Sports Vision Training

What Is Sports Vision Training?

As important as physical prowess is on the playing field, other factors separate good athletes from high-performing competitors. Visual processing is one of those factors. An athlete’s ability to quickly process visual information on the field enables him or her to make the types of split-second moves that take their game to the next level. Read on as a Washington, DC vision therapy optometrist talks about sports vision training and how it can help maximize your performance on the playing field. 

Sports Vision Training – What Is It?

Sports vision training is a sub-specialty of optometric vision therapy, a field that treats vision problems that impact your ability to focus, and concentrate, as well as your balance and coordination capabilities. The goal of sports vision training works to improve an athlete’s vision abilities so they can elevate their level of play. 

While physical components, such as speed, strength, and endurance are important in sports, enhanced visual processing and reaction speed can turn a good athlete into a high-performing competitor. Sports vision training has to do with improving your visual performance, which uses specific visual skills, including:

• Eye scanning and tracking
• Eye focusing 
• Binocular vision or depth perception
• Visual processing speed or your reactive ability 
• Central and peripheral visual attention

Regardless of your experience or level of play, sports vision training can help any athlete improve their athletic visual performance on the field. 

Which Skills Does Sports Vision Training Help Improve?

Your sports vision training coach will use a series of specific activities and specialized equipment to develop and maximize your ability to process incoming visual information and react with speed, focus, and precision. In effect, the skills you develop in sports vision training enable an athlete to see the game in “slow motion,” which makes it that much easier to anticipate, react, and make split decisions during the course of play. 

While there are various generic sports vision training exercises you can do, this type of shotgun approach won’t produce quality results if you’re wanting to fine-tune your athletic performance. Under the guidance of a sports vision training coach, your training will be conducted by a trained neuro-optometrist who will follow a customized plan based on your current needs, abilities, as well as on the sport you play. 

Can I Benefit from Sports Vision Training?

Gone are the days when sports vision training was reserved solely for college-level and professional athletes. Now, anyone wishing to improve their athletic performance can reap the benefits of sports vision training. This includes middle school, high school, college, and adult athletes at all levels of play. 

If you have more questions or wish to schedule a consultation, feel free to call our Washington, DC vision therapy optometry office today.