Meet Stability and Mobility

What do professional martial artists, breakdancers, and yoga teachers have in common?


They all have an excellent balance of both stability and mobility. So what does that mean?


Stability and mobility are two of most of the important foundations in human movement. Some personal trainers and coaches associate them with "core training"; tai chi instructors would associate them with "ying" (形), or patterns of movement. As you can see, stability and mobility can mean different things to different practitioners.

By definition, stability refers to the ability to control movement and maintain equilibrium (your center). Stability is also the precursor to strength, which is the ability to produce movement. Without a strong base, strength can not be produced efficiently. Imagine that you are about to pick up a thirty-pound, squirming toddler by squatting down first. If your core (spine, trunk, and hip stability) is not strong, then your legs and arms can not efficiently and safely squat back up (strength) with the thirty-pound, squirming weight in front of you.


Mobility is the ability to move freely involving muscles and joints. This is not to be confused with the term flexibility which is the elongation of muscles. Hence, mobility is a broader term describing range of motion in human movement.

In sports and everyday activities, stability and mobility work and move together like Danny Kaye and Vera-Ellen dancing in White Christmas (1954). When you twist your spine and hips to reach for something behind you, the stabilizers in the spinal column and trunk are the first to activitate to hold the spine, shoulder, and pelvis in place as the body moves. These stabilizers do not produce a lot of force compare to the external movers (EX: surface back and abdominal muscles) which moves second. The spine, shoulder, and pelvis must also have adequate mobility in order to for you reach around without dislocating a joint or tearing a ligament or tendon.

Improper movement pattern from poor posture or single-sided sports (baseball, golf, bowling) can affect the balance of stability and mobility. This can result not only in lower performance, but also unnecessary stress which leads to injury. A good exercise training program must address a person's lack of stability or mobility or a combination of both.

Here is one of my favorite Youtube clip demonstrating extreme stability and mobility: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m22NECVD_dE&feature=related