01Foundation
10 seconds each leg, eyes open
The eleven tests / Single-leg stand
Test 08 of 11 · Control
The balance test, and why it is the one to take seriously
The rule. Shoes off, hands on hips, the other foot off the ground and not resting against your standing leg. Clock stops when the foot touches down or the hands come off the hips.
The cheapest test here and the one worth taking most seriously. How long you can stand on one leg tracks closely with how the next twenty years go, and unlike most of this page, it improves in weeks.
The four rungs
Find yourself on one of these.
Your level on this test is the highest rung you can hold cleanly today. Not the one you could hit on a good day five years ago.
02Working
30 seconds each leg, eyes open
03Strong
10 seconds each leg, eyes closed
04Standard
20 seconds each leg, eyes closed
Where it goes wrong
The two that cost people a rung.
Mistake 01
The foot that keeps touching down
A toe brushing the floor to steady yourself ends the rep. Stand near a wall you can catch, but do not use it, and start the clock again honestly.
Mistake 02
Testing in shoes
Shoes with any cushioning or heel do a share of the balancing for you. Shoes off, on a hard floor, or the number belongs to the shoe.
Moving up
How to earn the next rung.
- 01
Thirty seconds a side, eyes open, daily
While the kettle boils. Twice a day. This is the whole programme for most people and it works in weeks.
- 02
Close the eyes and start over
Eyes closed is a completely different test, and ten seconds is Strong. Expect the number to collapse the first time and come back fast.
- 03
Train the feet, not just the legs
Bare feet on an uneven surface, and a massage ball under the arch for a few minutes. The foot is doing more of this than the leg is.
What this test needs
The kit that helps with this one.
Links go to Amazon and a purchase through one pays me a small commission at no extra cost to you. It does not change what gets recommended. The full list, with what each piece is actually for, is on the gear page.
Before you ask
Two questions that come up every time.
How long should a 50 year old be able to stand on one leg?
Thirty seconds each leg with the eyes open is the Working rung. Eyes closed changes everything: ten seconds is Strong and twenty is the Standard.
Why does balance get worse with age?
Balance is a skill your nervous system maintains through use, and most adult life stops asking for it. The good news is that it comes back quickly once you start asking again.
Going deeper on this one: The Over 50 Standard: The Field Manual
Read about itOn the channel
Watch the single-leg stand tested at every rung.
What Foundation looks like next to Standard, filmed from the side so the form is actually visible. Every one of the eleven gets its own video.