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What are the Different Ways to Improve Hand-Eye Coordination?
Some of different ways to improve hand-eye coordination are to play sports, mainly those which involve catching, throwing or hitting balls; to play with reaction balls or yo-yos; and to play computer games. There are actually many activities that can help improve hand-eye coordination, and it is most effective to use a variety of different games. Even activities such as jigsaw puzzles and writing can help improve hand-eye coordination skills.
Hand-eye coordination is the body's ability to process the visual inputs from the eyes and use this information to guide hand movements. Training hands and eyes to work together more effectively is just the same as any other athletic training. It should be carried out slowly and frequently to see good results.
Many sports and athletic activities make use of hand-eye coordination. Tennis, squash, racquetball and table tennis require the eyes to work together with the hands to locate and hit the ball. Other games that involve catching or hitting a ball also build hand-eye coordination and might be preferred by some people. Activities such as juggling can be extremely effective as a way to improve hand-eye coordination.
Video games also are a source of hand-eye co-ordination exercises. Many games require players to react quickly with their hands to what they are observing on screen. There are even computer programs available that provide exercises or games specifically designed to improve hand-eye coordination.
Some research has shown that an intake of around 20 milligrams of zinc per day might help improve hand-eye coordination. Foods such as animal proteins, nuts, seeds and beans are often high in zinc. Whole-grain cereals and breads can hinder zinc absorption.
Almost any activity that the requires hands and eyes working in unison has the ability to improve coordination. Many actions that are used in daily life require hand-eye coordination, but activities that are not usually carried out during a routine might have a greater impact on improvement. These new activities are more likely to challenge current skills and help them to develop.
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![Playing table tennis can help improve hand-eye coordination.]()
Playing table tennis can help improve hand-eye coordination. -
![Playing sports such as tennis helps improve hand-eye coordination.]()
By: Galina BarskayaPlaying sports such as tennis helps improve hand-eye coordination. -
![Hand-eye coordination is a key in racquetball.]()
By: Lisa F. YoungHand-eye coordination is a key in racquetball. -
![Putting together jigsaw puzzles can benefit hand-eye coordination.]()
By: Robert KneschkePutting together jigsaw puzzles can benefit hand-eye coordination. -
![Hand-eye coordination is essential for playing video games.]()
By: Serjik AhkhundovHand-eye coordination is essential for playing video games.
Discussion Comments
@pastanaga - I've played quite a few of that kind of game with my eight year old nephew and it's actually quite interesting how good he is at different kinds. He will out play me at anything that just requires you to sit and use a controller in your hand, but once you have to add in other motions, like shifting your weight around, he gets confused and starts to lose.
We've tried to make sure he gets lots of other hand-eye co-ordination activities as well, though, not just video games. We play a lot of ball games and board games and so forth.
@MrsPramm - I've heard that they did a study where surgeons were asked to play a video game for half an hour before surgery and then compared their performance with surgeons who didn't, and the ones who did performed better. So I'm not sure I agree that there are no real world benefits from playing video games.
It probably depends on the game, though, since not all of them would really require fine motor skill development.
But with the latest kind, where you actually have to move around and use your hands and body to guide the character on screen, I can definitely see how they could really help you to improve.
Remember that even though it's been proved that playing video games improves hand-eye co-ordination, there are different kinds to improve. You can't justify playing games all day and night by saying that your intention is to improve your co-ordination.
It might help you to have faster reactions in some ways, but you're only really getting better at the game itself, rather than a skill that's truly transferable in the real world.
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