Drills to Improve Reaction Time in Hockey With a Partner

As hockey is a game that calls for teamwork and coordination with others on the pitch, we have come up with some partner drills that you can do with a fellow player to improve your hockey reaction time and reflexes.

Effective partner drills to improve your hockey reaction time

Here are three effective hockey reaction drills that you can do with your partner.

1. Ball drop and sprint

• Hand your partner a tennis ball and have them take a position away from you.
• Take an athletic stance and be ready to sprint toward your friend.
• Ask your partner to hold the ball at shoulder height with their arm stretched forward.
• They are required to drop the ball totally at random without giving you any indication.
• When the ball drops, you have to sprint towards your friend and catch the ball, preventing it from bouncing for a second time.

2. Partner mirror run

• Ask your partner to stand facing you, one meter from you.
• Your partner’s task is to move forward, stop, move backward and keep changing direction at a fast pace for at least 30 seconds in a row.
• Your task is to be agile and alert and copy every move made by your partner.
• Repeat the drill at least 4 times.

3. Shuffle catches

• Place two cones 5 meters from each other.
• Position your partner 2 meters from the line between the cones to form a triangle.
• To start the drill, shuffle between the cones for 30 seconds.
• While you are shuffling, your partner is required to throw a tennis ball at you.
• You have to react fast and catch the ball while maintaining your shuffling. 
• Perform 4 to 5 sets of 30 seconds each.