Key numbers
0.50 (95 percent CI 0.42 to 0.59)
Adjusted hazard ratio for all-cause mortality, highest versus lowest fifth of one-leg stance performance (Wu et al. 2026, adults 65 and older)
What Systematic recommends
Where to start
- Stand next to the wall or stable surface with bare feet flat on the ground and choose a visual point directly in front of you to focus on.
- Stand tall, bring attention to the tripod points of contact through the foot, keep the standing knee soft and active, lift the inside foot approximately 6-12 inches off the ground, reach to the wall with two fingertips using only very light contact.
- Begin with a 10-second hold for 3 sets, progress in 10-second increments toward a 30-second hold, use as little fingertip contact with the wall as you can comfortably control and breathe normally.
- If you become too unsteady or the movement feels uncomfortable, take a step back and return to a level where the movement feels achievable, comfortable, manageable, and well controlled.
This movement is a general starting point for the physical capacity discussed, not an intervention shown by the cited mortality or cardiovascular studies to improve survival or prevent disease.
Condensed from the published Development Pathway (Single-Leg Balance: Two Finger Wall-Assist Tripod Stand). This is a starting point, not a training program or medical advice.
What the studies found
Araújo and colleagues (2022) asked people to stand on one leg for 10 seconds with their eyes open, then followed their survival. Being unable to complete the stance was associated with mortality in that cohort. The link runs in one direction across the group; it is not a cause, and it sets no threshold for an individual.
A 2026 study by Wu and colleagues looked at community-dwelling adults aged 65 or older in Taiwan. Those in the highest fifth (quintile) of one-leg stance performance had lower all-cause mortality than those in the lowest fifth, with an adjusted hazard ratio of 0.50 (95 percent CI 0.42 to 0.59).
Four of that study's tests showed this clear highest-versus-lowest pattern: up-and-go, one-leg stance, chair stand and a two-minute step test. It does not show that every part of its fitness battery predicted mortality, and the association does not establish cause.
How this relates to the Systematic balance test
The Systematic single-leg balance test is done with your eyes closed, a different protocol from Araújo's 10-second eyes-open stance. Neither study tested the Systematic protocol. They show why the underlying capacity matters for health; they do not validate the Systematic test or its scoring.
Ten seconds is not a universal Systematic clinical threshold, and no Systematic reference figure is a pass or fail line, a mortality threshold or a published norm. Red, yellow and green are Systematic standards.
The evidence
Each cited source is labeled according to how it supports the particular claim on this page. Direct test evidence, underlying-capacity findings and population reference values are distinguished from Systematic-defined protocols and standards. Historical development notes are retained internally rather than presented as public evidence. A study of an underlying capacity is never presented as validation of the Systematic test itself.
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Underlying-capacity evidence
Araujo et al. (2022). Successful 10-second one-legged stance performance predicts survival in middle-aged and older individuals. British Journal of Sports Medicine.
What it found. Being unable to complete a 10-second eyes-open one-leg stance was associated with mortality in the cohort studied.
What it does not show. It did not test the eyes-closed Systematic protocol or its scoring, 10 seconds is not a universal clinical threshold, and a group association is not an individual risk prediction.
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Underlying-capacity evidence New source
Wu et al. (2026). Physical Fitness and All-Cause Mortality in Older Adults. JAMA network open.
What it found. In community-dwelling Taiwanese adults aged 65 or older, the highest fifth of one-leg stance performance had lower all-cause mortality than the lowest fifth (adjusted hazard ratio 0.50, 95 percent CI 0.42 to 0.59).
What it does not show. It does not show cause, that every test in its battery predicted mortality, or that its battery validates the Systematic tests.
The Systematic Healthspan Assessment is a physical baseline. It is not a diagnosis, and it does not estimate a biological age, a disease risk or a lifespan.