Final answer:
Option (A). Maintaining a narrow base does NOT improve stability. A wider base of support, lowering the center of gravity, doing balancing exercises, and leaning into forces are key to maintaining or improving stability.
Step-by-step explanation:
The activity that does NOT improve stability is maintaining a narrow base. Having a narrow base of support can make you less stable, especially in the front-to-back direction where human feet are not very long, and muscles are used extensively to balance the body. To increase stability, it is beneficial to have a wider base of support by spreading the feet apart, which provides a larger area to balance upon.
Lowering your center of gravity increases stability, as does leaning into oncoming forces and doing balancing exercises. Leaning appropriately, such as when riding a bicycle and making a turn, ensures that the normal force exerted by the ground aligns with the center of gravity to maintain stability. Similarly, balancing exercises train your muscles and nervous system to control displacements effectively and maintain your center of gravity over your base of support.