Friday 17 October 2014

Various Hand-Eye Coordination Drills for Football

When talking about hand-eye coordination in football, positions such as wide receivers and defensive backs come to mind. This is so because as a wide receiver or a linebacker, you need to battle catches or intercept passes. However, a well-developed hand-eye coordination can help every player on the team. It is regarded to be one of the fundamentals of this sport. Improving your hand-eye coordination will go a long way in improving your overall gameplay.

There are a number of football hand-eye coordination drills that help you improve them. There are some that require a partner, while others can be done on your own. Engaging in these drills, helps decrease your reaction time and builds muscle memory. Here are some drills that are included in the hand eye coordination football training:

Catching a Tennis Ball – One of the most critical skills in football is to catch a ball coming towards you. Not only does this drill help improve your hand-eye coordination but also your reaction time. All you have to do is stand several feet apart from your partner. Ask them to throw tennis balls at you rapidly. As soon as you catch one ball, the partner should toss another ball and keep changing the location. For best results, alternate your hands irrespective of the location.

Four-Corner Quick Reaction Catches – This drill is one of the best team drills to develop football hand-eye coordination usually performed with a smaller ball. In a square, four cones are placed about five yards apart. Each team member stands on the outside of these cones holding a ball. You are meant to sprint to the next cone and catch the ball that your team mate tossed at you. Toss the ball, move on to the next cone and catch the ball. This drill continues till you reach your original cone.

Catching cards – This is a difficult drill as cards usually fly when they are flicked at you. Keep a distance of about 3 feet between you and your partner. The drill begins when the partner starts flicking the cards one at a time at chest level. You are supposed to catch them before they hit the ground. To make it even more difficult, alternate your hands while catching the cards.

These are just a few examples. Engaging in such drills will help improve your hand-eye coordination and your game play. There are a number of American football training tips available online that help in your football training.