Off-Court Exercises for Floorball Players to Improve On-Court Balance & Stability

How do I get more stable on the court?

Balance and stability isn’t just something beginners need to think about.

While it’s easy to picture the “rookie” who’s slipping around and falling over, the truth is that even pro floorball players constantly work on stability. Why? Because the ability to stay strong on your feet under contact, keep control when making tight turns, or get a shot off while out of balance is essential to dominating at a high level.

The reality is simple: floorball players at all levels benefit from improving their balance and stability.

And while challenging these movement patterns during training sessions is valuable, you can also train stability off the court with specific exercises you can do in the gym or at home.

In this article, we’ll break down the difference between balance and stability, whether training on unstable surfaces is really worth it, and finally, give you the exact exercises we use with floorball players to help them build rock-solid stability.

Let’s dive in.

The Difference Between Balance and Stability

We often hear players say they want to “work on their balance” when they actually mean stability.

While the two words are often used interchangeably, there’s an important difference:

• Balance: the ability to maintain your center of gravity over a base of support.
• Stability: the ability to return to a strong position after being disturbed by an external force.

Let’s put this into floorball terms.

Standing upright is balance. Standing on one leg while holding your stick is balance. It’s about control in a static position.

But stability? That’s what happens when you absorb a bump and still get a pass off. It’s when you get pushed while protecting the ball, or when you plant and cut hard to change direction without losing power.

In other words, stability is what players actually use every single shift.

And here’s the key takeaway: on-court stability is heavily tied to strength, especially core strength. The stronger and more braced your core is, the harder it is to knock you off balance and the easier it is to play powerfully in awkward positions.

We’ll focus on balance/stability drills in this article, but if you want to get more “unshakable” on the court, building your core is priority number one.

Do Balance Boards & Stability Balls Help Floorball Players?

You’ve probably seen players squatting on Bosu balls or stickhandling while standing on a balance board. It looks impressive — but does it actually help your floorball game?

This is debated even among strength coaches.

The argument for: Unstable surfaces can improve coordination, core activation, and proprioception (your awareness of body position). Some research shows increased stabilizer muscle activation.

The argument against: Training on unstable surfaces reduces strength and power output. In other words, you’re weaker when standing on a Bosu ball — and that strength/power is exactly what transfers to floorball performance. Coaches argue single-leg stability exercises give you the same (or better) benefit without the tradeoff.

So who’s right? The truth is, both.

Unstable surface training has value for beginners or injured players working on nervous-system-based coordination. But for most athletes — especially advanced floorball players — single-leg stability training on solid ground is far more effective.

TL;DR: Use unstable surface work sparingly. Youth and rehab players can benefit, but if you want game-ready stability, prioritize strength-based single-leg work.

Balance & Stability Exercises for Floorball Players

Now to the good stuff: the exact exercises you can do to improve your balance and stability off the court.

No Bosu balls. No circus tricks. Just effective, proven movements that actually make you harder to knock off the ball and stronger in game situations.

1. 5-Second Single-Leg Hold

This one looks deceptively easy, but don’t underestimate it.

Stand on one leg in a low athletic stance and hold for 5 seconds — without wiggling, collapsing, or leaning. The goal is absolute stillness.

Go barefoot to fully engage your foot and ankle stabilizers. Even elite players are surprised by how tough this gets when done properly.

2. Single-Leg RDL to Reach

A staple for every athlete.

From a single-leg stance, hinge slowly at the hip and reach forward. This forces your ankle and hip to stabilize while your center of gravity shifts.

Go as slow as possible — control is everything. This is one of the best stability drills you can do.

3. Lawn Bowlers

Think of this as a next-level RDL variation.

From a single-leg stance, reach your arm as far across your body as possible, forcing a huge shift in your center of gravity.

The goal? Constantly feel like you’re almost falling, but fight against it by bracing and stabilizing.

This is one of the toughest and most valuable stability drills we use with our floorball players.

4. Box Step Downs

Now we challenge stability in a more quad-dominant position.

Stand on a low box or step and slowly lower one leg to the ground without collapsing your knee inward.

Start on the lowest step possible, even a stair. Master control before progressing to higher boxes or adding a slower tempo.

5. Crossover Box Step-Offs

A variation of the above that mimics the demands of crossovers.

Instead of stepping straight down, step your outside leg across and down. This challenges your hip stability and replicates the low, awkward positions you hit in transitions.

Start low, stay slow and controlled. 5 seconds of perfect movement here is gold.

6. Lateral Bound

Floorball is full of explosive stops, cuts, and pivots — all of which require you to absorb force and stabilize instantly.

From an athletic stance, explode laterally and land on one leg. The goal is to stick the landing without wobbling.

Start at 50% effort until you can land smoothly. Then increase power over time. The value here is in the landing, not just the jump.

7. Single-Leg RDL to Lateral Bound

This combines the hinge, jump, and landing into one drill.

• Start with a smooth, stable single-leg RDL.
• Stabilize, then explode into a lateral bound.
• Land strong and stick it.

We only use this once players have mastered the basics, because it challenges multiple stabilizing patterns at once.

Wrapping It Up

Those are the 7 essential balance & stability drills we use with floorball players at every level.

Remember: stability is more important than balance. The goal isn’t circus tricks on a wobble board — it’s being strong, stable, and able to absorb or resist contact while still making plays.

If you want to take it further, check out our article on Core Training for Floorball Players. Building a rock-solid core will do more for your stability than anything else.

And if you’re serious about improving your strength, stability, and power off the court, check out our complete floorball training programs. Every workout is designed to maximize the exact attributes that transfer directly into better game performance.

Now go train this, and make your next shift unshakable.

FAQs About Balance Training for Floorball Players

Are balance boards good for floorball players?
They’re fun, but limited. Great for youth players to challenge coordination, not as useful for older or advanced athletes. They don’t transfer directly to on-court stability.

What training aids are worth using?

• Stability pads: Useful for lunges, RDLs, and landing drills.
• Swiss balls: Great for core and upper body, not for standing on.
• Bosu balls: Overused — avoid heavy lifts on them. Can be used sparingly for push-up or lunge variations.

Do floorball players need balance?
Yes, but stability is more important. Balance is static. Stability is dynamic, and that’s what helps you shield the ball, absorb contact, and stay powerful through transitions.

 

Want to upgrade your stability training?
When you grab any product from FloorballFrenzy.com, you’ll also receive:

• BONUS: Mobility & Stretching Guide for Floorball – essential for joint control and smooth stability.
• BONUS #2: Travel Workouts for Floorball Players – quick sessions that keep your core and stability sharp on the road.
• BONUS #3: Game-Day Nutrition Blueprint – fuel so your stability work translates into power and balance under pressure.

These guides were built to turn “balance drills” into real on-court stability — exactly what separates average players from dominant ones.