See Better, Play Better: The Critical Role of Vision in Sports Performance

May 1

2 min read

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While robust visual skills are foundational for academic success, their impact extends profoundly into the realm of athletic performance. The visual system serves as the primary sensory input, directing over 80% of the neural resources involved in dynamic motor control.

Consider the complex interplay of systems required for a seemingly simple athletic task, such as a baseball batter preparing to swing.

Maintaining a ready stance demands intricate neuromuscular communication for spatial awareness, grip control, and postural stability against gravity.

Envision yourself standing at home plate waiting to swing at a pitch. To stand in position holding the bat (prior to hopefully connecting with the ball) the body’s muscular, skeletal, and nervous systems have to function properly to send/receive messages to and from the brain. These messages communicate crucial information: where your body is in space in relation to the ground and other objects, the amount of force in the grasp you have on the bat to hold it in position, which muscles to engage to keep your body in the proper stance and upright against gravity, etc.

All of that work is just to stay in position while you await the pitch! Now your visual system has to track a moving object (the ball) as it comes toward you so that you can determine whether or not to swing at it… all in a split second. Your brain has to quickly command the muscles in your body to rotate your hips and shoulders, coordinate the movement of your arms to swing the bat, shift your weight from your back leg to the front leg as you maintain your balance, and time it all to connect with the ball based on accurate visual input received through your visual system.

The key visual task: rapidly tracking the approaching ball to decide when to swing – a split-second decision.

As this example illustrates, athletic performance is heavily reliant on a suite of sophisticated visual capabilities. Deficiencies in the following key areas can significantly hinder an athlete's effectiveness:

Dynamic Visual Acuity - the ability to see moving objects clearly.
Visual Tracking - eye movement and coordination; the ability to "keep your eye on the ball.”
Eye Focusing - the ability to change focus from one object to another quickly and clearly.
Peripheral Awareness - the ability to see action or objects that are in your side vision.
Depth Perception - the ability to accurately judge the distance between objects and see in three dimensions.
Eye-Hand or Eye-Body Coordination - the ability to use your eyes to effectively direct the movements of your hands/body.
Visual Processing Speed - the ability of the brain to process visual information quickly and direct a body movement based on the visual information

Training activities designed to challenge and strengthen the brain's visual processing and sensorimotor integration can lead to more efficient and automated visuomotor system.

Fortunately, deficits in these critical visual skills can be improved with the implementation of a vision training program. Just as dedicated practice refines musical dexterity or cardiovascular training builds endurance, targeted vision training interventions can strengthen the neural pathways responsible for efficient visual processing and sensorimotor integration.

Contact us for how you can create a more responsive and automated visual system with vision sports training at PVDC.