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Sport Vision Over View |
Vision consists of a set of skills of which 20/20 eyesight is only one. Other necessary
skills include:
| Static Visual Acuity-
Rapid recognition of small objects. |
Depth Perception- Distance and
spatial judgment. |
| Dynamic Visual Acuity-
Vision clarity of moving objects. |
Visual Reaction Time- Speed of recognition and response. |
| Contrast Sensitivity- Detail differentiation. |
Central-Peripheral Awareness- Front/side vision past a viewed
object. |
| Color Vision- Full color spectrum recognition. |
Eye-Hand-Body Coordination-
Eyes guiding the body. |
| Ocular Motility- Moving eyes to act
as a team. |
Visual Adjustability- Fast-changing body responses. |
| Focus Flexibility- Quick-change
focus. |
Visual Concentration- Staying on track without distraction. |
| Fusion Flexibility (Binocularity)-
Fusing images each eye sees into one. |
Visualization- Imagining optimal performance |
Visual
Acuity/Dynamic Visual Acuity
This is the single most important skill an athlete needs to have the competitive edge.
Hitting a baseball is the most difficult feat in sports. A pitch comes at eighty to one
hundred miles per hour. If it is thrown at 80 MPH, it will take 4/10 of a second for the
ball to reach home plate. It takes 2/10 of a second to just swing the bat, which leaves
the batter less than that amount of time to decide whether to swing at the ball. Ted
Williams said that he could see the spin on the ball from the time it left the pitchers
hand: only great dynamic acuity would allow him to do that.
Eye Tracking
Keep your eye on the ball. The longer you can see the ball to the point of contact, the
better and more consistent a hitter you will be. If you take your eyes off the ball before
impact with the bat, the eyes will lead the head, body and hands out of position.
Symptoms include:
- Jerky or erratic eye movement
- Frequent movement of the head to follow the ball
- Inability to hit a baseball
- Short attention span
Eye Focusing
Difficulty in tracking is associated with poor eye focusing. Symptoms include:
- Blurred Vision
- Fatigue or Headaches
- Tired even though you're in good physical shape
- Difficulty adjusting vision from far to near or near to far
Depth Perception
The outfielder must have the most highly refined depth perception. The player with poor
depth perception would be more effective as an infielder or catcher. Symptoms Include:
- Difficulty with judging a fly ball
- Difficulty with overhead catching
- Difficulty with throwing the ball accurately
Eye Teaming
If your eyes are not pointed precisely at the distance the ball is, your brain
perceives the ball at a different distance than it actually is. If you perceive the
ball closer, you will swing early or throw the ball short. If you perceive the ball
farther, you will swing late or throw the ball long. Symptoms Include:
- Use your finger to read
- Miss small words while reading
- Short Attention Plan
- Jerky eye movement
- Difficulty tracking ball
- Difficulty catching a fly ball
Eye/Hand Coordination
Swinging a baseball bat involves precise coordination between vision and the action
system. The main symptoms of poor eye/hand coordination are:
- Good form but failure to make contact
- Poor contact hitting, player may hit a few home runs but strikes out often
- Trouble playing a simple game: frequently drops the ball
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