The 3 Way Hand Reach is a balance exercise for beginners to improve the athlete’s body control, balance and coordination.
Learn more about why having great dynamic balance is important and take a look at Tennis Champions: What Separates Them From The Rest?
Before you engage in stability training you may want to take a look at Medicine Ball Training: Strengthen Your Core & Enhance Stability for more exercises and a sample medicine ball workout for advanced athletes.
3 Way Hand Reach Progression
If you use additional weights…make sure you use appropriate weight so you can control the action throughout the entire range of motion. Otherwise you defeat the purpose of the exercise.
Very often, people use too much resistance and they become sloppy. Especially when it comes to maintaining dynamic stability repetitively.
Also, don’t just progress with adding more weight. Instead maximize the speed and don’t look towards the targets while reaching but keep your head up and look forward. All while maintaining perfect form.
If that’s still too easy then keep your head up and track and object/person while reaching.
Here are the progression levels:
- Beginner: look down
- Advanced: look forward
- Professional: look forward & track an object/person
3 Way Hand Reach Description
- Place three (3) cones (targets) in a semi-circle 1-2 feet in front of you
- Take on athletic stance position; feet are shoulder-width apart; knees and hips are slightly flexed; upper-body is straight; look forward
- Move hands together, extend arms, push chest out; look forward
- Flex hips to 90˚ (or as far as possible) and reach towards the cones without losing stability; feet maintain ground contact
- Extend hips to neutral position before reaching for next cone
Related Balance Exercises
- Alternating Single Leg Med Ball Trunk Rotations
- Stability Pad Squat
- Single Leg Overhead Med Ball Pull Over
Training Zone
We provide you with some more workouts and training tips you may be interested in to optimize your training.
Also, make sure that you warm up properly before and stretch out after your training session.
