Effects of Square-stepping Exercise Training on the Attention, Dynamic Balance and Lower Extremity Motor Coordination

SSE is performed on a thin exercise mat divided into 40 small squares in 250 cm x 100 cm of size (25 cm each part). Participants are given patterns of a few steps and asked to take steps that match them. Participants must, in principal, move ahead in line with the length forward with no contact on the lines forming the squares. Forward, backward, lateral and oblique stepping patterns are required. Stepping patterns get increasingly difficult. Each pattern consists of 2 to 16 steps; participants are asked to repeat step pattern till the end of exercise mat. Upon completing a pattern, another pattern in the same mirror-image is repeated. In essence each pattern is reiterated for 3-5 times and next its mirror-image pattern is repeated but if participants face challenge in performing the pattern it is repeated till the pattern is learnt