IMPROVE YOUR BALANCE TO INCREASE SPEED

In general, better balance translates into a more coordinated effort and higher precision of movement regardless of sport, so working on balance should be an important part of any good training regimen for any athlete.

But how does our balance affect our speed? The answer is - indirectly, but rather significantly. Now let's break it down to expose the inner-workings of fast movement.

Centuries ago a visionary extraordinaire Leonardo Da Vinci (1452–1519) wrote the following about motion, balance, and foot contact: "Motion is created by the destruction of balance, that is, of equality of weight, for nothing can move by itself which does not leave its state of balance, and that thing moves most rapidly which is furthest from its balance."(McMahon, 1956, pp. 133–134).

From the Pose Method point of view, speed is determined by the degree of falling. To start falling you have to be in the position of balance first. Balance is an essential part of movement. In order for movement to happen there has to be a balance first and then it has to be destroyed, then you find balance again and to go anywhere from that point, that newly found balance has to be destroyed again... and voila! you're moving.

Balance is not sport specific. Balance is balance. There is however static balance and there is dynamic balance. In sports the dynamic balance is more obvious visually and mentally since this is what we see when the athlete is in motion. Only a fraction of a second is given for the static balance to happen, but it happens nonetheless. It has to occur in order for movement to take place and to continue. And because of such a limited time frame of its occurrence, it becomes much more important to get a better handle on static balance.

The dynamic balance is no less significant and is actually more difficult to perfect, but by working on developing your dynamic balance skill you will strengthen what is commonly the weak link. And we all know the old adage - the system is only as strong as it's weakest link. The dynamic balance is right in between the static balance and the destruction of that balance. If you only have a fraction of a moment to execute that chain of events, you better believe that you won't be able to think about it, focus on it too much, etc... It will just have to happen as part of motion. So the better your balance skill is, the better your movement will be.

Within the Pose Method framework, improved balance serves as a foundation for a better fall, which in its turn serves to produce better forward movement. Your ability to quickly and smoothly transition between the state of balance and the fall, will help you improve your speed.

Article by Dr. Nicholas Romanov
Composed by L. Romanov