Proprioceptive Exercises

Proprioception is the term used to describe the body’s awareness of its position in space, and the position of each part of the body in relation to other parts of the body. For instance, it’s proprioception that makes you aware that your arm is extended over your head, even though your eyes are closed.

Proprioceptive exercises are devised to increase your body’s spatial awareness, which in turn can increase the coordination, accuracy and overall performance in professional and recreational sports. By heightening your body’s proprioception, the accuracy of your individual movements is naturally increased. Because proprioception affects every body part and muscle movement, proprioceptive exercises can also be used to improve artistic and creative effort, and has also shown to increase concentration, reading, planning, and even mathematical ability.

The effect of proprioceptive exercise on physical ability may seem obvious: by increasing spatial awareness, coordination and individual skill sets can be improved. But the role of proprioceptive exercise in concentration and planning may be a little more difficult to understand.

Experts say proprioceptive exercise can help our brains interpret our physical selves more effectively and efficiently, allowing us the freedom to focus on other matters. When we lack a developed sense of proprioception, we may fidget more and become more easily distracted. Proprioception allows us to remain focused and to concentrate better.

Similarly, proprioceptive exercise can improve our ability to plan. By using our sense of proprioception, we can plan activities in our minds automatically, prior to carrying them out. This “pre-coordination” of movement can actually increase accuracy and coordination before we even begin to move.

There are a variety of exercises which can be used to help develop the body’s sense of proprioception, including martial arts and T’ai Chi, yoga, dancing, weight-bearing exercises, balance exercises, and jumping rope. In addition, proprioception can be enhanced by choosing exercises which pose some level of difficulty, challenging your body to become accustomed to unfamiliar routines.