Logo of gymnast on rings – personal brand mark of Dr Stefan Kolimechkov
Kensington Gymnastics Magazine Issue 3 · May 2026
Gymnastics for Life
Masters & Lifelong Movement

Why Balance Changes With Age — and How Gymnastics May Help

Balance is not a gift that we either possess or lose. It is a living system that can be challenged, practised and supported throughout adulthood.

Many adults think about balance only after something draws attention to it: an uneven paving stone, a crowded Underground carriage, or a step that feels less automatic than it once did.

Ageing can change several parts of the balance system.1,2 Exercise can improve balance and reduce falls in older adults.3,4

Gymnastics is interesting because balance is not added as a separate exercise. It runs through standing, landing, turning, supporting, rotating and recovering.

Dr Stefan Kolimechkov performing a handstand on outdoor exercise bars in Holland Park, Kensington
Masters lens · Holland Park Stefan Kolimechkov training balance and control at the outdoor exercise park in Holland Park, Kensington.
Issue 1Gymnastics beyond childhood.
Issue 2Strength and muscle loss.
Issue 3Balance, coordination and confidence.
More than standing still

A family of abilities

Balance is the ability to keep the body controlled in relation to gravity, the surface beneath us and the movement we are trying to perform.

1 Static balance Maintaining control while relatively still: standing, pausing or holding a position.
2 Dynamic balance Maintaining control while moving: walking, turning, stepping, landing or changing direction.
3 Reactive balance Recovering after a slip, push, missed step or unexpected movement.

In real life these forms overlap. Walking down a busy London pavement requires continuous adjustment. We alter step length, avoid other people, respond to noise and manage uneven ground, often while thinking about something else.

A body that appears still is also making small corrections. The important question is whether those corrections are timely and appropriate.

Task-specific, not universal A person may stand calmly on one leg yet struggle when turning quickly, stepping over an obstacle or responding to a disturbance. One balance task cannot describe the complete system.
Key idea Balance is not one ability. It is a family of abilities used in different situations.
Information, decision and action

How the body knows where it is

Balance emerges from cooperation between sensory information, the nervous system and the body’s capacity to respond.

VisionWhere am I in the environment?
Vestibular systemHow is my head moving and oriented?
Body sensationWhat can my skin, muscles and joints feel?
The brain interprets and reweights information
→
The body organises a response

In darkness, vision becomes less useful. On a soft surface, information from the feet and ankles may become less reliable. The nervous system must decide which signals deserve greater emphasis.

Muscle strength, joint mobility, reaction speed, coordination and previous experience shape the response. Sensing a loss of balance is not enough if the body cannot organise an effective step, reach or change in posture.

Attention belongs in the system Balance often shares mental resources with conversation, navigation, carrying objects or making decisions. This is one reason it may feel different when a person is tired, distracted or anxious.
Balance is a conversation The senses report, the brain interprets and the body responds.
Gradual and individual

There is no single balance birthday

Ageing does not switch balance off. Changes are gradual, uneven and influenced by health, experience, activity and environment.

AdulthoodBalance is already working across complex daily tasks.
MidlifeSubtle changes may be masked by experience and strength.
Later lifeSensory and motor changes may become more important.
Every agePractice and appropriate exercise can still matter.

Research describes age-related changes in sensory processing, vestibular function, reaction time, muscle strength and the flexible coordination of posture. Older adults may sway more in some conditions or find adaptation harder when information becomes unreliable.1,2

The effect is not identical in every person or task. A healthy adult who feels rusty during an unfamiliar movement is not the same as someone experiencing repeated falls or persistent dizziness. In older adults, dizziness is associated with a greater risk of future falls and fall-related injury.5

Falls are multifactorial

Previous falls
Strength & mobility
Vision & hearing
Dizziness & medication
Health conditions
Environment & footwear
Attention
Fear & confidence
Gait & reaction
The careful conclusion Balance can improve,3 but falls prevention is broader than balance training; adults at higher risk may need comprehensive assessment.6
Protection without paralysis

Fear can change movement

Fear has a protective purpose. It warns us when a situation may exceed our present ability.

After a fall, injury or long period away from movement, a person may become more cautious. They may take shorter steps, avoid uneven ground, stop participating or stiffen when challenged.

ExperienceA fall, pain or unfamiliar task.
CautionMovement becomes guarded.
AvoidanceChallenge is practised less.
UnfamiliarityConfidence may reduce further.

Fear of falling is not imaginary or a failure of character. It can affect attention, decision-making and the way the body moves. Exercise may reduce fear in some older adults, although findings vary and many studies have limitations.7

What the strongest evidence says
A large Cochrane review found that exercise reduced the rate of falls among community-dwelling adults aged 60 and over. Balance and functional exercises were among the approaches supported by high-certainty evidence.4

This does not mean every activity has the same effect, or that gymnastics replaces an individual falls programme. NICE recommends comprehensive assessment for people at higher risk rather than relying on one exercise or test.6

When to seek advice Persistent unsteadiness, repeated falls, new dizziness or a sudden change in balance deserves appropriate healthcare assessment.
Varied movement problems

Balance is woven through the sport

Gymnastics is not the only route to better balance. Its distinctive feature is the variety of postural problems it presents.

Different supportsWeight passes through hands as well as feet.
Changing orientationThe body moves upright, horizontal and inverted.
Landings & flightControl must return after movement through space.
Moving apparatusBody and equipment may change together.
RotationEyes, head and body coordinate through turns.
RecoverySmall errors require timely correction.

Studies of gymnasts support the idea that experience can influence postural regulation. Researchers have observed faster stabilising responses after a disturbance in gymnasts than in non-gymnasts.8

Other work shows that handstand balance and ordinary standing balance remain distinct tasks. Training one form of balance does not guarantee perfect performance everywhere.9

Evidence boundary Direct research on masters artistic gymnastics and fall prevention is sparse. Gymnastics should be described as one possible source of varied balance challenge—not as a proven preventive treatment.

For adults, the principles can be adapted through controlled stepping, floor transitions, supported shapes, changes of direction, body-weight strength and appropriately scaled coordination tasks.

Lifelong principle The movements can change while the balance system continues to receive meaningful problems to solve.
From my own experience

What experience preserves—and what practice restores

I would not say that I have noticed a general loss of balance or coordination as I have grown older.

My handstand is a clear example. Years of practice have made it more stable, and I can now control it with several head positions, including a neutral head position. Experience has given me a deeper understanding of the small corrections that keep the shape organised.

But not every ability feels the same.

If I return to giant swings on the horizontal bar after not performing them for some time, the first attempts can produce an unfamiliar sensation—something approaching mild dizziness or reduced spatial certainty. After a few attempts, and again in the next session, that feeling normally disappears.

What this can—and cannot—tell us This experience does not prove what is happening inside the vestibular system. Research in high-level gymnasts shows complex, task-specific coordination rather than a simple permanent “upgrade” of one vestibular reflex.

The safer lesson is familiarity. A movement that once felt automatic may initially feel strange after time away. Repeated, controlled exposure can make it feel organised again.

Technique, timing and confidence

Returning to a difficult skill

When I revisit a difficult exercise, basic strength or balance may still be present. What often needs rebuilding is:

1Muscular coordination
2Precise timing
3Technique
4Spatial familiarity
5Confidence

Dynamic skills now feel more demanding to me than many static strength elements. High-speed movement requires timing, spatial orientation and confidence to arrive together.

That is why I approach each apparatus gradually. My warm-up is longer, particularly for the shoulders. I use elastic bands and apparatus-specific preparation, and I build intensity rather than starting at full force.

Fear has affected my gymnastics throughout my life. If it becomes too strong, it is difficult to commit. Yet having no fear would be dangerous. The aim is not to remove fear, but to understand whether it is giving useful information.

Learning to fall Gymnastics taught me that losing balance is not always the end of control. Depending on the situation, a trained response may absorb or distribute force rather than allowing one joint to receive the entire impact. These are supervised, context-dependent skills—not instructions for readers to practise falling alone.
Some decline may be inevitable as we grow older. But the rate at which we decline is not entirely beyond our influence.
Stefan Kolimechkov · Masters gymnast
A moving city

Balance rarely happens on a perfect floor

London asks us to combine balance with attention, judgement and reaction.

01PlatformStep across a gap and change level.
02CarriageRespond when a train moves unexpectedly.
03PavementNavigate crowds, rain and uneven ground.
04StairsManage pace, bags and divided attention.

The city can provide daily movement, but it can also remove variety. Long hours at a desk, commuting and screen-based work reduce the positions many adults experience. A person may walk thousands of steps yet rarely get down to the floor, move sideways, reach, turn or recover from a controlled loss of balance.

London reality
Being busy and giving the balance system varied practice are not always the same thing.

Practical principles for adults

Keep movement variedDo not rely on one familiar pattern.
Train the supporting qualitiesStrength, mobility and coordination belong together.
Progress graduallyUse stable support and qualified guidance where appropriate.
Notice persistent changeFalls, dizziness or unsteadiness may need assessment.

NHS guidance recommends that adults aged 65 and over remain active every day and do activities that improve strength, balance and flexibility on at least two days each week.10 Individual health and circumstances should shape what is appropriate.

Myths, meaning and evidence

Balance across life

“Balance only matters in old age.”

Serious fall risk becomes more important later, but balance is used throughout adulthood.

“Standing on one leg is a complete balance programme.”

It is one task. Real balance also involves stepping, turning, reacting and recovering.

“If I wobble, I am failing.”

Small corrections are part of balance. The goal is an appropriate, controlled response.

“Confidence means being fearless.”

Useful confidence includes judgement and grows from preparation and manageable progressions.

“Gymnastics prevents falls.”

That claim is not established. Adapted gymnastics may offer varied balance challenges, but it is not a guaranteed preventive treatment.

Final takeaway Balance is a cooperative system involving sensation, attention, strength, coordination, experience and confidence. Ageing may change it, but it remains responsive to practice. The purpose is to preserve the capacity to notice, adjust and respond.

Looking ahead

In the next issue, Gymnastics for Life will examine mobility, flexibility and joint health: why movement may feel stiffer with age, and how adults can preserve useful range without chasing extreme positions.

Evidence and further reading

Key references

  1. Allen, D., Ribeiro, L., Arshad, Q., & Seemungal, B. M. (2016). Age-related vestibular loss: current understanding and future research directions. Frontiers in Neurology, 7, 231. doi:10.3389/fneur.2016.00231
  2. Yeh, T.-T., Cinelli, M. E., Lyons, J. L., & Lee, T. D. (2015). Age-related changes in postural control to the demands of a precision task. Human Movement Science, 44, 134–142. doi:10.1016/j.humov.2015.08.021
  3. Howe, T. E., Rochester, L., Neil, F., Skelton, D. A., & Ballinger, C. (2011). Exercise for improving balance in older people. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, (11), CD004963. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD004963.pub3
  4. Sherrington, C., Fairhall, N., Wallbank, G., Tiedemann, A., Michaleff, Z. A., Howard, K., Clemson, L., Hopewell, S., & Lamb, S. (2020). Exercise for preventing falls in older people living in the community: an abridged Cochrane systematic review. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 54(15), 885–891. doi:10.1136/bjsports-2019-101512
  5. Li, Y., Smith, R. M., Whitney, S. L., Seemungal, B. M., & Ellmers, T. J. (2024). Association between dizziness and future falls and fall-related injuries in older adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Age and Ageing, 53(9), afae177. doi:10.1093/ageing/afae177
  6. National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. (2025). Falls: assessment and prevention in older people and in people 50 and over at higher risk (NICE Guideline NG249). nice.org.uk/guidance/ng249.
  7. Kumar, A., Delbaere, K., Zijlstra, G. A. R., Carpenter, H., Iliffe, S., Masud, T., Skelton, D., Morris, R., & Kendrick, D. (2016). Exercise for reducing fear of falling in older people living in the community: Cochrane systematic review and meta-analysis. Age and Ageing, 45(3), 345–352. doi:10.1093/ageing/afw036
  8. Gautier, G., Thouvarecq, R., & Larue, J. (2008). Influence of experience on postural control: effect of expertise in gymnastics. Journal of Motor Behavior, 40(5), 400–408. doi:10.3200/JMBR.40.5.400-408
  9. Omorczyk, J., Bujas, P., Puszczałowska-Lizis, E., & Biskup, L. (2018). Balance in handstand and postural stability in standing position in athletes practicing gymnastics. Acta of Bioengineering and Biomechanics, 20(2), 139–147. PMID: 30220715.
  10. NHS. (2024). Physical activity guidelines for older adults. nhs.uk.