With due diligence and the necessary knowledge, you can not only become faster and more agile, but gain a truly lightning-fast reaction. In our article we will give examples of several simple exercises to develop dexterity and coordination.
Developing a skill from childhood
The more time a child devotes to sports activities, for example, table tennis, acrobatics, and simply active games, the better his dexterity and coordination develop.
Given the normal state of the nervous system and vestibular apparatus, dexterity at birth varies slightly among different children. But then, depending on the lifestyle, the potential is lost. As a result, someone cannot catch a tennis ball thrown at him from 10 meters, and someone hits a basketball with a basketball from 20 meters, standing with their back to it. Let's look at why this happens.
Childhood is the most convenient time for developing the necessary physical characteristics. Muscle memory absorbs all movements like a sponge, firmly preserving them for many years. Then, as the child gets older, the ability to learn begins to fade. Of course, it's never too late to learn. But at 18–20 years old, training any physical skill will be somewhat more difficult than at 13–14. And after 30 years, solving the same problem will require even more time and effort. It's the same with coordination. The sooner you start working on it, the easier it will be to achieve results.
Examples of professional dexterity
A good example is an exercise in a shooting sport (practical shooting). The objective of the exercise is as follows. The shooter needs to make a dash, running five meters to the table, load the gun by opening the box of cartridges (the gun and cartridges are located on the table in front of the shooting line), and then hit all the targets. The exercise is performed for a while. All manipulations and movements are based on professional dexterity.
Another striking example is the play of a receiver during a play in American football. His task is to get around the players of the opposing team as quickly as possible, running at full speed along a given trajectory, catch a pass and get to the opponents' end zone. During the rally, this player makes a very difficult journey, which is simply impossible to complete without the proper level of dexterity, because he will have to dodge attacks while moving and catching the ball, and after successfully passing the pass, get to the end zone, bypassing the enemy’s attacks, demonstrating the wonders of acrobatics , superhuman reaction and agility!
Simple coordination tests
Let's do the following test: try to rotate your hand clockwise, and the same arm at the elbow counterclockwise. It doesn't work out, does it? But it works great to rotate it all in one direction. This is because our coordination center is accustomed to symmetry, peace, and synchronicity. If something needs to be done not according to the usual scenario, difficulties arise, because the brain and body do not know how to do this, they need to be taught. By the way, this is the first coordination exercise, in fact, the beginning of its training.
Another test: stand on one leg, take the other back, arms to the sides. Close your eyes and count how long you can stand like this. This is also a coordination exercise that will help improve your balance and agility.
Third test: take 2 tennis balls (by the way, let them lie at home, sometimes they are useful) and throw them against the wall alternately with your right and left hand - it works out well, right? Now stand on one leg and do the same. More difficult? There is such a moment. And now the best part - jump on one leg and continue throwing and catching balls. Everything, stupor, confusion, the balls flew into the corners, and you actually fell.
There is also more than one coordination test, you can come up with anything you want. Just order your body to perform a non-standard set of movements. And you will see how imperfect your body is in this regard.
Development of dexterity in children of primary school age through outdoor games
Game selection. Preparation for the game begins with its selection. It is important to take into account the composition of the group, the form of the upcoming lesson and the location. Not every game is suitable for any number of players; for each there is an optimal number of participants. The form of classes also plays a big role. What is suitable for a lesson is not suitable for recess, etc. The location significantly influences the choice of game. Games that require an unlimited area cannot be held in a small hall.
Explanation.
It is better to explain the game in the structure from which it will begin.
There is no need to delay explanations. Children eagerly await the start of the game and have difficulty listening to the teacher. You need to tell it vividly and figuratively. This is especially important in imitation games with young children. Supplemented, if necessary, with a demonstration, the story should not only create a complete picture of the game, but also interest and arouse the desire for active action. Managing the game is undoubtedly the most difficult and at the same time decisive moment of a teacher’s work. Only proper management of the course of the game ensures the achievement of the planned pedagogical result. The management of the game includes several elements: monitoring the actions of participants and teams, correcting mistakes, indicating the correct way of individual and collective actions, suppressing manifestations of individualism, rudeness and other incorrect attitudes towards comrades, regulating the load, stimulating the required level of competition throughout all games. It is in the management of the game that the teacher’s skill is demonstrated. It is entirely based on his ability to see and understand the course of the game. To be able to follow the game, the leader must see everyone involved. In complex games with a large number of participants, it is imperative to involve assistant referees. In such cases, the teacher reserves the opportunity to observe the progress of the game. By directing game activities, the leader helps to choose the right way to solve a game problem, achieving activity, independence and creativity in the players. Errors must be corrected in a timely manner, not allowing them to take hold. In most cases, this requires the intervention of the manager in the game process. Corrections can be made by instructions directly during the game and during special stops. At the moment of stopping, all players must remain in the places where they were caught by the signal; it is impossible to play a game for which there is no necessary equipment. Therefore, the leader must have a large supply of games in his arsenal, be able to modify them and adapt them to specific conditions. Preparing the site and equipment
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Good preparation increases the emotional state of those involved and makes them want to start the game faster. This includes cleaning the premises, arranging equipment, marking the site, selecting equipment, decals, etc. Preparation must be done early and thoroughly. It is useful to involve children in it. Organization of players
. The course of the game largely depends on it. This includes arrangement during explanation, identification of drivers, captains and assistants, distribution among teams. When explaining the game, the teacher should strive to take a place from which everyone can see and hear him. If the game is played in circles, then he stands 1-2 meters from the middle of the circle; when determining the drivers and captains, this is done in various ways: when lined up, he takes a place in front of the line, etc. by appointment of a leader, by the choice of those involved, by the results of previous games, by lot. The choice of one method or another is determined by the specific situation. It is very correct to distribute the forces of the players among the teams. To do this, you can use calculations, figure marching, selection of captains, and appointment of a leader. Assistants can be a great help to the teacher. It is especially important to have assistants in games that require complex refereeing. In this role, children can be judges, score or time counters, observers of the order and condition of the playing areas. Released children (with poor health) and the most authoritative students among the children are often appointed as assistants. In this case, it is necessary to keep in mind the special training of game organizers - it must be carried out from the first years of school. leader. The error must be explained concisely, demonstrating the correct action. Sometimes it is useful for a manager to get involved in the game himself to show how to act correctly in such cases. When these techniques are not enough, they use special exercises, game analyzes with explanations of actions on the board, layout, etc. (15;25).
Vestibular apparatus
This segment of the brain helps our body determine where is down and where is up, where is right and where is left. It works due to hydraulic pressure on special receptors. If you remove gravity, the vestibular apparatus will simply be lost.
This part of the brain is responsible for balance and dexterity. There is also a special training for him, which can really help you quickly adapt to sudden non-standard movements.
Test for the vestibular apparatus (or balance): stand up straight, use your legs to make 10 rotations clockwise, then immediately 10 rotations counterclockwise. Stop suddenly and try to stand on one leg. After this, many people are unlikely to be able to resist even two. This test shows the level of development of your vestibular system. By the way, dancing, acrobatics, figure skating, and pole exercises help strengthen it well.
Over time, if it is not trained, the vestibular apparatus degrades, and it becomes more difficult for the body to adapt after rotations and sudden changes in position. Nausea and dizziness may occur. By the way, nausea from air pockets on an airplane or from sudden accelerations is a sign of a weakened vestibular system.
A good way to develop it is this:
- Stand straight, arms along your body or cross them over your chest.
- Make 10 clockwise turns using your lower back. That is, the legs are in place, everything above the pelvis rotates. The greater the amplitude of rotation, the better.
- Stop suddenly, listen to your feelings. If nausea occurs, do another 10 repetitions, but at a slower pace.
- If there is no nausea, make 10 turns counterclockwise.
- Enough for the first time. Repeat the exercise the next day, but double the number of rotations.
- Then turn on rhythmic music and do these rotations for 10, 20, 30 minutes. On the one hand, your lateral abs and lower back will be pumped up, and on the other, your vestibular apparatus will be normal. And one more bonus - if you suddenly take more alcohol than you can and feel the so-called helicopters, you will no longer run to the toilet. However, we do not recommend drinking.
Now you know how to strengthen the vestibular apparatus. You already know a couple of exercises for coordination and agility, here are a few more.
Do yoga
If you want to strengthen all the muscles of the body, restore mental balance and learn to maintain balance, there is no better activity than yoga. In the Hatha Yoga exercise system, more than half of the exercises are performed specifically for balance. Such asanas will provide:
- the ability to feel your body;
- excellent muscle tone;
- spine mobility;
- reproductive health and endocrine system function;
- good mood.
The main thing to pay attention to is that some asanas have contraindications. We advise you to study with an experienced instructor and within three months of systematic training you will feel how excellent your balance is at any age.
Exercises to develop coordination
Coordination exercises include, first of all, all the tests that we cited above. We’ll also add the following elements that will help improve your coordination skills:
- To develop our visual motor coordination, take a tennis ball, stand on one leg and throw it, catching it in turn with your right and left hand. Then throw with your right, catch with your left. And vice versa. When this becomes easy for you, take the second ball (this is what came in handy!).
- To improve your coordination, start playing table tennis. It's simple and fun. You concentrate your gaze on the ball and hit it with your racket. High speed and concentration perfectly develop reaction and motor skills.
- To develop balance, it is convenient to stand on one leg while doing different things at the same time - read a book, throw a ball, rotate your head.
- Do agility tests every week. Each coordination exercise helps develop it. In addition, each test is an exercise in coordination.
- Make coordination exercises more difficult by adding new elements. For example, try juggling two balls while standing on one leg. Better yet, jump over a low obstacle sideways, or jump alternately on your right and left feet.
- Another type of coordination exercise is fighting with a tennis ball. Boxers and those who want to learn how to hit quickly and accurately will really like it. Let's talk about this exercise in detail.
Fight Ball
You will need a baseball cap with a size adjuster on the back of the head, a strong and elastic elastic band, a tennis ball and a band-aid. You need to attach the elastic band to the ball with a plaster, and fasten the other end of the elastic band to the cap in the area of the regulator. The length of the elastic should be slightly shorter than the length of your outstretched arm.
We put the cap on with the visor back, stand in a striking stance, hold our hands to our face, and hit the ball with our fists (with our striking knuckles). The ball flies away from you, stretching the rubber band, then returns back with acceleration. You can avoid the flying ball by leaning slightly to the side, or you can hit it with your other hand. This way you can box the ball as much as you want.
As a competition goal, you can use the number of hits or the time during which the ball is never left without a hit. Be prepared for it to fly in your face sometimes. And remember, the harder you hit, the harder you may get hit. The tennis ball is a very treacherous opponent.
What sports develop agility?
Almost every sport that has sufficient motor activity develops agility. It would be easier to list those sports that do not develop agility. By the way, these include: bodybuilding, arm wrestling, chess, golf and the like. Moreover, the same bodybuilders or arm wrestlers, by including weightlifting exercises in their training, can also contribute to the development of agility.
The following sports develop agility:
- Diving.
- Water skiing.
- All team sports.
- All types of martial arts.
- Tennis and table tennis.
- All types of dances.
- Crossfit.
- Acrobatics.
- Athletics.
- Weightlifting.
- Fencing.
- Practical shooting.
Communicate more
Experts say that communication in old age directly affects a person’s mood and brain activity. It is communication for older people that allows them to maintain inner youth and vigor of mind. It is social activity that increases the level of endorphins and allows a person to feel important and needed. This keeps the mind alert, improves muscle tone and directly affects concentration. In addition to physical exercise, it is important to maintain a positive mental attitude to develop concentration and balance.
What does the concept of agility include?
Agility should be understood as the ability to quickly change the position of the body in space while maintaining balance. Athletes who focus on increasing muscle strength and power experience considerable difficulty in developing this skill.
Regularly performing exercises to develop dexterity allows you to hone movements to perfection, which are accompanied by the difficulty of coordinating the body in space. This moment requires the use of a wide range of muscles simultaneously and the immediate activation of reflexes.
One of the criteria of dexterity is the accuracy of movements. Without bringing the parameter to perfection, there is an inevitable loss of balance. Progress can be achieved here by training the vestibular apparatus and developing the necessary reactions from the nervous system.
An important point in achieving agility is the speed of spatial change in body position. The faster a person groups his limbs dynamically, the greater the effect of the expended strength and power.
How to develop coordination of movements?
Coordination can be developed through training. There are different methods for developing motor coordination. The most basic method is to repeat the movements many times. Another way is to perform movements at low speed and with minimal load.
Coordination can also be developed by adding new movements that will be unusual for a person. During the training process, the complexity of coordination exercises should be gradually increased. Increase demands for accuracy and consistency of thinking.
The high effectiveness of training is ensured by a quick change of position, for example, acceleration (running) from a kneeling position, or an exercise such as “head to head”, actively used in American football, in which two athletes lie on the ground head to head towards the demarcation line , after which the coach suddenly throws the ball to one of them, and the athlete who took possession of the ball must cross the line as quickly as possible. To do this, he needs to catch the ball without looking, without fixing his attention and gaze on the ball, change his lying position to a vertical one and, bypassing the opponent, cross the line. In fact, this exercise is performed with lightning speed.
Another method of developing coordination is to change the speed or tempo. To do this, you need to introduce rhythmic combinations into the training process. Another great example is the running of wide receivers in American football, which is characterized by instant stops, changes of direction and acceleration.
Also, changing the way you perform exercises can help develop coordination. For example, jumping rope not on two legs, but on one. Throwing the ball horizontally and much more. Also a very effective way to develop coordination is to exercise with non-ergonomically shaped equipment, for example, lunges with a sandbag instead of dumbbells, or squats on a balancing platform. Doing exercises with a partner or several participants also develops coordination. In pairs you can perform jumps, turns, bends, squats and lifts.
Leg lunge from fighting stance
Take a vertical body position. Place your palms clenched into fists in front of you at chest level. The knee of the right leg is pulled up here with a sharp movement. At the same time, perform a light jump on the supporting limb. Then they change legs and repeat the above steps.
The exercise is suitable for developing dexterity, sense of balance, and coordination of movements. By balancing on one limb, a person learns to maintain his center of gravity.
