Athletes and Vision Therapy
Vision therapy works to enhance athletes’ vision abilities, taking their game to the next level. Arizona Cardinals wide receiver, Larry Fitzgerald, states vision therapy made a big difference in his career and his life. He says exercises he did in vision therapy developed reaction time, hand-eye coordination, and visualization skills; skills he used during drills at football camp.
At a young age, Larry had trouble completing homework, paying attention in school, learning, and reading. Poor reading comprehension, mixing up b’s, d’s, p’s, and q’s, a short attention span, and taking much longer to complete school assignments are common signs of a vision related problem. This may sound like someone you know! Luckily, Larry’s grandfather was an optometrist and noticed the symptoms – Larry started vision therapy exercises at a young age, contributing to his success both on and off the field. He became skilled at catching passes in games with his eyes closed. This sixth sense was developed as a child when he would repeatedly toss and catch a football in his dark bedroom to practice visual acuity.
Willie Williams, former NFL cornerback, agrees that cognitive processing exercises enhances athletic performance. Williams believes that in conjunction with training, cognitive processing exercises improve hand-eye coordination, focus, and motor skills, giving athletes who practice them an edge over their opponents. Dr. Faubert of the University of Montreal conducted a study finding perceptual-cognitive processing is a main determining factor as to whether athletes will perform at a superior level. He further found that the ability to process movement faster is a skill that can be learned through vision therapy.
Up to 80% of perceptual input needed for excellent sports performance is visual. Professional athletes have begun to assist in the development of new visual performance technology. Tom Brady, Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback, partnered with a cognitive training module that works on multiple object tracking, reaction time, field of view, and visual processing speed. Brady said that the exercises help him “stay sharp and make better split-second decisions on the field.” Stephan Curry, Golden State Warriors basketballer, boosted his short term memory and perceptual ability by studying free throw shots under pressure of a surrounding environment to enhance his jump shot.
Chicago Bulls optometrist, Dr. R. Tracy Williams, recalls that they would do different vision training practices with players. Players who did the best were able to lock in one the area and stay focused. No surprise, Michael Jordan was able to out-perform others on the tests and on the court.
Here at Brighter Outlook Vision we work with young athletes by practicing vision skills they can directly apply to their sport, and off the field to meet their academic goals. Professional athletes are willing to take the time to make themselves better, and you can too thanks to our facility in Charleston.
In a recent study conducted at Duke University, researchers confirmed that a concerted training regimen for the eyes shows the potential to help athletes and others improve coordination skills. Results demonstrated that the players who underwent the active intervention showed significant improvements in batting practice, hitting the ball further and with a higher arc, compared to those from the placebo group. “The act of hitting a pitched baseball is widely considered to be among the most challenging activities in all of sports,” Appelbaum said. “Our study demonstrates that vision training can lead to better batting performance. These findings are also likely not limited to baseball and, in fact, could be applied to other sports and activities in which people need to make rapid decisions on visual information such as marksmanship or tennis.”
What Does Vision Therapy Train to Actually Improve Athletic Performance?
What Does Vision Therapy Train to Actually Improve Athletic Performance?
- Hand-Eye coordination: Helps athletes improve their capability to coordinate hand movements with eye movements. This is important for athletes who need to move quickly and accurately catch, hit, or throw a ball.
- Visual Attention: Helps athletes improve their ability to focus on visual information. This is important for athletes who track a ball or opponent while ignoring distractions
- Visual Processing Speed: Helps athletes improve their ability to process visual information fast. This is important for athletes who react to changes in a game.
- Depth perception: Helps athletes improve their capability to judge depth and distance. This is important for athletes who avoid collisions and make quick movements.
What Types of Athletes use Vision Therapy?
What Types of Athletes use Vision Therapy?
- NFL Players: Football players use vision therapy in their sport to recognize defensive coverage, to expand peripheral awareness, and for receiving drills.
- NBA Players: Basketball players use vision therapy to improve shooting and passing skills.
- MLS Players: Soccer players use vision therapy to enhance dribbling and shooting skills.
- MLB Players: Baseball players use vision therapy to advance their hitting and fielding skills.
- PGA Players: Golfers use vision therapy to improve putting and driving skills.
- NHL Players: Hockey goalies use vision therapy to boost their performance in stopping shots on goals.
- ATP Players: Tennis players use vision therapy to advance their serving and return of serve skills.
What Additional Skills Essential for Sports Performance Are Enhanced Through Vision Therapy?
Additional Skills Essential for Sports Performance Enhanced Through Vision Therapy:
- Dynamic Visual Acuity: The ability to clearly see a ball and other players while you/other objects are moving quickly
- Eye Focusing: Looking at a goal in the distance while moving around opponents/objects up-close
- Eye Tracking: Allows you to keep your eyes on the ball without moving your head – maintains better balance and a faster response to a situation
- Peripheral Vision: Allows player to see other objects beyond what the target they’re focusing on
- Visual Memory: Allows athletes to remember the location of teammates and opponents as they remain control of the ball
- Visual Reaction Time: The ability to react to an action in a timely manner – ex: swinging a bat/ catching a ball/ tennis serve
- Visualization: The ability to imagine the success of your action facilitates the actual action – ex: visualizing shooting a ball into the hoop while concentrating on the ball
- Visual Concentration: Maintaining focus on an object with distracting factors in your field of vision
“As a wide receiver in high school, I knew that hand-eye coordination was key to catching the football but knew nothing about oculomotor skills, localization, eye teaming, pursuits, and the long list of skills that play a key role in sports vision therapy. Now, I appreciate the skills more than ever and wish I could rewind time to allow myself to be exposed to vision therapy to help me with school and my performance on the field.” – Larry Fitzgerald
Connect with us for a call or join us at a workshop if you suspect your child could benefit from vision therapy. Dr. Jesse Willingham is a development optometrist who cares about you and your family. We provide high quality testing to determine the patient’s exact diagnosis so that they can leave knowing the next steps to take in order to reach their potential!
