Sportvision 
Sportvision is about improving the visual abilities of athletes and sports enthusiasts of all ages and skill levels that are essential for excelling in their chosen sport. Some of these abilities include:
- Eye-hand coordination, which helps athletes, including tennis players anticipate and hit a fast-moving ball.
- Dynamic visual acuity (clarity of vision while moving and watching moving objects)
- Focusing speed and accuracy, which includes following and anticipating motion of a bouncing ball
- Depth perception
- Peripheral visual awareness and reaction time
Racquet Sports and Vision
All racquet sports such as Tennis, Squash and Badminton are based upon hand/eye coordination. A high standard of visual acuity will therefore benefit the player’s performance.
Proactive
Excellent visual acuity is useful for accurate shot placement. Whether serving in Tennis or Badminton, awareness of the court boundaries can make the difference between an Ace and a double fault! In squash, awareness of the ‘tin’ and your opponent’s position will help loop a winning serve right into the corner.
Reactive
If we can see the ball or shuttlecock more clearly, we are in a better position to follow its flight and trajectory. We can also assess any spin one’s opponent has imparted upon it, and, crucially, react more quickly. Our visual processing of these factors then allows us to make the appropriate adjustments in stance and racquet position to make the winning return shot.
When considering racquet sports, it is not only visual acuity that is useful. Clinical evidence illustrates the importance of the dominant eye in tennis:
“In players with strongly established right eye & hand dominance, even small amounts of blur in the non-dominant eye will significantly affect their ability to hit the ball” (“Griffiths et al”)
Eye tests and training
Depth Perception – Racquet sports require elements of both aiming and anticipation. Also, acute positional awareness of oneself and one’s opponent in relation to the net or the ‘T’ in Squash will be beneficial.
Eye Speed and Dynamic Fixation – Squash is the most explosive of the main racquet sports. It requires rapid reactions as the ball is a small, high velocity target in a confined area. Players with faster eyes will manage to follow the ball more accurately. This is also useful in the ‘slower’ games of Tennis and Badminton where appreciation of spin and slice assist ones approach.
Contrast and Light Sensitivity – Tennis, and to a lesser extent Badminton, is played in a range of different environments and the visual demand will change accordingly depending on the surface. Be it Grass, Clay, Astroturf, Hard court or indoors, the player best able to pick up the trajectory of the ball against the background will have the edge.
Equally, a player who is light sensitive may suffer when playing at night under floodlights or indoors, especially when playing Badminton where high, looping shots can easily get ‘lost’ in the glare of the lights.
You, your vision and your sport
If you are looking to improve your sporting performance, our sportvision specialist, Alan Macdonald will work with you to assess your vision and develop a program with you, suited to your chosen sport. To book a consultation, contact Alan at 01779 471825 or here.
For more information on sportvision click here