Agility, balance and proprioception

Working in dark conditions with debris underfoot is not uncommon for a firefighter. The body’s ability to react quickly to a slip or trip depends on the neurological pathway from our joint to our brain to initiate a reaction, which naturally declines with age. For this reason, it is good practice to incorporate exercises to develop balance, proprioception and agility, to reduce your risk of injury.

There are various ways you can develop your balance and proprioception. Exercises to challenge agility, balance and proprioception are built into the resistance and circuit training elements in the programme.

Agility

• Clock squats
• Lateral stepping
• Lateral running
• Hopping

Balance

• Stand on one leg – close your eyes
• Balance on a bosu ball on both feet – then one-foot

Proprioception

• Catching and throwing a ball thrown from varying directions
• Balance on a bosu ball
• Medicine ball exercises such as figure of eights