How to Improve Bodily Awareness and Proprioception

You've probably noticed that I find a way to weave the word "proprioception" into many of my posts. It's a beautiful word, really. Try saying it 10 times fast.

Okay, now that you've done that, I'll summarize, once again, what this word means. (I'm catering to the newer readers here.) Proprioception is your bodily awareness--your understanding of where you are in space and where your limbs are relative to your center of mass. Proprioception requires input from the vestibular system (to maintain balance) the visual system, and the musculoskeletal system.

Proprioception can be improved through training (sport, exercise, etc.), and conversely, one may weaken these sensations with a lack of movement. Enhanced proprioception means fewer falls, better reaction time, better coordination, and an overall improvement in athleticism.

Certain substances (like alcohol) can negatively affect proprioception. You've probably seen the tests police officers give to drunk drivers to test proprioceptive response: walking in a straight line or closing the eyes while trying to touch the nose. In a normal, healthy person, these tasks are easy to complete, but without proper spatial awareness, they become increasingly challenging.

As I've mentioned, the visual system is intimately tied to the proprioceptors in your brain. In a way, vision is a crutch upon which your bodily awareness can rest. Once you take away the visual stimulus, some people may run into trouble.

You might have noticed that balancing on one leg is exponentially more difficult when you close your eyes. Try this: do 5 bodyweight squats. Now, repeat with your eyes closed. Did you notice any difference between the two sets?

Although she can't see her partner, she's responding to his actions using proprioception.

A study on ballet dancers found that training with the eyes closed can produce some pretty impressive results. [2]  Golomer et. al. studied the dependence on vision for postural control in male dancers and untrained males alike. They used something called a Rod and Frame Test to measure postural swaying. The conclusion was, "the less visual-dependent they were for the RFT, the more stable they were in dynamic balance conditions." Not surprisingly, the trained dancers were less dependent on visual feedback than were the untrained males. Perhaps there is something to be said for one's postural awareness and their dependence on visual input.

In his well-respected text "The Training of the Weightlifter," R.A. Roman also alludes to the effectiveness of eliminating or limiting the visual feedback in learning movement. [3] In teaching the Olympic lifts (the clean and jerk and the snatch), he mentions that beginners can learn these lifts quicker by lifting in the dark or blindfolded. He notes:

"the lifter remembers the joint angles best with the eyes closed and reproduces them easier, and he remembers the degree of muscular tension and the amplitude of movement in the joints. Subsequently, when the exercises are done with the eyes open, the athlete's motor sensation is preserved with great clarity, contributing to the improvement of technique."

The Russians, he found, benefitted greatly from limiting the visual feedback with lifters. If Russian weightlifters and ballet dancers were able to reap the benefits of closing their eyes, so can you! It's easy to do, and it requires absolutely no additional equipment.

To start, I recommend trying simple, bodyweight movements like a squat, single leg deadlift or push-up. Once you've gotten the hang of that, you may progress to (very light) weighted movements--it may be best to use an empty barbell initially. As you grow more comfortable, try to add some weight. I do not recommend going above 50-60% of your 1 rep maximum, as it could be dangerous and unnecessary.

Doing positional drills (like a snatch deadlift, or a jerk dip) may be especially beneficial so that you can really orient yourself and learn to shift your weight properly. Initially, you will likely feel a bit off balance or uncoordinated, but, over time, you will develop a significant amount of bodily awareness and movement control.

Many people say that when you lose one sensation, as you see in those who are blind or deaf, your other senses develop to offset the loss. You, too, can translate this concept into your own training. If you want to master movement and avoid injury, just close your eyes!

Works Cited:

1. Hugel, F., M. Cadopi, F. Kohler, and Ph. Perrin. "Postural Control of Ballet Dancers: A Specific Use of Visual Input for Artistic Purposes." International Journal of Sports Medicine 20.02 (1999): 86-92. Web.
2. Golomer, Eveline, Jacques Crémieux, Philippe Dupui, Brice Isableu, and Théophile Ohlmann. "Visual Contribution to Self-induced Body Sway Frequencies and Visual Perception of Male Professional Dancers." Neuroscience Letters 267.3 (1999): 189-92. Web.
3. Roman, Robert Ansovich., and Andrew Charniga. The Training of the Weightlifter. Livonia, MI: Sportivny, 1988. Print.