Fast Fitness - Balance Contest!
Friday, October 23, 2009
Jolie Bookspan, M.Ed, PhD, FAWM
On the urging of reader Mr. Georges Nakhlé, I started the Academy of Functional Exercise Medicine (AFEM) to train people in healthier, functional, more common-sense exercise and lifestyle. We teach classes, certify top students, and are creating better methods of instruction.
One of our courses is Balance. Mr. Nakhlé, who runs the AFEM office in Lebanon asked me, "Which test tells whether a person has good balance or not?"
Readers - Your Challenge:
- Write your ideas for different needed levels of balance
- Write specific balance skills or training drills
- Give examples that are needed for real daily life - functional balance testing, rather than isolated clinical measures.
Here Is What To Know:
Standardized tests exist, but don't predict how someone can function (move doing real things) in real life without falls, sprains, and other injuries of poor balance. A single test, such as the standard, "Can you stand on one foot for 5 seconds" may give a low basic measure, but a single test doesn't cover range needed throughout real life. That means we need several simple tests to rank ability.
Basic low level balance needed for safe healthy life:Average:
- "Can you step over a pile of clothes and toys on the floor, without spilling a cup of water"
- "Can you descend narrow basement stairs holding a laundry basket in both hands without holding the railing?"
- "Can you put on hosiery and shoes standing up?"
- "Can you rise from your chair and the floor without using your hands?"
High:
- "Can you leap over a puddle or hole in the street and land lightly on the other foot?"
- "Can you safely climb a stepladder without hands and change an overhead light bulb without holding on?"
- "Can you walk though a rushing rocky stream and rescue a child on a rock?"
- Your ideas here…
Last contest time running out - How well do you know human movement?
- Only a little time left to give your best answers to last week's Fast Fitness - Contest: What Does It Take To Sit Upright?
More about AFEM - the Academy of Functional Exercise Medicine (renamed from the Academy of Functional Fitness Medicine):
- How we began - New International Academy Using Jolie Bookspan's Methods
- First Winner - International Academy of Functional Sports Medicine Logo Design
- Academy web site - www.DrBookspan.com/Academy
- See our certified students and teachers - www.drbookspan.com/AcademyStudents.html
- Ancient Shoe Exercise for Hip Stretch and Balance
- Fast Fitness - Balance and Ankle Stability in the Dark
- Married 63 Years With Good Balance
- Fast Fitness - Leap for Balance on Leap Year
- Fast Fitness - Dynamic Partner Balance Challenge
- Fast Fitness - Strength, Abs, Balance, and Ankle and Leg Stabilization
- Fast Fitness - Balance, Strength, Stretch, and Socks
- Better Balance by Christmas
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Before asking questions, see if your answers are already here by clicking labels under posts, links in posts, archives at right, and The Fitness Fixer Index. Read success stories of these methods and send your own.
For personal medical questions - Replies to Medical Questions. Limited Class spaces for personal feedback. Top students may apply for certification through DrBookspan.com/Academy. Learn more in Dr. Bookspan's Books.
Before asking questions, see if your answers are already here by clicking labels under posts, links in posts, archives at right, and The Fitness Fixer Index. Read success stories of these methods and send your own.
For personal medical questions - Replies to Medical Questions. Limited Class spaces for personal feedback. Top students may apply for certification through DrBookspan.com/Academy. Learn more in Dr. Bookspan's Books.
Labels: balance, contest, fast fitness, gait, International Academy of Functional Sports Medicine
2 Comments:
At Friday, October 30, 2009 12:20:00 PM,
Anonymous said…
In thinking about just testing balance in a functional form, it seems that strength is an issue as well. Assuming you can have strength and bad balance, but you can’t have good balance without strength, a functional strength test would be needed first, so not to confuse bad balance with muscle weakness.
Wouldn’t an advanced fun and functional balance test really be an agility test, or am I just splitting hairs? This contest is hurting my head. : ) Paul J.
At Monday, January 11, 2010 4:38:00 PM,
Simon Morev said…
- high:
- Can you walk along city installed concrete curb
0-60secs n00b
1-2 average
unlimited high
- Can you walk along a meridian divider (high level only due to height)
- walk a wall line, stand up trusses. (high use fall restraints)
- walk a rope bridge without using side ropes, high.
For testing, I don't know about everyone else but here in B.C we have outdoor jungle gyms (adult size) centers full of ropes walls rails zip lines etc.. etc.. great place to do any kind of testing and they have their own programs also. these are large places not your school jungle gym.
Peace
Tusca.
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