Improve your coordination skills while challenging your balance and stability with these four physical therapist-recommended exercises
You can improve your physical coordination with practice and these four exercises
I struggle with any task that requires physical coordination.
Ask me to pat my head and rub my tummy, and I’ll inevitably get the actions the wrong way round. I’m also terrible at ball games, with poor aim and an inability to catch.
Why do I find it so hard?
“Coordination relies on communication between the brain, nervous system, eyes, inner ears, sensory receptors in the muscles and joints and the muscles themselves,” explains Dr Gabriela Van Sickle, a physical therapist and the co-founder of Functional Physical Therapy.
When so many systems contribute to the process, there are many opportunities for malfunction.
“Even factors such as stress, lack of sleep and dehydration can negatively affect coordination and reaction time,” adds Van Sickle.
Thankfully, coordination—like any attribute—is something that you can work on and improve.
Van Sickle recommends doing the following four exercises to boost your coordination, as the moves will help reinforce your brain-body connection.
1. Dead bug
Sets: 2-3 Reps: 8-10 each side Rest: 30-60sec
How to do it:
- Lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor.
- Extend your arms up, reaching toward the ceiling.
- Lift your feet so your shins are parallel with the floor and your knees are over your hips.
- Brace your abdominal muscles while keeping your lower back flat against the floor and slowly lower your right arm behind you as you straighten and lower your left leg.
- Return to the starting position and repeat with the opposite arm and leg.
How to progress: As this gets easier, increase the number of repetitions.
“This exercise challenges coordination between the upper body and lower body while strengthening the core,” says Van Sickle.
“It requires the brain to control multiple body segments moving in opposite directions while maintaining trunk stability, necessary for walking and stair climbing.”
2. Bear crawl
Sets: 2-3 Duration: 20-30sec Rest: 45-60sec
How to do it:
- Start on your hands and knees, with your hands under your shoulders and your knees under your hips.
- Keep your back flat and engage your core.
- Lift your knees an inch or two off the floor.
- Slowly move your right hand and left foot forward, followed by your left hand and right foot.
- Continue crawling forward with slow, controlled movements, breathing steadily and keeping your trunk flat. (If you run out of space, you can reverse the movement and crawl backwards.)
- After 20 to 30 seconds of work, return your knees to the floor.
How to progress: As this gets easier, increase the amount of time spent crawling.
“Bear crawls challenge whole-body coordination by requiring the arms, legs, core and nervous system to work together,” says Van Sickle.
“They involve cross-body movement patterns —right arm with left leg and vice versa—which help improve timing, body awareness, balance and motor control.”
3. Standing toe tap
Sets: 2 Reps: 10 each side Rest: 30-60sec
How to do it:
- Stand on your left leg with a soft bend in your knee and a straight back.
- Imagine you are standing in the center of a clock. Keeping your weight on your left leg, lightly tap your right foot to the side at approximately the three o'clock position.
- Return your working foot to the center.
- Continue tapping around the clock, reaching two o'clock, one o'clock and then 12.
- Next, reach your foot across the front of your body to tap at 11 o'clock and 10 o'clock, and nine o'clock—crossing your body’s midline.
- Complete all repetitions on one leg before switching sides.
How to progress: Try tapping your foot on all the numbers of the imagined clock, including the numbers positioned behind you.
“This exercise combines balance and coordination by challenging you to maintain stability on one leg while reaching across your body,” says Van Sickle.
“Crossing the midline requires communication between both sides of the brain and helps improve body awareness, motor control and coordination during everyday activities and sports.”
4. Standing knee drive
Sets: 2-3 Reps: 8-10 each side Rest: 45-60sec
How to do it:
- Stand upright with your feet hip-width apart.
- Step your right foot back, extend your right arm forward and extend your left arm behind you.
- Bend your right knee and raise it in front of you, while bending your left elbow and swinging your left arm forward and right arm back.
- Pause for a moment while your right leg is raised.
- Step your right foot back again, while also returning your arms to the starting position (right arm extended forward and left arm extended behind).
- Complete all the repetitions on one side before switching sides.
How to progress: Move slowly and focus on control, rather than speed.
“This exercise combines balance, core stability and cross-body coordination,” says Van Sickle.
“Lifting one knee while reaching with the opposite arm mimics the natural movement pattern used during walking and running. It challenges the brain and body to coordinate movements across multiple joints while maintaining postural control.”
Dr Gabriela Van Sickle is a physical therapist, certified functional manual therapist (CFMT), board-certified pelvic health specialist and the co-founder of Functional Physical Therapy. She specializes in treating pelvic floor dysfunction, chronic pain, pregnancy and postpartum care, and complex conditions that have not responded to traditional treatment approaches.
