If you’ve ever seen someone doing squats on a wobble board or push-ups on a Bosu ball and thought, “This must be great for athletes,” it’s time to rethink that. While training on unstable surfaces may look challenging and fun, it’s not as beneficial for athletic performance as you might think. If you’re not recovering from an injury, there are far more effective ways to spend your training time—like focusing on speed, strength, recovery, and, of course, practicing your sport.
Unstable Surfaces: Misunderstood and Overhyped
Let’s clear something up: unstable surface training (UST) does have its place, but it’s in rehab settings—not in the everyday training regimen of a healthy athlete. If you’ve rolled an ankle or are coming back from an injury, UST can help rebuild your body’s balance and proprioception (your body’s awareness of movement and position). However, for a healthy athlete looking to boost speed, strength, and overall performance, unstable surfaces are not your best option.
Imagine trying to run a race on the beach—it’s difficult to generate speed or power when the ground beneath you is moving. That’s essentially what you’re doing when training on unstable surfaces. The instability forces your body to engage small stabilizer muscles – creating co-contractions, which can be helpful in rehab situations to create stability, but those muscles aren’t the ones primarily responsible for athletic power or speed. When they contract along with the prime movers they’re actually working against you.
The Science Behind Stable vs. Unstable Training
Research has consistently shown that training on unstable surfaces doesn’t provide the same performance benefits as training on stable ground. In fact, a 2015 study by Behm and Colado found that exercises on unstable surfaces reduce force production by up to 70% compared to stable surfaces (Behm & Colado, 2015). That’s a big reduction, especially for athletes who rely on maximizing force for speed, jumps, and other explosive movements.
This means that when you’re sprinting, jumping, or lifting weights on unstable surfaces, you’re actually limiting your potential gains. Your body is too busy trying to balance to produce the maximum force needed for athletic performance.
You are also leaking power and force into the softer, unstable surfaces. When you strike the ground in sprinting, but you’re on the beach, the sand disperses your force. When sprinting on solid ground like turf or a track, the ground doesn’t move. The forces are returned up into the body and help propel you forward. This is also important for tissue adaptation. The tissues in your lower leg don’t adapt to the high forces returning to the body from the ground if the ground disperses the energy. Therefore, you don’t develop the springs in the lower leg to sprint faster or jump higher.
Save Unstable Surfaces for Rehab, Not Performance
Unstable surface training is most beneficial for athletes when they’re injured. After an ankle sprain or a knee injury, UST can help rebuild those small stabilizing muscles and improve balance. It’s a great tool for rehabilitation. However, once an athlete has fully recovered, it’s time to get back to traditional strength and speed training to make sure their power and performance are where they need to be. UST can be part of the rehab process, but ultimately, the athlete or patient needs to be exposed to progressively higher forces and velocities to return stronger than pre-injury.
A 2020 study found that while UST improved balance in injured athletes, it did not improve sprint speed, jumping ability, or overall athletic performance in healthy athletes (Zemková, 2020). So, unless you’re recovering from an injury, you’re better off leaving the wobble boards and Bosu balls for the physical therapy room.
What Should Athletes Focus on Instead?
Now that we’ve established that unstable surface training isn’t the magic solution to athletic greatness, let’s focus on what does work. Athletes should spend their time building a strong foundation with tried-and-true methods: speed training, strength work, proper recovery, and practicing their sport.
1. Speed Work
If you want to get faster, the best way to do that is by running fast. Sprints, plyometrics, and agility drills with adequate rest periods, all focus on improving your ability to move quickly and explosively. The key here is running on solid ground. You need stable conditions to maximize your stride length and frequency, which are crucial for speed development.
2. Strength Training
Strength is foundational for every athlete’s performance and durability. When strength training, incorporate a variety of movements like squats, deadlifts, and presses. Also make sure to include movements in different planes and at different velocities to develop the ability to generate more force in many scenarios. This can translate to running faster, jumping higher, and hitting harder.
Training on a stable surface allows your body to focus on producing maximum force without having to worry about staying balanced. By lifting heavy weights on stable ground, you’re ensuring that your body can perform at its peak when it matters most.
3. Recovery
No matter how much you train, recovery is essential for getting the most out of your efforts. Rest allows your muscles to repair and grow, ensuring that you’re ready to perform at your best. This includes proper sleep, stretching, and active recovery techniques like foam rolling, light weight training or body weight circuits, or aerobic activity.
Recovery is where all the gains from speed and strength work come together. Without adequate recovery, you’re not only risking injury but also leaving potential performance improvements on the table.
Recovery is a part of training too.
4. Sport-Specific Training
It may sound obvious, but the best way to get better at your sport is to practice your sport. Whether it’s dribbling, shooting, kicking, or sprinting, all these skills take place on a stable surface. Practicing these movements in the same or similar conditions that you compete in is key to improving your overall performance.
Practicing on solid ground allows you to hone your technique, make adjustments, and develop the confidence in your skills needed for success on game day.
Perfect your craft
The Bottom Line: Stick to What Works
In the world of sports performance, there’s no need to overcomplicate things. While unstable surface training has its place in rehabilitation, it’s not going to take a healthy athlete to the next level. If you want to improve your speed, strength, and performance, focus on training methods that have been proven to work—on solid ground.
Prioritize sprinting, heavy lifting, proper recovery, and sport-specific practice. These are the pillars of athletic development, and they’ll get you far better results than wobbling on a Bosu ball ever will.
References
Behm, D. G., & Colado, J. C. (2015). The effectiveness of resistance training using unstable surfaces and devices for rehabilitation. International Journal of Sports Physical Therapy, 10(6), 864-872.
Zemková, E. (2020). Assessment of balance in sport: Science and reality. Frontiers in Physiology, 11, 315.
By sticking to the basics, you’ll not only improve your athletic performance, but you’ll also avoid unnecessary gimmicks. So, the next time you see someone balancing on a wobbly surface, just remember: there’s a better way to train.