Screening and Examination Test 1 Practice

Anticipatory balance is about organizing your posture before you move so you stay stable when you start an action. It involves preplanned adjustments—like shifting your weight, widening your stance, and co-activating core and leg muscles—so the center of mass stays over the base of support as movement begins. This matches the idea of planning ahead to maintain stability before movement.

For example, before lifting a heavy box or taking a step, your nervous system pre-activates muscles to keep you from losing balance. That proactive preparation is what sets anticipatory balance apart from other types.

Reactive balance, by contrast, is how you respond after a disturbance pushes you off balance. Dynamic balance refers to staying stable while you are moving, and static balance is maintaining a still position with no movement.