The stick break is a standing drill where you reach both arms overhead as if holding a stick, then pull them down hard while one knee drives up, as though snapping the stick over your thigh. You hold that one-leg position for a moment, then reset and switch sides. It trains your balance on one leg while the arms and trunk move quickly, and it can be used as a warm-up or coordination drill.

How to do the stick break

Stand tall with your feet about hip width apart, beside a counter or wall you could grab if you wobble.
Raise both arms straight above your head, about shoulder width apart, and close your hands as if gripping a stick.
In one quick movement, pull both arms down to your sides, bending the elbows on the way down, while you lift one knee up to about hip height.
Hold still on the standing leg for a moment, with your chest up and your hips level.
Put the foot down, reach back up and repeat with the other knee. Keep taking turns.

What you should feel

Work in the standing leg and hip holding you steady, at the front of the lifting hip, and in your stomach as the arms come down. Fast, but never so fast that you wobble.

Common mistakes

Swinging so hard that you tip sideways or have to hop to stay up.
Leaning back as the knee comes up.
Letting the hip of the standing leg sag out to the side.
Shrugging your shoulders up toward your ears while the arms are overhead.

How often

Many programs use 1 to 2 sets of 6 to 10 on each side, often as part of a warm-up. Your physio will adjust this.

Stop and check with your physio if

Sharp pain in the shoulder as the arms come down, or a pinch at the front of the hip as the knee rises.
You lose your balance and need to grab your support more than once. Slow down, or leave out the knee lift for now.
You feel dizzy, lightheaded, faint or sick, or the room seems to spin. Hold your support, sit down and get medical advice the same day before you practice again. If you faint, it does not settle within a few minutes of sitting still, your vision suddenly blurs or goes double, or you cannot stand or walk steadily, call emergency services.

From the clinic

There is no stick in the video. You only pretend to hold one, and the arm pull-down and the knee lift happen at the same moment, which is where the name comes from. If balancing on one leg with nothing to hold is hard for now, practice the arm movement with a small knee lift, or start with standing marching and a hand on a counter. Single leg stance with arm lifts is a slower way to combine arm movement with balance on one leg.

Clear rugs and clutter from around your feet before you start. Wear flat shoes that fit well and grip the floor, not socks, tights or bare feet. If you have fallen in the past year or often feel unsteady, keep one hand resting on the counter and move only the other arm, and ask your physio before you try it without support.

A sudden loss of balance is different. Call emergency services straight away for any sign of a stroke, even if it goes away: sudden dizziness with unsteadiness or falling over, a face that droops on one side, an arm you cannot lift or keep up, slurred or muddled speech, weakness or numbness on one side of your body or face, sudden blurred vision, double vision or loss of sight, or a sudden severe headache.

If you have had a hip replacement, get the go-ahead from your surgeon or physio before you try the stick break. Driving the knee up to hip height or higher bends the hip to a right angle or more, and many surgeons ask you to avoid that for the first months after some operations.

After shoulder surgery, including a rotator cuff repair, or after a shoulder fracture or dislocation, follow your surgeon's or physio's plan, and do only the movements and range they have cleared. Many plans allow only passive movement at first, where the arm is moved for you and its muscles stay relaxed.

Written and checked by the PocketPhysio editorial team. Last updated 2026-09-28.

This page is general education, not a diagnosis or a personal treatment plan. If you have pain, an injury or a health condition, see a physiotherapist or doctor before starting new exercises.

Stick break