Balance Test: Three Simple Ones Researchers Use, And What They Show
Balance test: the short answer
A balance test checks how well your eyes, inner ear and feet work together, usually by asking you to stand on one leg. Researchers use three simple ones: standing on one leg with your eyes closed, putting on a sock and shoe on one leg, and standing on one leg for 10 seconds. They show what is being measured, not a verdict on you, and they are best tried with a wall and a chair close by. Here is the article in short form:
- Test 1: one leg, eyes closed, for 20 seconds, counting touch-downs.
- Test 2: put on and take off a sock and shoe on one leg.
- Test 3: stand on one leg for 10 seconds.
- In a Brazilian study of 1,702 people, about 1 in 5 could not do the 10-second stand.
- A single test is a snapshot, not a diagnosis.
- A class practises the same skill, in Darwin or live online.
Last updated: 25 October 2026.
Close your eyes and stand on one leg. Two of your three balance systems have just switched off. That is why such a simple test tells researchers so much.
A quick word on Iyengar yoga. Iyengar yoga is the style developed by Mr BKS Iyengar. In the 20th century he did more than anyone to set down traditional Indian yoga, through his books and his teaching, and he pioneered the use of props. It is the style we teach at Flametree, in Darwin and live online.
A chair is the right companion for any balance test.
What is a balance test, and what does it measure?
Balance runs on three systems: your eyes, your inner ear and the sensors in your feet and joints. Your brain blends them. A balance test makes one of them harder so you can see how the others cope. Closing your eyes removes the eyes from the picture, so the inner ear and the feet have to do all the work. Our guide to loss of balance explains the three systems in more detail.
The tests below are described so you know what the research measures. They are not a programme to follow. Do any of them standing next to a wall or a sturdy chair, on a non-slip floor, and skip them on a day you feel unwell or dizzy.
Three balance tests researchers use.
What are three simple balance tests?
1. One leg, eyes closed
The coaches Kelly and Juliet Starrett, in their book Built to Move, use a version they call SOLEC (Stand On one Leg, Eyes Closed). The person stands on one leg with eyes shut for 20 seconds, and the number of times the other foot touches down is counted. Standing on one leg with eyes closed was one of the tests in the 2013 Sydney yoga pilot, and it improved.
2. The sock and shoe test
The Starretts also describe what they call the Old Man Balance Test, credited to the coach Chris Hinshaw. Standing on one leg, you put on a sock and a shoe, tie the laces, then take them off again, without the other foot touching the floor. It is ordinary life, done on one leg.
3. The 10-second one-leg stand
Stand on one leg for 10 seconds. That is the whole test. It has been studied in a large group of people, which is covered next.
Half Moon: standing on one leg, the skill each of these tests looks at.
What do the studies say about the 10-second test?
A 2022 study in Brazil gave the 10-second one-leg stand to 1,702 people aged 51 to 75 (Araujo and colleagues, British Journal of Sports Medicine). About 20% of them could not do it. Over a median of 7 years, 17.5% of the people who could not do it had died, against 4.6% of those who could. After allowing for age, sex, body mass index and illness, the risk of death was 84% higher for those who could not (hazard ratio 1.84). The authors point out that they could not account for things such as recent falls and physical activity.
That is a marker, not a cause. Practising the test will not, on its own, change anyone’s lifespan. What it shows is whether the body still has the strength, balance and nerve-muscle teamwork that daily life asks for.
One in five could not do the 10-second stand.
An older study looked at falls. In the Albuquerque Falls Study, 316 healthy adults over 60 (average age 73) were followed for 3 years (Vellas and colleagues, Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 1997). About 84.5% could stand on one leg for 5 seconds at the start. Those who could not had about double the risk of an injurious fall (relative risk 2.13). It did not predict falls overall. The authors noted that no single factor is accurate enough to rely on alone.
How should I read my own result?
Gently. A test is a snapshot of one day. Sleep, shoes, the floor and your mood all change it. The most useful comparison is you against you: try the same test the same way once a month and notice the trend. If you wobble, that is not a failure. It is the skill asking to be practised.
Warrior III with a chair: practising standing on one leg with support.
How does a yoga class practise what these tests measure?
Standing on one leg is the exercise. In class you practise it with a wall, then a chair, then with less. The 2013 Sydney pilot had 54 community-dwelling adults with an average age of 68 do two Iyengar-based classes a week for 12 weeks (Tiedemann and colleagues, Journals of Gerontology Series A). Compared with a booklet-only group, they improved at standing balance, standing on one leg with eyes closed (1.93 seconds longer), getting up from a chair and walking speed. See Tree Pose for one-leg standing with a wall, balance exercises at home for more, and yoga for balance for what ten classes look like. The floor version of these tests is the sitting rising test.
A block under the hand gives the standing leg a chance to work.
Get the free ebook Strong Bones, Steady Feet. New to Flametree, or away for 3 months or more? You get 2 free classes + 2 ebooks, only available via this offer. Already coming to class? You can still get the book.
Where can I get a balance test and class in Darwin?
You can try these ideas in a beginner class at Flametree’s Woolner or Coolalinga studio, or live online. A teacher watches how you stand and shows you what to change. Our Yoga For Bones And Balance pass gives you 10 classes at half price plus 2 free, for new students or those away for 3 months or more. Class times are on the beginner timetable. Feel free to check with your professional advisers if you wish, but also give yoga a try.
Frequently asked questions
What is a balance test?
A balance test checks how well your eyes, inner ear and feet work together, usually by asking you to stand on one leg. Researchers use simple versions with eyes open or closed.
What is a single leg balance test?
You stand on one leg, usually for a set time, with the other foot off the floor. A common version asks for 10 seconds. Do it next to a wall or a sturdy chair.
Why do balance tests use closed eyes?
Closing your eyes removes sight from the three balance systems, so your inner ear and the sensors in your feet and joints must do all the work. It makes the test harder and more revealing.
What is the 10-second one-leg stand test?
You stand on one leg for 10 seconds. In a 2022 Brazilian study of 1,702 people aged 51 to 75, about 1 in 5 could not do it, and they were 84% more likely to die over about 7 years. It is a marker, not a cause.
What is the sock and shoe balance test?
Standing on one leg, you put on a sock and shoe, tie the laces, then take them off, without the other foot touching the floor. It is described by Kelly and Juliet Starrett in Built to Move.
Is there a balance test for seniors?
The tests above are used with middle-aged and older adults. The 2013 Sydney pilot, with an average age of 68, used standing balance and one-legged stand with eyes closed as outcome measures.
Can yoga improve balance test results?
In the 2013 Sydney pilot, 12 weeks of Iyengar-based yoga improved standing balance and standing on one leg with eyes closed in 54 older adults.
Where can I do a balance class in Darwin?
Flametree Yoga Studio teaches Iyengar yoga at Woolner and Coolalinga in Darwin, and live online. Classes use a wall, chairs and other props, and the teacher adjusts each pose to you.
Related reading
- Balance exercises you can do at home
- Loss of balance: why it happens
- The sitting rising test
- Yoga for balance
Where to next
- New to yoga, or coming back? Start with our half price 10 class pass with 2 classes free, in Darwin or live online.
- For a workplace, team or group: book private yoga classes for groups, online, at a Flametree studio or at your venue.
- Want to see class times first? Look at the beginner timetable.
Flametree Yoga Studio, Darwin and live online. This article is general information, not medical advice.
Sources: Araujo CG and colleagues, Successful 10-second one-legged stance performance predicts survival in middle-aged and older individuals, British Journal of Sports Medicine, 2022; Vellas BJ and colleagues, One-leg balance is an important predictor of injurious falls in older persons, Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 1997; Tiedemann A and colleagues, A 12-week Iyengar yoga program improved balance and mobility in older community-dwelling people: a pilot randomized controlled trial, Journals of Gerontology Series A, 2013; Kelly Starrett and Juliet Starrett, Built to Move; Strong Bones, Steady Feet ebook.
