It has long been taken for granted that an athlete's visual skills will directly (positively or negatively) impact his or her athletic performance. Great athletes are said to possess superior visual skills.
Basketball players have said that when they are in the zone, they can "see" everything that happens on the court.
Exceptional baseball hitters can pick up the seams on the baseball as it leaves the pitcher's hand.
Football quarterbacks can pick out their receivers and accurately deliver the ball downfield.
However, while many athletes will try to improve their performance through strength and conditioning, they will often do little to improve their visual performance. Caring for or improving their visual skills often begins and ends with a trip to their team or local eye care professional to be fitted with glasses or contact lenses. They ignore an aspect of their athletic skills which can be trained and improved like any other, visual processing. The same holds true in the sport of volleyball.
Like other athletes, volleyball players are often unaware that visual skills can be evaluated, analyzed, and trained.
These visual skills include:
Eye Alignment
The aiming of the two eyes is the skill which allows the player to "watch the ball". Inaccurate aiming of the two eyes impacts the perception of the position of the ball. Deficiencies in eye alignment can cause errors in the timing of attacks, tips, kills and serve reception.
Depth Perception
This skill requires the efficient use of the two eyes together. It enables a player to correctly perceive where the ball is in free space as well as other players.
Visual Flexibility (Convergence & Divergence)
Binocular eye movements shifting from near to far quickly and accurately will influence decision making and execution of receiving a serve.
Visual Recognition
An athlete uses the skill of processing visual information to determine angles, speed and rotation of the ball, position of players on court, and position of service lines and distance of the net.
This skill makes up a player's ability to implement strategy of the game based on the visual information and call upon previous visual experiences on court. The skills of recognition and memory are used by the athlete to gain a sense of court awareness and initiate offensive and defensive movements.
Tracking
The eye movements used to scan the playing area and follow the ball in flight.
Eyes to Brain to Body
The motor movements made by an athlete is a result of the quality of input visual information. The eyes lead the body.
We have demonstrated that these visual skills like all physical skills can be taught, trained, practiced, and improved. We're not talking just 20/20 eyesight, which is essential, but how athletes use the information transferred from their eyes to actions on the court. Players can be similar in size, speed, and conditioning and all have learned the basic techniques, but we have found one of the critical differences between athletes is their visual skills and visual abilities. Chances are that every athlete can improve in one or more of these visual skill areas. These skills are interrelated and when utilized together, refine hand-eye-body coordination and help a player "see and process everything that is occurring on the court".
Good visual skills are important in all aspects of volleyball, but are especially crucial in the following volleyball skills:
SERVING
In the overhand serve being able to arm toss the ball precisely so it falls to the spot just inside of the lead foot and in line with the hitting shoulder. Guiding the hand so that it follows the ball to the target. Finishing with the hand along side or within the body line.
SETTING
Being able to place the hands directly in front of the face close to the forehead.
Facing where the ball is coming from. Anticipating the correct contact point.
Keeping the hands the same distance apart upon completion as they were during contact and follow through.
HITTING/SPIKING
Being in the draw position.
Determining speed, rotation, trajectory, and direction of the ball.
Being able to ascertain the correct contact point which is usually slightly in front of and as high as possible above the hitting shoulder.
Contacting the ball at the peak of the jump with a straight arm leading with the elbow.
Landing balanced in the correct spot which should be no more than one foot past the contact point.
BLOCKING
Watching the setter's hands before the ball is set.
Moving correctly into the hitter's angle of approach.
Watching the hitter's attacking shoulder and line of swing
Watching the blockers hands press into the line of attack.
GENERAL
Quickly processing visual information to assist in correct decision making.
Correctly perceiving the position of teammates and opponents.
Knowing your position in relation to sidelines, baseline, and service line (court awareness).
DEFENSE/COVERAGE
coordination to contact deflection off the block
Tracking ball as it is contacted with spin and the hitter's angle of approach
Shooting platform for a dig to contact and place ball
The Vizual Edge vision training program has now become an integral part of athletes' testing and training programs. Athletes using the program have noticed an improvement, not only in their visual and athletic performance but also in their academic performance as well. Advantages of the Edge Trainer by Vizual Edge is that it can be utilized by athletes on personal laptops or tablets from the comfort of their own home or on the road. It is designed to evaluate, analyze, and train each athletes' visual skills, providing each athlete with an overall Edge Score and side-by-side percentile rankings.
Barry L. Seiller, M.D. Medical Director, Visual Performance Center Visual Fitness Institute
