Did you know more than 26 million people play basketball in America? If you want to beat out the competition you’ll have to improve hand-eye coordination.
To succeed in basketball, you need a lot of skills. One of the most important these is your ability to coordinate movements with your eyes and your hands. Contrary to popular belief, you can develop this skill. It’s not just something you’re born with.
All you need to become a better basketball player is time, dedication, and a good place to start.
Here are our 7 recommend ways to improve hand-eye coordination in basketball games.
1. Play Catch
If you want to improve your coordination, you’ll have to go back to the basics. Remember when you used to play catch with your friends back during recess? Well, it’s time to find a partner and do it again.
Playing catch is a great way to practice hand-eye coordination. You should vary up the passes to avoid passive actions. Throw overhead, bounce, and direct passes to your partner, and then ask them to do the same.
You should also vary the speeds of your passes as well. This is an important step because it helps your eyes learn to calculate the speed of the ball and how quick your hands need to be to catch it.
It’s not enough to have your hands in the right spot. You have to have them in the right spot at the right time, especially when there are defenders all around you.
2. Learn Focusing Tips
Many people who struggle with hand-eye coordination, actually just struggle with focusing problems. One way to improve this is by practicing focusing.
First look at an object nearby. Then focus your eyes on the object behind it. Repeatedly do this throughout the day. The faster you can focus on objects the better you’ll be able to catch, dribble and shoot.
It will be especially helpful when you have to play with defenders that are constantly changing positions. With this skill, you’ll be able to focus on a defender, and then quickly find your teammate on the court.
If you notice that you are having trouble focusing your eyes like you’d like to, you should visit an optometrist. Places like the Tri-State Centers for Sight can help provide other exercises or care that will help.
3. Practice Juggling
Juggling is a great hobby for basketball players to embrace. It teaches you how to remain calm when objects are speeding around you and helps your eyes learn how to track multiple items at once.
Don’t be discouraged if it takes a while for you to get the hang of it. Instead, just start with two balls and work your way up to more.
With two balls you’ll be able to get a consistent rhythm going. However, many people get flustered with three balls and can never find a rhythm. Learn how to stay calm, and the juggling will come naturally.
4. Bounce a Ball Off a Wall
Another good exercise is bouncing a ball off a wall. This can be helpful when you don’t have anyone to practice playing catch with.
The smaller the ball, the more challenging the exercise will be. If you are really struggling with hand-eye coordination, start with a basketball. Once you feel comfortable with that move down to smaller balls, like a tennis ball.
Aim at a specific spot on the wall in your mind and throw it there. Then see how fast you can retrieve the ball without it bouncing too much.
5. Jump Rope
Jump roping is not only a great way to improve hand-eye coordination, but it’s also a great form of exercise. Add it to your daily work out routine and you’ll feel much more confident in your coordination before you know it.
Another benefit of jump roping is that it incorporates your feet as well. So you’ll get an added bonus of feet coordination to add to your skill set.
Needless to say, there are a lot of benefits but not a lot of problems when it comes to jumping rope.
6. Dribble with a Small Ball
Many of the drills we’ve highlighted above focused on passing or general coordination skills. This drill, on the other hand, improves your dribbling abilities.
For this drill, you’ll want to find a small bouncy ball, similar to a tennis ball.
Practice dribbling it in a lot of different scenarios. You can do fast drills, like a breakaway down the court, or you can practice dribbling without looking at all.
All of these will help you to improve your dribbling ability in a real game. In fact, you’ll be surprised how much easier dribbling a basketball will be.
7. Hit Targets
The last drill can be used with a small ball or a big one. Just remember when you use a smaller ball, it takes more skill and precision.
If you are struggling with a drill first start with a basketball and then move down the line of athletic balls. Here are some of our other tips for improving your workout goals this year.
For this drill, you are going to set up some targets against a wall. These can include balloons, actual targets, pictures, etc. Choose whatever will motivate you the most.
Then you are going to stand close to the target. Each round you will throw the ball at the target in an attempt to hit it. Once you are able to hit the target regularly at that distance, you should move a couple of steps back.
You can also make the drill harder by using a tennis ball instead of a basketball.
Improve Hand-Eye Coordination Today
If you want to become a legendary basketball you need to improve hand-eye coordination. It’s a crucial skill to do well in the sport. However, you don’t have to do it alone.
If you need help talk with a personal trainer. They are great at helping individuals to achieve their athletic and weight goals. Contact our team to learn how to get started!