Balance
The ability to control the body's position by keeping its centre of gravity over the base of support, whether still or moving.
Definition
Balance is the control of equilibrium, keeping the body's centre of gravity aligned over its base of support. It draws on a constant blend of information from the inner ear, the eyes and proprioception, which the nervous system integrates to make continual postural adjustments.
Coaches separate static balance, such as holding a gymnastic position, from dynamic balance, such as maintaining control while moving when a footballer strikes a ball on the run. Because nearly every skill is performed on the move, dynamic balance is especially important, and it interacts closely with core stability and coordination.
Where you’ll hear “balance”
Sports that use this term:
Football
The world’s most popular team sport — endless running, teamwork and community in one game.
Tennis
A singles or doubles racquet sport that blends agility, strategy and stamina on court.
Cycling
A low-impact endurance sport that doubles as transport, exercise and adventure.
Fitness
Strength and general fitness training — the foundation that supports every other sport.
Explore across the knowledge base
Follow the threads that connect Balance to the rest of SocialSportHub.
Movement patterns
- BackpedalControlled backward locomotion performed while facing forward, staying low and pushing off the balls of the feet in short strides to stay reactive and keep play in view.
- GlideGlide is continuous, low-resistance locomotion in which the body holds a streamlined shape so that momentum generated by a preceding propulsive action carries it smoothly across a surface or through a medium.
- KickA ballistic single-support leg swing that whips force from the plant foot through the hip and knee to strike or propel a ball or target with the foot, distinct from the weight-bearing steps of locomotion.
- PivotA rotation of the body about one planted foot, reorienting the trunk and hips around a vertical axis without travelling to a new location.
- ReachExtending a limb toward a distant point or object, often at full stretch, by projecting a distal segment beyond the body's resting envelope while a stabilised base preserves balance and control.
Physical qualities
- BalanceKeeping your body stable and controlled, whether still or moving.
- Cardiovascular enduranceThe ability to sustain whole-body activity for a long time while your heart, lungs and muscles keep up.
- AgilityChanging direction quickly and under control while staying balanced.
- MobilityUsing a joint’s range of movement actively, with control and strength throughout.
- Muscular enduranceThe ability of a muscle group to keep working for many repetitions without tiring.
Skills
- BalanceThe skill of keeping the body stable and controlled while still or moving.
- FootworkThe skill of moving efficiently around the playing area to be in position for each shot or action.
- DribblingThe skill of moving with the ball under close control to beat opponents or keep possession.
- Ball controlThe skill of receiving and settling the ball quickly so it is ready to use.
- ThrowingThe skill of propelling the ball accurately and with control using the arm.
Sports science
- ProprioceptionThe body’s internal sense of where its parts are and how they are moving — the awareness behind balance and coordinated movement.
- Motor controlHow the brain and nervous system organise the muscles to produce coordinated, controlled movement.
- Training variationThe idea that changing elements of training over time helps keep the body responding and keeps training sustainable.
- Training adaptationThe process by which the body changes in response to repeated training — the underlying reason exercise makes you fitter, stronger or more skilful over time.
- BiomechanicsThe study of how the body produces and controls movement — the mechanics behind every technique in sport.
Skills Academy
- Locomotor skillsMoving the body efficiently — running, sprinting, changing pace and getting into position.
- Foundational skillsThe base skills almost every sport rests on — move, balance and control before anything else.
- Object-control skillsHandling a ball or implement — controlling, receiving, passing and moving it with intent.
- Ball-sport skillsThe skills that recur across ball games — control, passing, dribbling, shooting and defending.
Positions
- Goal attackThe goal attack is a versatile netball attacker who both feeds the shooter and scores goals, moving through the centre and attacking thirds.
- Wing attackThe wing attack is a netball playmaker who feeds the ball into the shooting circle, moving through the centre and attacking thirds but not entering the goal circle.
- StrikerA striker is the main attacking player in football, positioned furthest forward with the primary job of scoring goals.
- Middle blockerThe middle blocker plays in the centre of the net, leading the team’s blocking and attacking with fast, quick sets.
- Centre (netball)The centre is netball’s link between attack and defence, the only player allowed in every third except the two goal circles, and the player who takes the centre pass.