Airplane balance

Category: Balance

Level: 1

Carla van den Berg

  • Soft bend at hips and knees
  • Flat back and neutral neck position throughout the movement
  • Initiate movement by pushing hips backwards into the hinge position as torso slowly lowers towards the floor
  • Knees bend slightly as torso lowers
  • Hips remain square
  • Back leg straight (if possible), heel pointing up towards ceiling
  • Slow, controlled movement
  • Round back
    • Cue "Pinch shoulders back"
    • Cue "Lower torso towards the floor by moving hips back"
  • Hips externally rotating (turning outward)
    • Cue "Point foot of free leg towards standing leg"
    • Cue "Hips face the floor"
  • Knee collapsing inward
    • Cue "Drive knee out towards pinky toe"
  • Neck extension (looking up)
    • Cue "Look up through the eyebrows"
  • Dynamic balance
  • Ankle stability
  • Knee control
  • Hip-dominant movement targets posterior chain (back, glutes, hamstrings)
  • Shoulder activation
  • Reinforces safe, neutral spine position