--- title: Tai chi for balance and falls prevention description: What the falls trials found, what they did not, and the classes that train standing balance. Built into a session that puts the balance work first. url: https://tai-chi.app/for/balance source: Cloud Hands — https://tai-chi.app/ --- # Tai chi for balance and steadier walking Balance is not a quality you have or lack. It is a set of specific, trainable things: how long you can load one leg, how far you can lean before you have to step, how quickly you notice you are drifting, and whether your ankle and hip answer when you ask them to. Tai chi trains those directly, because moving slowly through a shifting stance gives you nowhere to hide. This page is for someone who has noticed they hold the banister now, or who has had a near miss on a kerb, or whose physiotherapist said the word “proprioception” and left it there. The classes below are the ones tagged for balance work, and the section after next explains what the trials on this actually found — including the part that is usually left out of the headline. ## What the falls research found, in full The 2019 Cochrane review of exercise for falls prevention in community-dwelling older adults (Sherrington and colleagues) found that tai chi reduced the *rate* of falls by about 19% — a rate ratio of 0.81, with a confidence interval running from 0.67 to 0.99 across 2,655 participants in seven studies. The certainty of that evidence is rated *low*. In a higher-risk group the effect was larger. A 2018 randomised trial in *JAMA Internal Medicine* (Li and colleagues, 670 adults aged 70 and over who had fallen before or had impaired mobility) found a therapeutic tai ji quan protocol cut falls by 58% compared with stretching, and by 31% compared with multimodal exercise. Now the part that gets dropped. The same Cochrane review rates plain *balance and functional exercise* — the unglamorous physiotherapy kind — higher than tai chi: a 24% reduction, from 39 studies, at *high* certainty. Tai chi has not been shown to beat well-designed conventional balance training. It is good, the certainty behind it is lower, and if a physiotherapist has given you a programme, that programme is the better-evidenced option and this is not a reason to abandon it. Both citations, with the intervals and the caveats, are in [§4.1 of the methodology](https://tai-chi.app/method#41-falls), and the things this evidence does not establish are listed in [§4.7](https://tai-chi.app/method#47-what-the-evidence-does-not-support). ## What choosing balance actually does to your session Focus is not a label on this app. Each focus rewrites the phase weights before any content is chosen, and balance is the most aggressive of them: the balance phase is weighted at double, the warm-up rises by a tenth, and form and qigong are pulled back to pay for it. A thirty-minute balance session is a different shape from a thirty-minute joints session, not the same session with a different badge. There is a floor as well as a weighting. A phase that cannot be given at least two minutes is dropped rather than squeezed into something too short to be worth standing up for, and the app tells you which phases went and why. On a ten-minute session that usually means you get centring, balance and a close — which is the right ten minutes for this focus. Across a week the periodiser spreads the balance emphasis over non-consecutive days rather than stacking it, following the WHO guidance on multicomponent activity summarised in [§4.3](https://tai-chi.app/method#43-dose). And the anti-repetition engine deliberately avoids handing you the same class twice in a fortnight, because the fastest way to stop practising is boredom. ## Before you stand on one leg Practise within reach of something solid — a counter, a heavy chair back, a wall. Not holding it; near it. If you are at real risk of falling, that is not a precaution you can skip, and single-leg work alone in a room with nothing to grab is the wrong use of this page. Tell the app the truth about how steady you are. Answer *supported* and it keeps the balance work but caps intensity at gentle and only offers classes that are safe with a chair; answer *steady* and it will let you go further. [If standing is not safe at all](https://tai-chi.app/for/seated), the balance phase is removed rather than faked. This is not medical advice and Cloud Hands is not a falls clinic. It does not know your history, does not screen for the things that actually cause falls — blood pressure that drops when you stand, medication, vision, an inner-ear problem — and cannot see you move. If you have fallen in the last year, or you feel dizzy when you get up, see a clinician about that first. The scope this app holds itself to is written out in [§9](https://tai-chi.app/method#9-safety-scope). ## The 61 classes on this page Classes tagged for balance work, shortest first. Some are whole standing forms, some are ten minutes of weight-shift drills; the engine picks between them by how long you have and how steady you said you were. - [Beginner Tai Chi Stepping Drill For Correct Weight Distribution](https://tai-chi.app/library/beginner-tai-chi-stepping-drill-for-correct-weight-distribut-EJz2u-QosAM) — Tai Chi with Sifu Kuttel, 2 min, chair-friendly - [Standing on One Leg | Chi Kung, Tai Chi and Meditation](https://tai-chi.app/library/standing-on-one-leg-chi-kung-tai-chi-and-meditation-D7l2nA0GzHk) — Ramel Rones, 2 min - [T'ai Chi for Arthritis: Movements for Beginners](https://tai-chi.app/library/t-ai-chi-for-arthritis-movements-for-beginners-DCpawsCmLpc) — Hospital for Special Surgery, 3 min, chair-friendly - [Tai Chi Ba Fa Wu Bu Form 2025 Edition](https://tai-chi.app/library/tai-chi-ba-fa-wu-bu-form-2025-edition-qvJnCb9jTDo) — Tai Chi United, 3 min - [Single BEST Exercise to Improve BALANCE in Seniors](https://tai-chi.app/library/single-best-exercise-to-improve-balance-in-seniors-lq_4feVsDZk) — Tim Fraticelli - PTProgress, 4 min, chair-friendly - [Tai Chi 8 Form - Back View | Yang Style | Follow Me Version | 八式太极拳](https://tai-chi.app/library/tai-chi-8-form-back-view-yang-style-follow-me-version-_G7bmGzb63E) — QIGONG TAICHI CENTRE | Yogalily Studio, 4 min, chair-friendly - [8 Form Tai Chi | Yang Style | Follow Me Mirror Version | 八式太极拳](https://tai-chi.app/library/8-form-tai-chi-yang-style-follow-me-mirror-version-EUcxq8eWke8) — QIGONG TAICHI CENTRE | Yogalily Studio, 4 min, chair-friendly - [This Tai Chi Exercise Builds Strength and Balance After 50](https://tai-chi.app/library/this-tai-chi-exercise-builds-strength-and-balance-after-50-ivJ4lYYDw2Q) — Dr. Dave Candy - Physical Therapist, 4 min, chair-friendly - [Yang Tai Chi 24 Form: Lesson 1: Tai Chi Basics the Tai Chi Stance](https://tai-chi.app/library/yang-tai-chi-24-form-lesson-1-tai-chi-basics-the-tai-chi-sta-4ypU-pxfYVw) — Internal Tai Chi, 4 min, chair-friendly - [Cloud Hands Tai Chi Tutorial with English Instruction | Tai Chi Qigong | In Focus](https://tai-chi.app/library/cloud-hands-tai-chi-tutorial-with-english-instruction-tai-ch-jGTFq5yaAwU) — QIGONG TAICHI CENTRE | Yogalily Studio, 5 min, chair-friendly - [8 Forms Tai Chi, Entire Set in Mirror Image with Verbal Cues](https://tai-chi.app/library/8-forms-tai-chi-entire-set-in-mirror-image-with-verbal-cues-1z3nh3t1-E0) — Jenny Lu Yoga+, 5 min - [3 Simple Exercises to Improve Balance - How to Improve Balance for Seniors](https://tai-chi.app/library/3-simple-exercises-to-improve-balance-how-to-improve-balance-xWxMYgcadWc) — Holden QiGong, 6 min, chair-friendly - [Yang-Style 24 Form • Back View Demonstration | 吳阿敏背向示範楊式24式太極拳](https://tai-chi.app/library/yang-style-24-form-back-view-demonstration-24-e4VIw41R-PU) — Sifu Amin Wu, 6 min - [Basic Practice Teaching Series (6) Tai Chi Stepping and Weight Transfer](https://tai-chi.app/library/basic-practice-teaching-series-6-tai-chi-stepping-and-weight-YVqdpAQDezI) — Hai Yang, 6 min - [Tai Chi for Arthritis 1 & 2 - Front View (7 of 12)](https://tai-chi.app/library/tai-chi-for-arthritis-1-2-front-view-7-of-12-YkMu70_Ibd4) — Veterans Health Administration, 7 min, chair-friendly - [Tai Chi for Arthritis 1 & 2 - Back View (8 of 12)](https://tai-chi.app/library/tai-chi-for-arthritis-1-2-back-view-8-of-12-1mDBXLrn0SE) — Veterans Health Administration, 7 min, chair-friendly - [Tai Chi Yang Style 24 Form | Full Set Back View with Verbal Cues](https://tai-chi.app/library/tai-chi-yang-style-24-form-full-set-back-view-with-verbal-cu-FUpeJ3Bkr9o) — Jenny Lu Yoga+, 7 min - [(3/11) Yang Tai Chi Stepping Sets/ Line Drills Cloud Hands](https://tai-chi.app/library/3-11-yang-tai-chi-stepping-sets-line-drills-cloud-hands-wPIUGYNJ4h0) — Tai Chi with Dr. Andrew von Plitt, ND, 8 min - [Tai Chi Balance Flow for Beginners – 8-Min Daily Practice](https://tai-chi.app/library/tai-chi-balance-flow-for-beginners-8-min-daily-practice-Qn04N8QH8d8) — Begin with Breath Tai Chi | Dr. Adam Potts, PT, 8 min, chair-friendly - [Tai Chi Exercise For Strength And Balance - Senior Fitness](https://tai-chi.app/library/tai-chi-exercise-for-strength-and-balance-senior-fitness-Ka_7c_7p0GY) — Fitness With Cindy - Senior Workouts , 8 min, chair-friendly - [5 minute Qigong Standing Meditation - Qigong Tree Pose Meditation for Beginners](https://tai-chi.app/library/5-minute-qigong-standing-meditation-qigong-tree-pose-meditat-_TYfLZQz-Pg) — Qigong with Kseny, 8 min, chair-friendly - [8 Min Beginner Tai Chi / Qigong 8 Form Practice: Low impact movements for balance & circulation](https://tai-chi.app/library/8-min-beginner-tai-chi-qigong-8-form-practice-low-impact-mov-1MIGxm8tSFc) — Fitscope, 9 min, chair-friendly - [10 minute Qigong Tai Chi Warm Up Exercises | English Instruction](https://tai-chi.app/library/10-minute-qigong-tai-chi-warm-up-exercises-english-instructi-mYQ916xX4Os) — QIGONG TAICHI CENTRE | Yogalily Studio, 10 min, chair-friendly - [Shibashi 18 Step Tai Chi Qigong form](https://tai-chi.app/library/shibashi-18-step-tai-chi-qigong-form-KpiOkD2SlFM) — Taiflow, 10 min, chair-friendly - [Tai Chi for Arthritis (Part 2) Video | Dr Paul Lam | Free Lesson and Introduction](https://tai-chi.app/library/tai-chi-for-arthritis-part-2-video-dr-paul-lam-free-lesson-a-fAa84WsUmno) — Dr Paul Lam - Tai Chi Productions, 10 min, chair-friendly - [Yang Style Taichi 24 Forms for Beginners by Master Yijiao Hong](https://tai-chi.app/library/yang-style-taichi-24-forms-for-beginners-by-master-yijiao-ho-MB-YK7ptckQ) — Chinese Wushu & Tai Chi Academy, 11 min - [10-Minute Tai Chi Exercises for Balance & Longevity](https://tai-chi.app/library/10-minute-tai-chi-exercises-for-balance-longevity-o1oM9cZo6UI) — Rooted Alchemy Tai Chi & Qigong, 11 min, chair-friendly - [Tai Chi for Balance - One-Leg-Stance | Body & Brain Tai Chi](https://tai-chi.app/library/tai-chi-for-balance-one-leg-stance-body-brain-tai-chi-Bx9g56r15Bc) — Body & Brain TV, 12 min - [Tai Chi for Beginners | Warm Up & Flexibility Exercises | Best Instructional Video Tai Chi Series](https://tai-chi.app/library/tai-chi-for-beginners-warm-up-flexibility-exercises-best-ins-R3QM9hB1pPg) — BodyWisdom, 12 min, chair-friendly - [24 Yang Style Tai Chi Form | Full Beginner Instruction](https://tai-chi.app/library/24-yang-style-tai-chi-form-full-beginner-instruction-R8NbQecDygQ) — BodyWisdom, 12 min - [Better Balance Tai Chi (for Seniors and Older Adults) - Qigong Set](https://tai-chi.app/library/better-balance-tai-chi-for-seniors-and-older-adults-qigong-s-AhvKWXnRqmg) — Perth Tai Chi Academy, 12 min, chair-friendly - [12 Min TaiChi Balance Exercise 50+ 🌿｜Stronger Legs & Fall Prevention](https://tai-chi.app/library/12-min-taichi-balance-exercise-50-stronger-legs-fall-prevent-ui1SKtkt77w) — Taichi Workout, 12 min, chair-friendly - [12 Minute Tai Chi for Balance | Dr Paul Lam Tai Chi for Health](https://tai-chi.app/library/12-minute-tai-chi-for-balance-dr-paul-lam-tai-chi-for-health-0RN1e-_E5Nk) — Ann Swanson Wellness, 13 min, chair-friendly - [Sifu Amin Wu: How To Improve Standing-On-One-Leg Movements In Tai Chi Chuan](https://tai-chi.app/library/sifu-amin-wu-how-to-improve-standing-on-one-leg-movements-in-ke8sLBiDil8) — Sifu Amin Wu, 13 min - [Tai Chi Warm-Up Exercises for Balance and Mobility | Tai Chi with MSK](https://tai-chi.app/library/tai-chi-warm-up-exercises-for-balance-and-mobility-tai-chi-w-pbRvCaz3MnQ) — Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, 14 min, chair-friendly - [10 Min. Daily Standing Meditation (Zhan Zhuang Qigong) Follow-Along](https://tai-chi.app/library/10-min-daily-standing-meditation-zhan-zhuang-qigong-follow-a-x1CJZ5MkuqI) — Tai Chi with Dr. Andrew von Plitt, ND, 14 min, chair-friendly - [18 Tai Chi Qigong Shibashi Set 1 with Karen](https://tai-chi.app/library/18-tai-chi-qigong-shibashi-set-1-with-karen-8C53mwM9ddE) — Karen Soo, 15 min - [Tai Chi 24 Form Step by Step Instructions (Paragraph 1)](https://tai-chi.app/library/tai-chi-24-form-step-by-step-instructions-paragraph-1-kJzyrIM1cg) — Peter Chen, 15 min - [Top Balance Exercises for Seniors 70+ (Only 1 Min/Day)](https://tai-chi.app/library/top-balance-exercises-for-seniors-70-only-1-min-day-e4HD_5UOjag) — Bob & Brad, 15 min, chair-friendly - [15-minute Workout for Older Adults](https://tai-chi.app/library/15-minute-workout-for-older-adults-Ev6yE55kYGw) — National Institute on Aging, 15 min, chair-friendly - [How to Improve Balance | Senior Exercises for Balance](https://tai-chi.app/library/how-to-improve-balance-senior-exercises-for-balance-t2SCv3fhxYs) — Yes2Next, 16 min, chair-friendly - [10 min Seniors Seated Tai Chi for Beginners | + Progress to Standing - 3 Exercises Holding A Chair](https://tai-chi.app/library/10-min-seniors-seated-tai-chi-for-beginners-progress-to-stan-9jy7uG9yoG0) — Itstimefitness, 17 min, chair-friendly - [Tai Chi Warm Up (2 of 12)](https://tai-chi.app/library/tai-chi-warm-up-2-of-12-mCQdy3sQk30) — Veterans Health Administration, 17 min, chair-friendly - [Tai Chi for Parkinson’s Disease – Balance, Rhythm & Fluidity - 15 min Flow](https://tai-chi.app/library/tai-chi-for-parkinson-s-disease-balance-rhythm-fluidity-15-m-a-caF-uSu_M) — Begin with Breath Tai Chi | Dr. Adam Potts, PT, 17 min, chair-friendly - [Seated Modified Tai Chi for Seniors and Beginners | Mobility](https://tai-chi.app/library/seated-modified-tai-chi-for-seniors-and-beginners-mobility-Jz1wa4dp9Hs) — Itstimefitness, 18 min, seated - [Tai Chi for Seniors (50+): Boost Balance & Harmony! 15-min Flow](https://tai-chi.app/library/tai-chi-for-seniors-50-boost-balance-harmony-15-min-flow-sQzGjpataF8) — Begin with Breath Tai Chi | Dr. Adam Potts, PT, 19 min, chair-friendly - [Get STRONGER with this Senior Balance and Leg Strength Routine](https://tai-chi.app/library/get-stronger-with-this-senior-balance-and-leg-strength-routi-PLZZxmWReZw) — Taichi Workout, 19 min, chair-friendly - [20-Minute Qigong & Tai Chi Routine for Beginners | Complete Follow-Along](https://tai-chi.app/library/20-minute-qigong-tai-chi-routine-for-beginners-complete-foll-sFwcLcdhp5I) — Rooted Alchemy Tai Chi & Qigong, 19 min - [18 Tai Chi Qigong Shibashi Set 2 with Karen](https://tai-chi.app/library/18-tai-chi-qigong-shibashi-set-2-with-karen-fuCtnR4Iv4A) — Karen Soo, 20 min - [Tai Chi Qigong 18 Form (Shi Ba Shi) 太極氣功十八式 with Vivien Chao](https://tai-chi.app/library/tai-chi-qigong-18-form-shi-ba-shi-with-vivien-chao-ADVMFVirsjU) — Balance For Life, 20 min, chair-friendly - [108 Wu Style Traditional Form TUTORIAL - Complete Demonstration](https://tai-chi.app/library/108-wu-style-traditional-form-tutorial-complete-demonstratio-7GXUgz7P278) — Hellenic Wu's Tai Chi Chuan Academy, 23 min - [At home: basic Tai Chi exercises](https://tai-chi.app/library/at-home-basic-tai-chi-exercises-CJf7bVR2qs) — WokinghamBC, 24 min, chair-friendly - [Tai Chi 8 Forms for Beginners](https://tai-chi.app/library/tai-chi-8-forms-for-beginners-S6D3boTGYhE) — Suman Barkhas, 25 min - [Balancing on One Leg in Tai Chi](https://tai-chi.app/library/balancing-on-one-leg-in-tai-chi-ZIYCPtDAO6A) — Tai Chi United, 26 min - [Tai Chi for Better Balance and Fall Prevention](https://tai-chi.app/library/tai-chi-for-better-balance-and-fall-prevention-aoNqi4KdUpM) — Regeneration Tai Chi, 28 min - [(23/23) Tai Chi 24 Form: Connecting Moves 1-24 (Follow along)](https://tai-chi.app/library/23-23-tai-chi-24-form-connecting-moves-1-24-follow-along-1ESdpmJbPsY) — Tai Chi with Dr. Andrew von Plitt, ND, 31 min - [Tai Chi for Arthritis with Dr. Paul Lam](https://tai-chi.app/library/tai-chi-for-arthritis-with-dr-paul-lam-yoN6P9D4yAY) — The New York City Department for the Aging, 42 min, chair-friendly - [Tai Chi for Beginners Video | Dr Paul Lam | Free Lesson and Introduction](https://tai-chi.app/library/tai-chi-for-beginners-video-dr-paul-lam-free-lesson-and-intr-hIOHGrYCEJ4) — Dr Paul Lam - Tai Chi Productions, 44 min, chair-friendly - [An Introduction to Wu-Style Tai Chi with Sifu Amin Wu](https://tai-chi.app/library/an-introduction-to-wu-style-tai-chi-with-sifu-amin-wu-DrHCm2FjQaE) — Sifu Amin Wu, 46 min - [Yang Style Tai Chi-24 Form](https://tai-chi.app/library/yang-style-tai-chi-24-form-aXC4bAb_jU8) — LNKTV Health, 48 min - [Tai Chi for Arthritis Video | Dr Paul Lam | Free Lesson and Introduction](https://tai-chi.app/library/tai-chi-for-arthritis-video-dr-paul-lam-free-lesson-and-intr-tAOuEpa01j4) — Dr Paul Lam - Tai Chi Productions, 49 min, chair-friendly ## Setting it up On the practice screen, choose *balance* as your focus and answer the mobility question honestly. Five days a week is the default plan and the weekly view spreads the balance-heavy days apart on purpose — the rest days are part of it, not gaps in it. Nothing to install and no account to make, though it does sit better on a phone as an [app on your home screen](https://tai-chi.app/install) if you are going to open it every morning. ## Related - [Tai chi for arthritis and stiff joints](https://tai-chi.app/for/arthritis) - [Tai chi you can do sitting down](https://tai-chi.app/for/seated) - [Tai chi for complete beginners](https://tai-chi.app/for/beginners)