When upright, the human body intuitively adjusts itself to keep in balance. This balance is maintained by keeping the center of balance over the feet, which act as a support base. The line that runs through the center of balance to the center of the support base is the line of balance.
The center of balance for a standing figure with arms relaxed is located about at the navel, between the front and back of the body. Men, having a larger torso, generally have a higher center of balance than women. The line of balance runs through the center of balance to the center of the support base, the feet.
The wider the feet are placed apart, the sturdier the form will be because it has a broader support base to straddle the center of balance. The center of balance can change or may even be outside the body depending on the form and action of the body.
Figures viewed from the side display how the line of balance passes through to the feet, which act as the support base. To determine the line of balance, simply draw a vertical line up through the figure from the floor where the feet are resting.
A wrestler’s crouched stance, with feet placed far apart, gives the body a low center of balance and a wide support base. Holding this pose, the athlete is hard to knock off-balance, yet is ready to spring into action.
Though the center of balance of this pose is located central to the form, the figure distributes its weight outward in an act of maintaining balance.
The figure’s arms and leg are extended to equalize the body’s weight so the center of balance stays over the support base, which is just the front portion of one foot.
Though the line of balance runs through the center of this figure, the balance has shifted because one leg is supporting most of the body’s weight while the other leg is relaxed. In doing this, the hip drops over the relaxed leg and the line of the hips tilts as the body adjusts to maintain balance. When walking or running, this shifting and balancing occurs in motion as a figure keeps its stride.
A figure may appear out of balance if the center of balance is not over the feet, which act as the support base. Exceptions to this rule may occur when a figure is in motion such as when running or jumping. The last drawing could be visualized as slipping on a banana peel or riding a surfboard.