In any football game, all eyes are on the goalkeeper. All mistakes can be corrected when there is a sharp goalkeeper to catch the ball. This means that this is a person that should have all the required skills to grab or rather grasp the ball. These skills cannot be enhanced by the training alone but also some other games that enhance the said skills. One such game is ping pong.
This is not just a game that enhances one physical activity but also a game that makes sure that you can enhance your gaming skills using the correct mental alertness. You can opt to play this using a trainer but also play ping pong by yourself at home. Some skills that a ping pong robot can help you develop include
- Mental alertness
- Physical fitness
- Eye and hand coordination
- Takes care of brain sharpness
- Enhances social interaction
- Takes care of the reflexes
The three main reasons why all football goalkeepers must play table tennis include:
Improvement of hand and eye coordination
It is the eyes and the hands that are at work at all times. The keeper must have sharp eyes to see not only the ball but also the direction in which it has comes to get the right grip of it. This is a skill that enhances one’s reflexes such that you can take charge of the ball as long as it is within its jurisdiction. The hand is the most important body part for a goalkeeper. Remember this is the only player who is allowed to catch the ball using the hands the rest it is a penalty “handball”. This means that he needs to be swift to calculate the direction and the speed in which the ball comes in line with the reflex action.
Develops mental sharpness
In table tennis, you have to spin with speed and also get to understand the ball placement perspectives. This is a skill that you also need in football, especially as a goalkeeper. At the end of it, you will have the right skills which come in handy to deal with the puzzles. It is this sharpness that also comes in handy to deal with eye coordination. This means that you have to check on the eye movement in conjunction with the hand movement.
Enhances reflex action
Do you know why you always jump immediately you see a snake on sight? This is the work of a reflex action. This is what you also need in football; you need to swift in action to catch that ball immediately the striker directs it to the goal area. It is the action that gives the goalkeeper the reasoning on when to jump or lie or just wait to get the ball since every small mistake can lead to a loss of a game. It is evident the goalkeeping skills get better at goalkeeping through ping pong.