Lacrosse is an intensely dynamic sport. Players are bombarded with external stimuli, often times while cradling the ball in a full speed sprint. Scooping up ground balls or catching passes is not as easy as it looks. Goalies have it even worse, trying stopping a 95 mph shot with players crossing your line of sight!!

These tasks are impossible to accomplish without an incredible skill called hand eye coordination. Let’s take a look.

Hand Eye Coordination and Lacrosse

Hand eye coordination is a blending of the visual system and motor systems. The brain must respond to visual information and signal the body where to go.

People use this skill every day. It may be in response to a stationary object, such as seeing a coffee cup on the table and reaching out to pick it up. Or the object may be moving, such as when catching a ball.

In sports, the brain and motor system’s response to visual information often has to take place in split seconds. Think about it, a lacrosse ball isn’t traveling very slowly. Players have to react quickly in order to catch it smoothly. 

If either motor skills or visual skills are lacking, the lax player will have a difficult time.

Vision Skills for Lacrosse

When they are practicing, many people focus on the physical skills necessary to play lacrosse. However, vision skills are equally as important. Without the right visual input, players can’t physically react correctly.

There are several visual skills that are crucial for lacrosse players:

• Anticipation timing: important for passing the ball or deflecting a check
• Depth perception: critical for all players, but goalies in particular to judge distance correctly
• Visual reaction time: a correct move made too late will still result in failure
• Peripheral vision: the ability to see players coming at them from all sides

Another thing to keep in mind is that lacrosse is an extremely active game. That means that not only do vision skills need to be dynamic (objects and players are constantly in motion) but also, the game is physically tiring.

Fatigue can have a negative effect on a player’s concentration and reaction time. Eye fatigue can also have a detrimental effect.

To that end, players can improve their game by improving their physical conditioning as well as strengthening their eyes and hand eye coordination.

How Lacrosse Players Can Improve Their Hand Eye Coordination

Lax players can improve their hand eye coordination in a number of ways. Juggling and tossing a ball against the wall are basic drills that players can do. Playing catch with teammates or session of wall ball can help. However, these methods can get a little boring and there are only a few ways to change them up as the player improves.

To make things a little more challenging, players can train with HECOstix. Not only is the game addicting and fun but also there is a myriad of ways to change up the game to make it more difficult.

OFFENSE:

• Incredible for focusing through traffic 
• Helps players use their peripheral vision
• Improved non dominant hand control and confidence
• Increase your catch radius
  
• Tracking colors helps players see the ball through background noise
• Faster hands and reaction speed
• Increases players overall offensive production

GROUND BALLS:

• Unparalleled reaction drill for quick hands 
• Faster reaction speed
• Increase your face-off speed
• Focus on the target and scoop
• Overall ground ball skill improves as hand eye coordination improves

DEFENSE:

• See what you hit and reduce penalties as a result
• Improved focus and cognitive functions
• Process information significantly faster
• Fight or Flight training for pressure situations

Check out HECOstix today and start improving your lacrosse game!