Exercising your reflexes improves your ability to quickly recognize and respond to threats and other stimuli. Reflex exercises also help improve your balance, coordination and agility, and can enhance your performance in a variety of sports. Such exercises include activities that challenge multiple body systems, including your visual, vestibular, motor and somato-sensory systems. Get comfortable with the activities in each step before progressing to the next; it may help to train with a partner. Consult your doctor before starting any new exercise program.
Step 1
Practice mindfulness. Mindfulness sets the stage for exercising your reflexes by calling your attention to the present, and suppresses distracting thoughts and feelings. Practice mindfulness meditation for 5 minutes. Sit with your back straight, feet firmly planted on the floor and weight evenly distributed on both hips. Inhale and exhale fully through your nose while focusing on each body movement that occurs as you breathe. Slowly move your hands and feet; focus on controlling the movements as much as possible without stiffening your body.
Step 2
Speed up your reaction time with activities that challenge your ability to recognize a threat or a stimulus. Perform physical activities in unpredictable environments, such as dodge ball, bouncing a tennis ball off the wall and catching it, or running as fast as you can through the woods. Challenge your sense of balance by wearing ankle weights as you run, or train on a balance board.
Step 3
Perform coordination activities, such as trying different steps as you run on a treadmill. Alternate between shuffling sideways, cross-stepping, running backwards and forwards. Increase the treadmill speed with each session as your reflexes improve. Keeping a balloon, ball or bean bag from touching the ground by kicking it up also helps improve coordination, particularly when done in a room filled with obstacles.
Step 4
Increase your visual speed and acuity. Play video games that require spotting, aiming and shooting at targets; practice identifying things in your peripheral vision. Activities that involve focusing at varying distances also help improve your visual speed and acuity. Practice changing your focus distance. For example, alternate shifting your glance between something 2 feet away, and something 20 feet away, as fast as you can.
Things You'll Need
- Chair
- Dodge ball
- Tennis ball
- Ankle weights
- Balance board
- Treadmill
- Balloon
- Beanbag
- Shooting video games
- Vehicle
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