If you play sports, then your ability to react (most commonly referred to as your reaction time) may just determine whether you ultimately win or lose the game. Plus, being able to react quickly means that you have good eye-hand coordination, which is just one factor that can greatly improve your performance as well. Well, a pretty easy, yet effective way to achieve this enhanced level of reaction is to engage in reaction ball games.

A reaction ball is a ball that isn’t completely round, but rather looks like a bunch of balls melted together. This means that bouncing it against a surface could cause it to go in pretty much any direction, thus increasing your reaction time as you set out to get it back into your hands.

Here are a few games you can play with your reaction ball:

• Bounce it as many times as you can in 60 seconds. Strive to continue to increase that number, getting more bounces in each one minute timeframe every time you do it.
• Throw it against the wall and let it bounce on the ground once before catching it. Throw it harder once catching it becomes easier.
• This next game is kind of the opposite of the last one. To do it, simply throw the reaction ball against the floor so that it bounces up against the wall before coming back to you. Aim to grab it before it can hit the floor again.
• Using a friend or teammate, have them bounce the ball toward you, making sure you get it before it can hit the ground twice. Then, do the same back to them, giving you both reaction time advantages.

As these games become easier, increase your speed and you’ll also increase your ability to react at the same time!