Tips on How to Improve Hand-Eye Coordination

Shadowboxing

Shadowboxing is an exercise where you throw punches at an opponent or soft pads. The goal is not to hit hard but to increase your reaction time and improve your hand-eye coordination.

To begin, you aim left with your right hand or aim to the right with your left hand. There is a massive benefit in forcing the brain to cross the midline, the imaginary vertical line splitting you in half from nose to ankle via your belly button.

Another advantage of shadowboxing is it’s an excellent cardio workout. If you want to improve as an athlete, trading cycling or running for shadowboxing is an efficient way to advance on multiple fronts.

Tai Chi

Tai Chi has immense mental and physical health benefits. Adding this ancient martial art to your routine requires only a few minutes daily. Deep breathing and flowing motions improve balance, strength, range of motion and reflexes, with each movement requiring a high degree of eye-hand coordination. 

Play Catch

Playing catch is the simplest way to improve hand-eye coordination. Simply throwing backward and forward forces you to react to an object coming toward you. It’s easy to increase the difficulty: simply increase the speed of the throw or reduce the size of the ball.

Squash

Squash is played by hitting a ball against a wall at speed with yourself or other people. Catching the bounces and darting from side to side for a successful hit requires skill.

Head to the squash court or play it against the side of your house. Overall, it is one of the best options for improving hand-eye coordination.

Juggling

Mastering juggling can improve your coordination by giving you mastery over your peripheral field. When juggling, you’re looking at the point where the balls cross. Meanwhile, your brain is using that information to control your hands.

To add, getting the hang of juggling can be difficult, but starting with two beanbags, moving to three, and then switching to balls allows you to increase the difficulty gradually. You can also stand on a balance board while juggling to challenge yourself further.

Perform Eye Exercises

Basic eye exercises can also help you develop good hand-eye coordination. One of the most straightforward eye exercises is to take two similar objects and place one 18 inches away from you, with the other 10 feet away. Focus on the closer object for a few seconds and switch to the distant object. 

Concentrate on the little details and keep moving back and forth. Quickly changing focus is vital in sports for noticing the opposition and catching passes from your teammates.

Darts

Playing darts is an excellent way to improve your hand-eye coordination. It requires you to look at the dart and the board in front of you. The movement forces your brain to register both at the same time.

Success at darts requires tremendous accuracy. Even the slightest mistake will send your projectile wayward. Practice dart drills at home by picking out smaller and smaller targets on the board until you miss.

Swimming

One of the best exercises to improve hand-eye coordination is swimming. It helps maintain stability, and the repetitive movements as part of this full-body exercise enhance the connection between mind and body.

There is no particular way to get better at eye-hand coordination while swimming. Practice different strokes and swim lengths of the pool. It should be no surprise that doctors recommend swimming for young people and seniors to keep them healthy and maintain their coordination.