the Edge trainer

and football
performance

Strengthening the Core Six Visual Skills provides the athlete with the foundational visual input needed to make critical decisions and motor responses at the highest level.
Players3 03

vision training

for football players

Football requires split-second reaction time and athletes who can fire on all cylinders while simultaneously reading complex coverages and schemes. A quarterback’s ability to see the field and process information goes far beyond having 20/20 vision.

the core six

visual skills

Understanding an athlete’s proficiency in the six core visual skills allows players, coaches, and scouts to identify and correct visual weaknesses and enhance the athlete’s performance on the field.
ball tracking
spatial awareness
football iq
reaction time
convergence small
Convergence
Ability to locate the approaching ball as a receiver or defensive back.
divergence small
Divergence
Enhances a quarterback’s ability to locate and judge the speed and trajectory of receivers and defensive players on passing plays.
depth small
Depth
Leverage spatial awareness and see the plays on multiple levels – navigating tight spaces to find the space to make a play.
alignment small
Alignment
With proper alignment players are able more easily focus on the play – enabling increased precision in movements.
recognition small
recognition
The ability to recognize formations, coverages, and situations properly will enable a player to more quickly and confidently perform.
Tracking small
TRACKING
Ability to anticipate the flight of the ball or an offensive player breaking open a play.

taking a look

at positions

Depending on the position an athlete plays in, the visual skills required for optimal performance vary. In football, an excellent quarterback may possess elite divergence and recognition to properly identify defenses and track the movements of receivers and defensive players alike. A linebacker must be able to recognize and track the movement of a running back and converge on the ball carrier as they reach the point of impact. Proper balance in the visual system will lead to improved performance and a more successful skill set to excel on the field.

quarterback


Quarterbacks have one of the most visually demanding skill-sets in all of sports. A QB must be able to scan the field, recognize defensive sets, and anticipate movements by both the offensive and defensive players. QB’s with excellent divergence can scan the field and judge the trajectory and speed of defenders as they locate open receivers. Strong recognition and tracking scores will correlate with strategic pre-snap reads and a great ability to move defenders with your eyes.

defensive backs


Must understand their spatial awareness in the secondary to move amongst receivers and other defenders to properly cover their zone/man. Convergence and tracking play a large role in defensive back play as they must focus on their man and quickly turn their head to make a play on an incoming pass.

rb, wr, & TE


Are often operating in space, which makes depth perception a crucial skill to develop and train in order to allow for proper spacing for route running. Having good convergence and tracking scores correlate with a strong ability for receivers to focus in on the football and quickly turn around to make a catch.

LINEBACKER


Must be able to quickly the read play and use convergence to close the gap on ball carriers at the point of attack. Recognition and tracking allow linebackers to pick up on strategic offensive tendencies such as formations, motions, and pulling linemen to process the play as it happens and track where the football will be amongst several moving bodies.

Offensive line


Recognition and tracking skills are essential for offensive linemen in order to quickly react to defensive stunts and blitzes. Tracking also allows offensive linemen to maintain eyes on a target while moving in space when pulling through the hole and on screens. Pass protection requires a great sense of depth for linemen to kick back in space, recognize the defensive movements, and form a passing pocket.

defensive line


Must be able to maintain gap integrity and make the quarterback uncomfortable. In order to do so, they must have a great understanding of their spatial awareness which is improved with depth perception. They also require strong tracking and recognition skills in order to get a good jump on the snap and read offensive cues such as formations and pullers.

breaking down

the edge score

The Edge Score is a comprehensive score given to each athlete based on their most recent evaluation. The score takes all visual skills into account – including convergence, divergence, depth perception, alignment, recognition and tracking. Through analysis of an athlete’s Edge Score as well as their individual scores, we identify areas of weakness and develop an appropriate training program.
convergence small
convergence

Convergence is the ability to focus on objects within close proximity and judge their movement and impact. Convergence may impact a player in the following ways:

  • Ability to locate the ball as it approaches to secure a catch
  • Anticipate the speed of a defensive player closing in on a hole
  • Target an offensive player as a player closes in on a tackle
divergence small
DIVERGENCE

Divergence is the ability to locate objects in the distance, impacting an athlete’s ability to anticipate and react. Divergence may impact a player in the following ways:

  • Ability for a quarterback to locate defenders quickly and track their movements in coverage
  • Quickly locate offensive players as a safety all while reading the quarterback’s eyes
  • Capability for a wide receiver to judge the speed and trajectory of the ball as it leaves the quarterback’s hand for critical adjustments
depth small
DEPTH PERCEPTION

Depth perception uses both eyes to locate objects in space to judge their distance, speed, and direction. Depth perception may impact a player in the following ways:

  • The quarterback to feel the pocket and locate defenders closing in on the blind side
  • Running backs operating in highly congested spaces to break through a hole
  • Strong spatial awareness for defensive linemen trying to navigate potential double teams or chips
alignment small
ALIGNMENT

Proper alignment creates no difference between the perceived location and actual location of an object. Alignment may impact a player in the following ways:

  • Reaction time
  • Timing of response to offensive and defensive movement
  • Crispness and decisiveness in movements
recognition small
RECOGNITION

Recognition is the ability to observe, process and recall a series of visual targets, and respond properly. Recognition may impact a player in the following ways:

  • Recognize offense/defensive tendencies
  • Read developing plays in the run and pass game
  • Follow patterns to fire off the ball effectively
Tracking small
TRACKING

Tracking allows you to process and follow an object while always monitoring all aspects of the game. Tracking may impact a player in the following ways:

  • Read long passes as they are in the air as a wide receiver or defender
  • Locate the running back as a linebacker as they break
  • A quarterback tracking a safety and determining if they can squeeze the ball in between the hash and the sideline to a streaking receiver
athlete dashboard ipad

Meet The

Edge Trainer

The Edge Trainer from Vizual Edge delivers the most advanced vision training available. Backed by 30 years of research and development, the Edge Trainer’s proven system improves reaction time, positional and spatial awareness, and recognition.
Learn More →

SEE IT TO
BELIEVE IT

Sign up to save 10% on your first vision training order

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
menu-circlecross-circle linkedin facebook pinterest youtube rss twitter instagram facebook-blank rss-blank linkedin-blank pinterest youtube twitter instagram