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Step and hold – Thinking and stepping training

Thinking and stepping training

Exercise 2: Step and hold

One colour counts, the other does not. On the second one you stay where you are.

Aim

You practise stopping a step you have already begun. You need the same ability when an obstacle appears unexpectedly while walking. The technical term is a go/no-go task.

Equipment in the practice

  • Four reaction lights, set to two colours in the app
  • The share of no-go signals can be set there
  • A chair with a backrest

Equipment at home

  • Two green and two red sheets of paper or adhesive dots
  • A second person with a stack of red and green cards
  • A chair with a backrest or a clear wall

Setting up

  • Place four targets in a half circle in front of you, two green and two red.
  • The distance is again about one stride.
  • The second person stands where you can see them without turning your head.
  • The chair is within reach of one hand.

How to do it

  1. Stand in the middle, feet hip width apart.
  2. The second person holds up a card.
  3. On green, step onto a green target.
  4. On red, stay where you are and shift your weight back onto both feet.
  5. Return to the middle after every step.
  6. Twenty signals make one round. Do three rounds with one minute of rest.

Three levels

Level 1: holding rarely

One in five signals is red. The second person raises the card slowly. You have two seconds. One hand rests on the backrest.

Level 2: holding more often

One in four signals is red. The card appears without warning. The time window is one second. Your hand is free.

Level 3: reversing the rule

After ten signals the second person calls "switch". From then on red counts and green means stay. The switch comes at a different point in every round.

If you practise on your own

Shuffle a stack of fifteen green and five red cards and place it face down beside you. Turn a card over and act on the rule. Because you turn the card yourself there is no time pressure. You still practise the stopping.

Safety

  • Stopping shifts your weight backwards. Make sure there is one metre of clear space behind you.
  • Start with one hand on the backrest until ten stop signals go safely.
  • If you wobble repeatedly when stopping, go back one level.

Duration and dosage

Six to eight minutes. Two to three times a week. This exercise tires your attention faster than the others. Put it at the start of the session.

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