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Coach's Corner: How Using Tennis Balls Trains Hand Eye Coordination.
Oct 17, 2025 / Author: Clif Marshall
I began using tennis balls to train hand eye coordination with my professional athletes many years ago. Luke Kuechly, who was the Defensive Player of the Year in the NFL, liked to include tennis ball drills in his weekly off-season routine to train his reaction.
Clif Marshall and Luke Kuechly workout with tennis balls ESPN Feature
But what once was an off-season exercise has now quickly turned into a pregame routine for some of the top players in the NFL.
If you watch any NFL team warm, you’re likely to see some of the skill position players using tennis balls to prepare for their games.
NFL receivers use tennis balls to sharpen their vision, reaction, and touch right before competition.
Here are 4 reasons that skill players are using tennis balls:
1. Sharpening Hand-Eye Coordination at Game Speed
• Catching a small, fast-moving tennis ball forces the eyes and hands to sync precisely.
• Because the ball is smaller than a football, it demands extreme focus on a small target.
• The idea is that when players switch to the much larger football, it feels easier to track and catch.
2. “Wake Up” the Visual System
• Pregame tennis ball drills are often done just minutes before warmups to stimulate visual and neurological readiness.
• Tossing and reacting to the ball activates ocular muscles (eye movement control) and neural pathways for quick reactions.
• It’s a way to “turn on” the brain-body connection before stepping into high-speed play.
3. Improving Focus and Reaction Under Distraction
• In a stadium full of noise, lights, and motion, maintaining visual focus on a fast-moving object is key.
• Tennis ball tosses help receivers practice ignoring distractions and locking in visually on a small target.
• This transfers to catching under pressure through traffic, bright lights, or tough angles.
4. Developing Soft Hands
• The tennis ball’s lightness teaches players not to “fight the catch.”
• They have to use soft, absorbing hands instead of snatching or tensing up.
• That touch carries over to smoother receptions and fewer bobbles.
Example: Texans & Bengals Use Tennis Balls in pregame
• Houston Texans WRs like Nico Collins and Tank Dell have been seen tossing tennis balls to each other in warmups to “wake up their eyes.”
• Ja'Marr Chase of the Bengals uses tennis balls in his warmup routine as well.
Tennis ball drills aren’t just for NFL athletes there for athletes of all ages who are looking to improve their athletic ability.
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