Balance and stability go hand in hand and we have mentioned the reasons below.
Balance and stability are NOT substitutes for another and one cannot replace the other. They are most definitely not interchangeable. But yes, they are very closely related.
BALANCE:
Whenever we are playing a sport, we hear our coaches/friends or fellow players say, “maintain balance”. This basically means whenever we are moving/ running/ going towards the ball or shuttle we should have the ability to maintain our body’s equilibrium, without letting outside forces interfere or have an impact on us.
Balance also means that when we are out of position and play a shot or kick the ball, we have the ability to come back into proper position without falling or losing control.
Having the ability to have full control over our body movements and the ability to stay steady is what balance is all about.
Balance is needed in our day to day life too. Movements are essential to perform any sort of activity. To conduct this activity efficiently, your body requires a strong balance.
Without balance simple tasks like bending, lifting things, walking up and down the stairs etc become extremely difficult and challenging.
Hence for sportsmen/ athletes maintaining a good balance will help them to play better, run harder and going on longer.
To have good balance, in general, and especially while playing sports and exercising, one must learn how to engage the core as that is the muscle that dictates how the body moves.
In the sports world, balance is divided into two types: Dynamic and Static.
Dynamic balance is maintaining our equilibrium while we are moving. Here, our other sense like site etc also plays a role.
On the other hand, static balance is maintaining our body equilibrium while we are not moving, i.e stationary.
This video helps in showing us the importance of balance:
STABILITY:
Stability is the ability to come back or to return to the desired position following a disturbance. It is the resistance to both angular and linear acceleration or to any disturbance in equilibrium.
Stability is a skill that one can develop as one can maintain balance for long.
Being stable while playing a sport is quite essential and nowadays a lot of focus has come on stability training. In the modern world of fitness, strength and conditioning, it is probably one of the most spoken about topics.
No doubt that the core needs to be stable, but what people do not realise is that in order to be completely stable one needs to understand how the body works, as the human body is like an interrelated chain that needs to be connected and well balanced.
Stability plays a big role in one’s movement. In sports things like the feet, lower back, hips and shoulder blades need to be stable in order to be able to perform.
Posture is very important to an athlete. In order to maintain this correct posture, the body needs to be very stable.
The basic principles of stability are :
- When off balance, an athlete can enlarge the base of support and reposition the centre of gravity over it.
- While lifting or carrying an object, one must shift their body weight in order to maintain balance.
- An athlete can become more stable if he lowers his centre of gravity.
- Shifting one’s centre of gravity towards an approaching force results in an increase in the ability of an athlete to maintain balance.
Conclusion:
Developing good balance and maintenance is necessary for an athlete to perform at his/her maximum
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