Balanced exercises
Balanced exercises:
Do these first, before you get tired and wear yourself out. Or do them separately. Some may be ridiculously easy, so just start with the ones that become difficult to do.
1. Stand close or hang onto a counter top. Have a second person stand by for additional security, if you really need it.
2. Try to balance while standing on one foot.
3. Repeat step #1, but close your eyes. Can you keep your balance with your eyes closed?
4. Stand with your feet close together and balance with your eyes closed.
5. Stand in a heel-toe position (ex: R foot ahead of L foot, L toes should be touching R heel).
6. Now try Step #5 with your eyes closed.
7. Practice walking heel-toe across the room. (Pretend you are walking a “tightrope”).
8. Repeat Step #7 with your eyes closed. Try it again but walk backwards.
9. Practice side stepping (walk laterally) across the room. Try again with shut eyes.
10. Walk carioca style (walk laterally, take one step in front of the body, then take another step behind the body). Some call this exercise—crossovers. (You can run like that too. See the cardio section later.)
11. Repeat Step #2, Step #4 and Step #5, but stand on an eight inch piece of foam.
12. Balance on one leg. Tap your toe of the free leg on each hour position of a huge imaginary clock on the floor.
13. Practice stepping over a big thick telephone book. Go forwards, backwards, and sideways. Athletic individuals can try hopping over the book.
14. Raise a long 2×4 piece of wood up on some blocks and practice tandem heel-toe walk, side steps, and crossovers.
15. For combative purposes, start doing kicking and punching while balancing on one foot, or doing the forms. Also, do it with the eyes closed.
16. Start hopping forward with one foot raised, and then throw punches continuously. Do it backwards too. Try hopping and kicking at the same time. If that is too hard, try having someone hold your foot while they step, you hop to keep up. You throw punches continuously.
17. Tips: 1. Mini trampolines work well for the one-legged balance techniques. Added some small vertical or lateral hops on the mini trampoline.
2. Make a tight obstacle course with soup cans and weave in and out and around the cans. Try to weave and bend down to pick up the cans. Also, this can be used for footwork.