Whether you're the star of a midweek five-a-side team or the play maker of a Sunday morning pub side, there are only so many tricks and dribbles that you can do.

It's the speed at which they are done which separates the great from the really great.

When Ryan Giggs arrived in the Premier League in the early 90's he was a sensation, capable of changing a game with one piece of magic or an unstoppable run full of twists and turns.

He was so good it would have been almost unimaginable that someone could come along and do the same thing even quicker. Enter Lionel Messi.

The Barcelona man is great, possibly the greatest, and one subtle difference between him and Giggs is the speed at which they make decisions. It may be evolution or genetics, but Messi is able to make lightning fast decisions to move his body to where he wants, like no other player we have seen.

I'm talking milliseconds, but that is the difference at the very summit and is evident in whatever sport you follow.

It's pretty easy to swing a cricket ball once you are shown, but could you do it at 90mph like England's Jimmy Anderson?

We can all kick a rugby ball, but how many of us could make a split second decision to get into the right position to do it in the last minute of a world cup final like Johnny Wilkinson?

Driving a car is simple after a few lessons, but could you react quickly enough to avoid a sharp turn at 200mph like Lewis Hamilton?

Last week I wrote that many top players struggle as they step down the leagues because they make decisions just that little bit quicker than their teammates.

On the same day that last week's column was published, Hartlepool United's Andy Monkhouse was quoted talking about Nobby Solano: "I think he's a few levels ahead of the lads and when he plays the ball he thinks we should be there for him when we aren't".

Did Monkhouse read my mind? Or is it this column he reads for last minute tips and advice before heading to Victoria Park?

If you can improve the speed at which your brain communicates with your body parts, then quite simply you can do things quicker. So next time your about to lose your balance and sprain your ankle, your body can react quicker and change your body position to stop it happening.

Here are three simple exercises to get you started:

1: Balance on one leg whilst working a football around it with your other, first anti-clockwise, then clockwise. Do this for five minutes.

2: Stand on a large cushion, bend your knees, arms out and close your eyes. Aim to hold this for 30 seconds without falling over. Repeat 10 times.

3: Stand against a wall on one leg, place a football or gymball behind your back and then bend your knee to 90 degrees and ask someone to bouce a tennis ball towards you and catch it. Hold for 10 seconds and then straighten your leg. Repeat 10 times on both legs.

As a player you can work on these exercises individually everyday, and as a coach, look to add these to your training sessions and encourage all players to do these types of exercises regularly.