Michael Jordan has it. Emmitt Smith has it. Shannon Miller has it. What is it? It is balance. Balance is the single most important component of athletic ability because it underlies all movement. It is a relatively simple concept with many complex applications. Balance does not work in isolation therefore it should not be thought of as an isolated component. It is a component of all movement whether that movement is dominated by strength, speed, flexibility or stamina. Balance is closely related to coordination and agility because they are dependent on a well developed sense of balance. To understand the role of balance it is necessary to take another look at the activities that you use in training and rehab, more importantly take another look at the respective activity you are training from the perspective of the role of balance in those activities. By taking a divergent thinking approach you will quickly realize that that there is more that one right answer to the question of the role of balance. Problems that you thought were strength, speed, flexibility or skill related could in fact be directly balance related and are manifested as a lack of strength, speed, flexibility, skill etc. Poor balance leads to poor technical or skill development which often results in injury. A relatively simple activity such as sprinting when seen from a balance perspective is a highly complex balance activity. At speeds in excess of 11m/sec the sprinter must alternate balancing on one leg and then the other in periods of time less that one tenth of a second. Try losing and regaining your balance in less that one tenth of a second and see how difficult a skill is required. Seated weight bearing sports such as kayak and cycling also demand a high degree of balance. The basic difference here is that balance is in a seated position.?