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Andrew Thomas, a Giants player, took up balance training in order to heal from an ankle injury.
Training involved performing various exercises while standing on top a medicine ball.
Thomas claims that the training helped him avoid falling during plays.
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Andrew Thomas, New York Giants' offensive tackle, has been one the NFL's best players since last season.
According to Pro Football Focus data, his blocking performance was near the bottom of league last year. He's now one of the top.
Thomas believes that Thomas's improvement can be attributed to the balance training he did in January, as part of his rehabilitation from a left ankle injury. This workout involves a series exercises that are done on a physioball while you balance.
Thomas explained to Insider that it was cross-body action and working rotation and balance.
He said that the training helped him not only recover from his surgery but also made it easier to work in the field.
Thomas has gained leverage over his opponents through the training.
Thomas was the Giants' first offensive lineman to be selected in the 2020 NFL Draft when they picked him with the fourth pick from Georgia.
According to Pro Football Focus, he had five sacks and 28 pressures from opposing defenders in his first five games.
Thomas has been a league blocker this year. Thomas has not given up any sacks in the four first games and holds the ninth-highest grade of pass-blocking from Pro Football Focus, a 79.
Thomas stated that he's not falling down on plays this year, unlike last year.
He can also rotate his body more smoothly and shift his weight from left to right, which allows him to keep up with opposing defenders.
Thomas stated, "When I look back at the film last year and this year, it is obvious that the difference is affected based on how much I'm not lying on the ground. Last year, I was a lot on the ground." My weight was on my outside halves, which caused me to mess up my blocks quite a few times. It's much easier to move from the outside to the inside this year.
Continue the story
To increase strength and agility, try his workout
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Thomas is standing on a half-physio ball, an inflatable rubber semicircle ball with a flat platform and a rounded portion that faces the ground. He then squats to complete various tasks.
He squats on one leg, raises one arm and grabs a kettle bell with the other. Then he puts it down.
Then he grabs a tennis ball and repeats the process.
Anyone looking to prevent or treat injury can benefit from balance training. After spraining your ankle, the muscles around it stop contracting in a coordinated manner. However, balance exercises can be used to retrain these muscles and prevent reinjury.
You can also do balance exercises without the need for equipment:
For a long time, stand on one foot
Yoga
Tai Chi
Pilates
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