing it to fall and as a consequence, we lose our external source of energy.

Losing balance and reproducing balance is a cycle of movement. If we try to make our balance more 'stable' or 'longer', then we interfere with the balance-unbalance cycle, which is not what we are looking for. How much balance do we need? This is the a million dollar question. We need it only as much as is necessary to facilitate free falling. We should fall in order to run. And this is an undeniable truth about running. We need our balance only as much as is necessary to create another fall. When we keep balance too long, we start losing falling.

Where is this point of balance? If we check from which point/position of the body weight location on the foot we can start falling forward, we'll see that there is only one single position which facilitates free falling. It is the point where the balance is on the BOF. If you keep your body weight on the side of the foot or on the heel, you'll see that it is almost impossible to fall forward.

How do you train balance? First, you need to develop balance in a stationary position. Start doing the Pose Stance barefoot and then use something under your foot like a brick, where you have the body weight on the BOF and only then replicate this condition while you are running. When you are going to run, it is better to get a feeling of balance at a comfortable pace, first, and then doing drills like change of support in movement and alternate this with a comfortable pace of running for a very short time. When the ball of the foot feels pressure, the foot should be under the body, under the hip. Remember, that this pressure should be minimal, without spreading through the body feelings like muscular tension.

When you run you must constantly feel the BOF under the hip without any muscular tension. To develop a perception of balance you can use your partner's help to push you softly from behind on the upper body or from the side on the shoulder. You can use your partner's resistance applied to you through a rubber band tight around the waist. It is a good idea to use jumping with the rope, particularly barefoot on a wooden floor, which gives precise feeling of the body weight location on your feet. A very good exercise to keep balance is running on the sand, where support is very unstable.

These are all good exercises, which form your perception of balance, but another aspect of balance is a specific mental and psycho-emotional condition related with the precise focus on the balanced position and maintaining it as a part of effective falling. Another important perception related with balance is the perception of freedom of change of support and freedom of falling, which lead us again to the main thing: in order to start falling forward we need a very good and precise balance.

Dr.Romanov