Hand-eye coordination
and reaction-time training usually
go hand in hand when it comes to athletic performance and sports. So I am going to touch on some of the most
popular drills to help you improve both of them simultaneously. The two don’t always go together of
course: Reaction-time training is all
about reducing reaction time and improving quickness, while there are many
relatively slow and deliberately methodical activities that still require tremendous
precision and incredible hand-eye coordination, such as painting, playing a
musical instrument, or brain surgery! In
sports however, hand-eye coordination usually involves speed and timing, like
with ball and racket sports. Catching,
throwing, hitting, passing, shooting and driving all require tremendous amounts
of hand-eye coordination, usually in a reactive, time-critical situation. Depending on the sport, balls can be
traveling at 90 miles per hour or faster, bouncing and spinning along the
way. Perhaps a better way to look at
this is body-eye tracking
coordination, or neuromuscular mapping and reaction. Because in most sports, it’s not just our
hands having to react, but usually our entire body. Our feet must first transport our bodies into
position to make the play with our hands or rackets! The good news is, all this can be trained and
improved with practice and very simple drills, though apparently much of the
foundation is laid when we our kids. So
if you played multiple sports growing up as a kid – good for you! Your neuromuscular connections,
reactive-timing, hand-eye coordination and muscle-memory will always be there
for you, albeit a little rusty if you haven’t been on the court in a while!
Before I
get to these basic drills, you should know that the most fun way to develop
your hand-eye coordination and improve your reaction-time is to just go out and
play the sports you love! You’ll be much
more motivated if you’re having fun and are going all out to make the play or
win the game. The adrenalin, endorphins
and dopamine boost we get only through the passion of being immersed in the
game will greatly improve your performance and fitness too. Some of the best sports to improve hand-eye
coordination and reaction time are certainly not the most physically demanding:
Ping Pong or Table-tennis, and most racket sports require equal parts hand-eye
coordination, reaction, and timing. If
you like the beach, I recommend checking out SmashBall beach tennis – another great option! Peppering or bumping the volleyball is great
too.
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| Above - a reaction training 'ball' |
