Coordination Exercise Examples

Coordination is one element of movement that is important in sports and in day-to-day living. Coordination generally refers to moving two or more parts of your body at the same time to achieve a specific goal. That could mean turning a doorknob, performing dance steps or hitting a baseball with a bat. Adding certain exercises to your daily routine may improve your coordination overall.

Circles

Moving your upper and lower body at the same time in opposite directions is a challenge for many people and, as such, is an effective exercise to improve your overall coordination. Stand comfortably and hold out your arms. Move one arm in forward circles and the other in backward circles. Also, circle one arm and one leg at the same time or do one leg with both arms going in opposite directions.

Jumping Rope

Jumping rope is a common exercise in boxing and martial arts to improve footwork, balance and coordination. You will get into a rhythm after some practice, so mix up your routine once you’re comfortable with the basic motion. Run in place while spinning the rope, hop on one foot, alternate kicking one foot out and cross the rope in front of you. Experiment with different footwork combinations to challenge your coordination.

Speed Bag

The speed bag is another boxing staple and effective coordination exercise. Just as with rope jumping, you can create a rhythm with the speed bag, so it is a good idea to change the routine as you go. Hit the bag with different parts of your hand or change the number of times it bounces back and forth before you hit it again. In the beginning, just making contact each time is enough to challenge your reflexes and coordination.

Racquet Sports

Sports that are played with a racquet and ball -- such as tennis, squash, racquetball and ping pong -- are effective coordination exercises. If you don’t have a partner, hit the ball against a wall or tilt the ping pong table up to hit the ball to yourself. Practice moving from side to side and hitting the ball from different elevations to refine your hand-eye coordination.