Goalie Hand-Eye Coordination Training starts with juggling and is one of the base pillars of goalie off ice training. It improves hand-eye coordination and keeps it sharp, because just like with many other things, hand eye coordination follows the "use it or lose it" principle. Goaltenders need to keep their hand-eye coordination sharp during a long season and juggling is an easy activity that they can easily do daily for a few minutes. It is also scientifically proven that juggling increases brain performance. According to the journal of Nature, juggling increases brain activity and grows certain gray areas. Interestingly enough, the changes go back if the subject does not practice anymore. Therefore juggling should be a daily activity for goaltenders who want to retain or gain that competitive edge.
A goalie's eyes are used to tracking a black object on the ice, so they should be trained to do the same off the ice. Bright-yellow standard balls are easier to track, simply because a black object blends easier with the background just like a puck would. Our test group of goaltenders confirmed that they were more comfortable tracking pucks on the ice after working off the ice with black juggling balls rather than bright yellow ones.​
Along with the Catchball, Black Juggling Balls are a must have for every goaltender that wants to improve their skills.
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