Whether or not you are a gymnast, balance beam activities can help strengthen your core muscles and your legs while also developing a stronger sense of balance. Beam exercises are also great for children, allowing them to develop balance and agility while getting an early start on the quest for life-long fitness.
Walking
The most basic balance beam activity is walking, and it has several variations. Walk forward or backward on a beam, walk at normal paces or walk heel-to-toe. If you master that easily, try walking sideways on the beam. Stand on the beam facing the side, with your left leg "leading"--you will be moving across the beam toward the left. Step out with your left foot, then cross your right foot behind the left; step out again with your left foot, and this time, cross your right foot in front of the left. Keep going until you reach the end of the beam. You can also try a developé walk, meaning that extend your leg in the air to ankle level, knee level, hip level, whatever is comfortable for you, before placing your foot down on the beam.
Pliés
Another effective balance beam activity is the plié, a ballet term for the bending of the knees. Standing sideways on the beam--your body will be facing the side of the beam instead of the end of the beam--move your legs just farther than shoulder width apart, then bend until your knees are at a 90-degree angle. As you rise back to standing, you move your rear leg toward your leading leg, so you finish by standing with your feet together. Continue doing this down the beam, then back.
Jumping/Hopping
Jump in place and switch your feet, landing with your right foot forward first, then with your left leg forward. As you get comfortable with this, move forward with your jumps, jumping forward and landing on your right, then on your left. Hop across the beam by standing on the balls of your feet and gradually moving forward with each hop.
Turns
Turns are a greater challenge. Start by having one foot in front of the other, rise to the balls of the feet, and rotate around until you face the opposite direction. Increase the difficulty of this pivoting exercise by stepping forward with one foot, pivoting, then stepping forward with the other foot, and pivoting back to your original position. To increase the challenge even more, try pivoting from a squatting position.
Cartwheels
As your balance gets better, attempt cartwheels. When you first start trying this, make sure your balance beam is low to the ground, a few inches at most, so you won't have a long fall if you miss your landing. If you are capable of doing roundoffs or walkovers, you can practice doing those on a balance beam as well.
Variations
Vary the challenge of these activities by attempting to do them in unison with another person. Use two balance beams if attempting cartwheels, roundoffs, or walkovers in unison. Focus more on your balance by performing these activities with a beanbag on your head or shoulders.
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