Three Tips to Improve Balance in Children

Last week, I explained why balance is so important to youth athletic development. If you missed it, then you can check it out HERE. This week, I want to give you three tips to develop balance with your kids.

1.       Stand on one foot while brushing your teeth (or doing any other mundane/daily habit such as watching tv or doing the dishes). Challenging them to incorporate balance into their daily tasks are simple to implement and will pay huge dividends in the long run.

2.       Try a new sport or hobby. New sports and active hobbies bring new movement challenges and new balance requirements. Trying a novel movement activity will force the body to adapt to these new stressors. Some less-common sports that really challenge and improve balance are:

a.       Hockey/Figure-Skating/Ice-Skating

b.       Dance

c.       Martial Arts

d.       Rock-Climbing

e.       Gymnastics

As a side note, these five sports are some of the best to develop physical literacy, coordination, and athletic development in children as they challenge the body in ways that align with deliberate youth athletic development. In our Little Athlete Academy, we pull the best aspects from all of these sports and combine it with our own movement-principles to provide young athletes with everything they need to develop optimally and live happy, healthy, and active lives.

3.       Get them off the screens and playing outside. All of the games you and I played as kids helped us passively develop our balance, and unfortunately, kids no longer play the same games. Tag, hide and go seek, kickball, pickle, catch, relay races, and simply exploring outside are all activities that passively develop balance.

There you have it, three tips to develop balance in your children to prepare them for future athletic success and set them up to live happy, healthy, and active lives.

If you are interested in a more deliberate approach, check out our Little Athlete Academy, where we provide young athletes with the best-possible training experience. It may be the best decision you ever make for them.

The Importance of Developing Balance in Kids

Balance is probably the most important physical attribute that needs to be developed in kids. Balance is so important because it’s the foundation of future athletic development. Every athletic movement requires balance. Running, skipping, jumping, throwing, cutting, sprinting, shuffling, and all other athletic movements require a tremendous amount of balance. Even exercises that enhance athleticism like split squats and single-leg dead lifts require a tremendous amount of balance. As children get older, faster, and stronger, their balance demands will increase exponentially. Without developing a solid base as a child, athletes will be left behind on the field of play and struggle to reach their athletic potential.

Even if athletics aren’t your thing, balance is a key factor to living an active and healthy life. Deliberate balance training reduces the risk falling and sustaining an injury. One of the first things adults lose as they age is the ability to balance. Years of developing a solid foundation will lead to a slower decline and will set children up to live happy, healthy, and active lives.

The beauty of balance is it can be (and should be) developed both deliberately and passively. Kids can deliberately train their balance through systematically designed programs and exercises. In our Little Athlete Academy, balance is at the forefront of everything we program. We start every training session with deliberate balance development and get kids moving in ways that greatly develops their balance. Kids can also develop their balance passively through play. Trying a new sport, playing games outside, or taking on a new active hobby will all passively develop balance in kids.

If you are interested in setting your child up to develop their balance, maximize their athletic potential, and live a happy, healthy, and active life, explore our Little Athlete Academy. It may be the best decision you ever make for them.