Exercises for children
Many of the exercises that are suitable are taken from the coordination training of soccer. For the exercise presented here, you again need five hats that mark a cross. The outer hats form a square, the side lengths can be varied according to the athlete’s abilities.
In the middle of the square is the last cap. The exercise can be performed with or without soccer. At school age it is recommended to do the exercise without a ball.
Two groups run one after the other from a starting cap to a finishing cap. When they reach the finish cap, the participants bend around the cap at a 45° angle. For example, the group starting from the left turns right and the group starting from the right turns left.
The groups run towards the starting cap of the other group and cross their paths. When the group reaches the hat, the whole game starts over again, only that the two groups have exchanged their starting hats and thus turn in the opposite direction at the new finishing hat.The first coordinative task is to avoid the other group in the middle of the square. If the degree of difficulty is to be increased, an additional task can be given on different sections of the course. This can include, for example, heeling, jumping, one-legged running, exaggerated rolling of the sole, side steps or walking backwards. There are many more ways to vary the exercise and increase the level of difficulty.
Coordination training for adults
The requirements for coordination training for adults and for competitive sports are higher than for school children. The goal of coordination training for adults is to optimize perception processes, improve decision-making behavior, optimize movement control and develop creative solutions to problems. A good introductory exercise is the one-legged stand.
Here the person stands on a folded towel (the softer the surface the more difficult) and lifts the knee of the other leg. Maintaining body tension is an important aspect here. This exercise should be performed for 20-30 seconds.
To increase the level of difficulty, the eyes can be closed and/or the head can be taken to the neck. In order to complete the exercise as a partner exercise and to increase the level of difficulty and requirements, you need a partner and a ball in addition to a towel. Everyone stands on one leg on a folded towel (the softer the surface the more difficult).
Then the partners try to throw the ball to each other. The exercise can be made more difficult by the distance between the partners and by closing one eye. In the exercise presented here, a course with various tasks must be completed.
First of all, a short sprint is performed, after which two cones have to be passed in slalom. A ladder lying on the ground has to be run through with lifting steps with a short sprint directly at the end of the ladder. After a cone slalom, a medium-length sprint is followed by a strong right turn.
There are small obstacles that have to be passed as fast as possible. After this obstacle, four cones follow, which are to be reached and passed by fast steps sideways. Finally a new sprint is waiting for the athlete.
This exercise is especially suitable for team sports and sports groups, as several people can train at the same time. The following task represents a huge potential of exercises for training the coordination: A ladder lying on the floor or sufficient markings or rings can serve as a basis here. Here it is up to the user to choose the pattern of walking on the ladder rungs.
The combinations are almost endless and there is enough variety. In order to further increase the requirement, it is possible to add further aids to this exercise. During the run a ball can be thrown up and caught again and again.
In a partner exercise the ball can be thrown with different hardness or different trajectories to make the exercise more difficult. Another exercise that can be performed very well alone is kneeling on a fitness mat. Knees and hands rest on the mat, in the knee and hip joint the angle is 90° and the head remains in extension of the spine.
From the side this position looks a little bit like a bridge. Now you move your right arm forward and your left leg backward at the same time, so that only your right knee and your left arm touch the ground. In this position you try to keep your balance for a few seconds and return your arm and leg to the basic position.
It is important to pay attention to a clean and controlled exercise. Repeat this procedure with the other extremity (left arm and right leg). In order to vary the exercise and increase the level of difficulty, you can now try to stretch your arms and legs sideways away from your body and not just forward and backward. You can repeat these exercises a few times before switching to another exercise.
