Most of the time, when you mention footwork and hand-eye coordination drills, you will hear a collective groan from your athletes. These drills are tedious, require a lot of focus and energy, and usually come at the beginning of what athletes know is already going to be a difficult workout.
So why do them? The reason every athlete should be doing these drills is that every sport requires some degree of hand-eye coordination and footwork. If you want effective movements, you have to do them. If you have great footwork and hand-eye coordination – you will be able to quickly position the body where it needs to be with minimal effort.
Below are 5 reasons you should be working on these drills:
- Increased Body Control This is especially important in sports that require a lot of side-to-side movements and frequent direction changes. Without proper footwork, you can kiss agility goodbye!
- Increased Quickness -While there several stories of athletes dominating their opponents with better footwork, the one that most often comes to mind is Mohammad Ali. His level of success was mostly due to his finess in his footwork that can only come from doing drills.
- Teaches Proper Body Positioning – This is one of our favorites! When an athlete begins to understand how to position their body – their game goes to the next level. Additionally, learning to be aware of body position is another line of defense against injuries.
- Allows You to Cover Ground More Effectively – We’ve all been watching sports on television and heard the announcers say, “Look at those quick feet! That play was made due to one thing – quickness!” When you can control your center of gravity to your favor – you’ll be the one the announcers are talking about.
- Increases Speed – While these drills are not the end-all for building speed – they are an effective way to increase your speed in addition to strengthening your lower body. It all comes down to how effectively your body produces force from the ground.