You are on page 1of 2

Ounce of

Prevention Jason Brumitt, MSPT, SCS, ATC, CSCS,*D

about the
AUTHOR Assessing Athletic Balance with
Jason Brumitt is an
instructor of physical
the Star Excursion Balance Test
C
therapy at Pacific oaches and sports medicine professionals gener- Anterior

University in Hillsboro, ally agree that athletes should possess good bal-
Oregon. He is a board ance in order to be successful at their sport. The term Anteromedial Anterolateral

certified sports physical


balance relates to one’s ability to maintain his or her
therapy, an athletic trainer,
center of mass within his or her base of support. For
and a certified strength
example, a running back demonstrates good dynamic
and conditioning specialist
balance by staying upright and continuing forward
with distinction. He may
Medial Lateral

progress despite being hit by a defensive back.


be reached by email at
jbrumitt72@hotmail.com. Balance training is often incorporated into a functional
exercise program. Coaches and sports medicine profes-
sionals are usually able to observe and correct gross bal- Posteromedial Posterolateral

ance dysfunction with specific exercises or drills. How-


ever, subtle side-to-side movement asymmetries may Posterior

exist and ultimately go unnoticed. An athlete with an


Figure 1. Star Excursion Balance Test
asymmetry may have an increased risk of experiencing
an injury (2).

The Star Excursion of a “+”. Place the remaining two strips on the floor in-
Balance Test tersecting the “+” at 45° angles (forming an “x”).
State-of-the-art computerized balance machines can
To initiate testing, stand on one leg at the center of
be used to identify asymmetries in athletic individuals.
the “star” (figure 2). Reach with the opposite leg in a
However, most high schools and colleges are unable to
particular direction as far as possible, touching the tape
afford the high price tag associated with these machines.
with either the forefoot or toes (figure 3 & 4). A tester
There is a low tech, inexpensive option called the Star
should then mark this point for future measurement
Excursion Balance Test (SEBT) which can be utilized
(1). Return to the starting position after each reaching
by coaches and sports medicine professionals to quickly
trial. Repeat a test if unable to maintain balance on the
assess an athlete’s dynamic balance (1, 2).
stance leg during the reaching motion or if the reaching
The SEBT is proving to be an effective tool in predict- leg is used to provide support during the test (1). Tests
ing injury risk. Researchers from Rocky Mountain Uni- should be performed in all eight motions to allow for
versity of Health Professions (Provo, Utah) found that side-to-side comparisons.
high school basketball players with asymmetrical reach
distances (as little as 4 centimeters) had a greater risk of
Balance and
experiencing a lower extremity injury (2).
Movement Training
The “star” can also be effectively incorporated into a
Constructing and training or rehabilitation program. If an asymmetry is
Performing the SEBT presented, reaching or movement patterns may be per-
The “star” is easy to construct and requires minimal formed in the challenging direction. Figure 5 demon-
space (figure 1). First, cut athletic tape into four 6 to strates how to perform a functional movement pattern
8-foot strips (1). Lay two strips on the floor in the shape to address a posterior movement dysfunction.

nsca’s performance training journal • www.nsca-lift.org • volume 7 issue 3 6


Ounce of Prevention Assessing Athletic Balance with the Star
Excursion Balance Test

Conclusion
The SEBT is gaining popularity for both its ease of
use in clinical settings and its reliability in research.
The potential uses of the SEBT are only limited by
the coach’s or clinician’s imagination. „

References
1. Hertel, J, Miller, SJ, Denegar, CR. Intratester and
intertester reliability during the star excursion
balance tests. J Sport Rehab 9:104 – 116, 2000.

2. Plisky, PJ, Rauh, MJ, Kaminski, TW, Underwood,


FB. Star excursion balance test as a predictor of
lower extremity injury in high school basketball
players. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther. 36(12):
911 – 919, 2006.

Figure 2. SEBT Starting Position Figure 3. Reaching with the right leg Figure 4. Reaching with the right leg
in the anterolateral direction. in the posteromedial direction.

Figure 5. Posterior lunge with ipsilateral trunk rotation.

nsca’s performance training journal • www.nsca-lift.org • volume 7 issue 3 7

You might also like