Q My 13-year-old son has no problem with balance and control on his windsurfing rig, but I struggle to stay on the board, never mind hauling up the sail, when I usually fall in! What can I do to improve my balance, or is it too late to learn?

A You know I will always say it's never too late. If the spirit moves you, then go for it. It seems that some of us have a natural ability to balance, not necessarily to do with age, and for others it's just not there. However, balance is what's called a motor skill, along with speed, agility and co-ordination, and can be improved with practice, no matter how old we are.

In fact we need a good degree of balance to carry out everyday tasks and if sport is our thing, then balance is a very important performance skill.

We tend to think of balance as being controlled through our feet and calves but actually it starts a little further up. The spine, hips and shoulders are literally the backbone of the body. We need to strengthen and improve flexibility around these areas too in order to take the load away from the calves and ankles.

Next time you watch gymnastics on the telly, just have a look at how the athletes hold their bodies. They have strength and control through the torso and back while they work on the beam. Their shoulder blades and hip girdle are kept in place by groups of muscles which form a strong core maintaining the stability of the upper body and allowing the legs to function better in support.

Use a fitball in the gym to slowly perform sit ups, press ups and leg raises. This will strengthen the core muscles of the abdomen and lower back while working on your balance (ask the instructors at your gym to show you a series of core strength exercises).

You could try the Reebok Core Board classes at Courtney's gym. Here, the instructor will guide you through a series of exercises and show you how to engage your deep stomach muscles to develop strength in the 'powerhouse' of the body, the abdominal girdle of muscles. Or alternatively you could try one of its BodyBalance classes, which strengthens and stretches the entire body using a mixture of movements to music derived from yoga, Pilates and modern dance.

A pure Pilates course would be great, as Pilates exercises concentrate on developing balance, strength and flexibility through movement, which is exactly what is needed for windsurfing and many other sports.

Specific Pilates exercises will improve your standing balance as well as develop your core strength. Be prepared to stick at it for several sessions as Pilates is a method which needs to be learned.

And while you're pursuing perfect balance, don't forget to keep up your exercise for general fitness, a total of 30 minutes, five days a week doing something which makes you a bit puffed out. After all, you don't want to get exhausted with all that falling off the board.

Updated: 09:21 Monday, April 15, 2002