PURPOSE: This study aimed to investigate the effect of emphasized initial contact gait training on balance and gait ability in hemiplegia patients. METHODS: Twenty-four hemiplegic patients were randomly allocated to an experimental group or control group. All participants received 30-min neurodevelopmental treatment. Furthermore, the experimental group received initial contact-emphasized auditory feedback gait training, whereas the control group received gait training without auditory feedback. The intervention was performed 3 times per week, 20 min per each time, for a total of 6 weeks. Balance was assessed using the center of pressure path length, center of pressure velocity, and limitation of stability path length, whereas gait ability was assessed using the 10-m walking test and functional gait assessment. RESULTS: In both groups, center of pressure path length and center of pressure velocity significantly decreased after training. Compared to the control group, the experimental group showed a 10% significant improvement (p<.05). In the limitation of stability path length of both sides, the experimental group showed a significant increase compared to that before intervention. Compared to the control group, the experimental group showed a 7% significant improvement in results of the 10-m walking test and functional gait assessment (p<.05). CONCLUSION: Emphasized Initial contact gait training is considered an effective treatment for improving gait ability and balance ability in stroke patients.