Hand-Eye Coordination excercises for Hockey Goalies

Hand-eye coordination is a fundamental ability for every hockey player, but it is especially important
for goalies. Goalies must track the puck and anticipate where it will go while positioning themselves
to deflect it. To become an adept goalie, it is crucial to regularly perform hand-eye coordination
exercises. In this article, we will explain some hand-eye coordination exercises for hockey goalies.
One of the best ways to improve hand-eye coordination is to use reaction balls. Reaction balls
bounce unpredictably, challenging the athlete’s ability to track and anticipate where it is going.
Reaction balls are excellent for building agility, reflexes, and hand-eye coordination. Goalies can
practice by throwing a reaction ball against a wall and catching it when it bounces back. It can also
help when a partner throws the reaction ball at the goalie to practice reacting to a moving target.
Another way to develop hand-eye coordination is to use juggling balls. Juggling balls come in sets of
two or three and are an excellent way to build hand-eye coordination. Goalies can practice by
tossing the juggling balls between their hands or throwing them against a wall and catching them
when they bounce back. Juggling helps goalies build timing, reaction speed, and hand-eye
coordination.
Target exercises are another way to improve hand-eye coordination. Goalies can perform exercises
where targets are placed in the net while simultaneously protecting the net. An effective way to do
this is to place targets in the corners of the net and have the goalie strike the puck on them. This
exercise helps with precision and reaction time.
At Pro Hockey Europe, we integrate all of these exercises and more into our goalie camps. Our
camps are designed to help young goalies improve their hand-eye coordination and other important
hockey skills. By incorporating these exercises into our training, our goalies have the opportunity to
refine their skills and become better players.