Juggling has long been the domain of magicians, street performers and circus artists, and now you can add athletes to the list of people who recognize the benefits of keeping a few balls in the air. Juggling improves hand-eye coordination, peripheral vision, focus and reaction time, all of which are undertrained skills for most athletes. Sports vision, which is the ability to track objects and utilize one's peripheral vision, can be dramatically improved by juggling regularly.
Benefits
The benefits of juggling are so numerous, it's surprising more athletes aren't picking up this simple training trick. Juggling demands a quick reaction time, use of peripheral vision and focus, all of which are essential elements of good sports vision. Juggling is an excellent way to train and improve hand-eye coordination, because that's the primary skill required to keep all balls in the air at once. Moreover, juggling requires the juggler to develop a relaxed focus as she follows the movement of the balls and react with catching and tossing. Being able to remain calm and focused on movement under stress is an invaluable skill for any athlete.
What You Need
Another advantage to juggling over other training methods is that it requires a minimal commitment of both time and money. The only props you need are three round objects of roughly the same size and weight. Beanbags are excellent for juggling, or you can purchase balls specifically for juggling. Make your own juggling balls inexpensively by filling a tennis ball or balloon with sand to weigh it down. In terms of time commitment, five to 10 minutes per day is more than enough to develop your skills as a juggler and improve your sports vision.
How to Juggle
Start with one ball in each hand. Keep a comfortable, relaxed stance with your hands held at waist height. Toss the first ball into the air and track the arc it makes. Ideally, the apex of the arc should be at eye height. As the ball reaches the top of the arc and begins to descend, toss the second ball into the air. Catch both balls. Once you've mastered two-ball juggling, add a third ball. Hold two balls in your dominant hand and one in your nondominant hand. Toss one of the balls from your dominant hand and again track the arc it makes. Toss the ball in your nondominant hand as the first ball reaches the top of the arc. As the second ball makes its descent, toss the third ball. Continue this pattern --- known as a "cascade" --- until you're juggling smoothly.
Other Ways to Improve Sports Vision
Juggling isn't the only way to improved sports vision, although it is one of the most simple and inexpensive. You can drill passes and tosses with a partner that deliberately keep the ball in your peripheral vision and challenges your reaction time. There are also workbooks that are designed to help improve sports vision through writing and drawing activities.
