1. An introduction to vision & sports performance
Pierre Elmurr BAppSc (Orthoptics) DOBA MAppSc (ExerSportsSc)
Sports Vision Scientist
NSW Institute of Sport, Australia

2. 2

3. VISION TRAINING
"Vision training for sport is the application of specific exercises conducted over a period of time that leads to neural restructuring of cortex and brainstem pathways allowing a person to maximise efficiency while performing visual perceptual tasks leading to enhanced visual motor performance”
Elmurr 2010 Boston sports vision meeting 3

4. Relationship of vision & skilled movement (Welford 1960 model)
Perceptual mechanism divided into the “HARDWARE” & “SOFTWARE”
Decision mechanism
Effector mechanism

5. Perceptual Mechanism (Starkes & Deakin 1984)
“HARDWARE” - the reception of visual information; affected by the ocular characteristics of the athletes visual system
“SOFTWARE” - Perception of visual information; influenced by strategies an athlete develops & includes information processing, use of advanced cues, ball flight cues, gaze behavior and the use of anticipatory skills

6. “Hardware examination”
Identifies uncorrected refractive errors, contrast sensitivity and Binocular anomalies that could influence “software” decision making
? Hardware has limiting factors

7. Ciuffreda model – vision & sport
5 major categories:
Resolving detail
Estimating depth
Tracking moving objects
Visual motor integration
Visual information processing

8. Vision & sport classification
4 major categories:
Visual skills
Brain skills
Sports IQ skills
Sports psychology skills

9. VISUAL SKILLS EYE SIGHT OCULAR MOTOR SKILLS VISUAL PERCEPTUAL
Visual acuity
Eye dominance
Contrast Sensitivity
Depth Perception
OCULAR
MOTOR
SKILLS
Accommodation
Binocular vision
Dynamic VA
Saccades
Pursuits
stereopsis
Vergence
VISUAL
PERCEPTUAL
Eye hand coordination
Eye foot coordination
Peripheral vision
Visualisation
Visual memory
Visual perception
Visual processing

10. BRAIN SKILLS Anticipation Attention Decision making Neuroplasticity
Pattern recognition
Peripheral awareness
proprioception

11. SPORT IQ SKILL Decision training Gaze control Skill acquisition
Visual cues
Visual search
The zone
Talent identification

12. SPORTS PSYCHOLOGY SKILLS
ULTIMATE
MENTAL
ATHLETE
Consistency
Flow
Killer instinct
Mental toughness
zone
Emotional toughness
Mind strength
PSYCHOLOGICAL
STRATEGIES
Arousal
Breathing
concentration
Motivation
confidence
Humor
Goal setting
Meditation
Visualization
relaxation
Positive thinking
Rituals
Perseverance
Faith
Self talk

13. SPORTS PSYCHOLOGY SKILLS
PSYCHOLOGICAL
OBSTACLES
Adversity
Burn-out
Choking
Fatigue
Aggression
Pressure
Fear
Anxiety
Intimidation
Anger
Pain
Self Doubt
Slumps
Addication
Stress

14. Generalised vs Specific vision training programs
Do generalised visual training programs for sport really work? An experimental investigation Abernethy & Woods Journal of Sports Science 2000
Results found no evidence that visual training programs led to improvements in either vision or motor performance above & beyond simple test familiarity

15. Specific sports vision training research
The effects of a visual skills training program on female volleyball athletes, Kluka et al 1996
“Hardware” component, statistically significant improvement in Contrast Sensitivity Function
“Software”, statistically significant improvement in speed of recognition
Advantageous to create visual skills training programs which closely resemble the volleyball specific environment

16. VISION TRAINING MODALITIES
Classical vision training
“Software” training
Visual awareness training
Visual-motor training

17. CLASSICAL VISION TRAINING
Based on deficiencies detected during the “hardware” testing of the visual system
Orthoptic therapies are proven methods based on scientific principles. Success rates vary from 61.9% (Birnbaum et al 1999), to 91% (Grisham 1988) to 100%(Wicks 1994)

18. CLASSICAL VISION TRAINING
A critical evaluation of the evidence supporting the practice of behavioural vision therapy. Barrett, Ophthal. Physiol. Opt. 2009
“A large majority of behavioural management approaches are not evidence based and thus cannot be advocated”

19. Software
Perceptual factors including visual search/gaze behavior, decision making, anticipation, pattern recognition and attention has been shown to discriminate between experts & novices (Abernethy, 1988, Abernethy et al., 1994; Helsen & Starkes, 1999, McPherson & French, 1999; Starkes, 1987; Williams, 2000; Williams et al., 1999)

20. “software” eye movements
Gaze control is defined as the process of directing gaze to objects within a scene in real time.
A fixation occurs when the gaze is held on an object or location within 3 degrees of the visual angle for 100 milliseconds or longer 20

21. What do athletes see?
How gaze is controlled in sport falls into 2 methods of research:
Visual search: the eye movements of athletes are recorded as they view videotapes, photographs, computer simulations, or other simulated content from their sport
Vision-in-action: Uses the gaze of the participant recorded while they perform in real world sport settings 21

22. Gaze Control
In gaze studies in sport, all gaze (fixations, pursuit tracking, saccades, blinks) found in a task to a location, one gaze has emerged called the “quiet eye” as a significant contributing factor to higher levels of sports performance (Vickers, 1996a).
The Quiet eye is defined as a period of time when the fixation is stable on spatial information critical to effective and consistent motor performance.

23. Focal vision & Quiet eye
4 characteristics of quiet eye
A directing of attention to a critical location in the performance environment
An onset that occurs prior to the intended movement
A duration that is longer for elite performers than for lesser skill level
A high level of stability

26. Visual awareness training
29 elite female hockey players were divided into 3 groups
Group 1 training normally for 4 weeks
Group 2 did visual skills training
Group 3 received visual awareness coaching on top of visual skills and normal training
22 specific field hockey skills were tested before and after the 4 weeks of training
Group 1, the control group improved in only 3 of the 22 tests
Group 2 improved on 9 of the tests
Group 3 improved on 16 of the 22 skills tested. Visual awareness program included on field sports specific activities such as altering the position of the head in relation to the dominant eye and the ball

27. Visual-motor training
Combining hardware & software processing produces a motor response
Eye-hand coordination
Eye-foot coordination
Coincidence anticipation
Peripheral awareness reaction time

28. Motor skill
Defined as skills in which physical movement is required to accomplish a goal of a task.
Classified into 3 groups
1. Precision of the movement:
Gross (walking, jumping) vs fine motor skill (writing, drawing)
2. Defining beginning & end point of a skill :
Discrete (hitting a button on a keyboard vs continuous motor skill (swimming, running)
3. Stability of the environment :
Closed (bowling) vs open motor skill (tennis rally)

29. Motor performance measures
Response output: Measures time, error and magnitude of a response
Response production: Measures include EMG, EEG measures describing limbs, joints, muscles & brain activity during movement
The most common measure of initiation of movement is reaction time
Response Time is the total time interval involving both Reaction time & movement time

30. Motor performance measures
3 common types of RT:
Simple RT: Only one signal and one response required (visual stimuli ms, auditory ms)
Go/No- RT: Respond to one stimuli and not respond to another stimuli
Choice RT: A distinct response for each possible stimuli

31. Learning
Perceptual learning – ability to improve on a specific sensory/perceptual task with practice
Motor learning – process that improves motor performance through practice
Other forms of learning – visualization, anticipation, visual attention, range of cognitive strategies

32. Motor learning
Motor learning – the changes associated with practice or experience leading to improvements in motor performance (observable production of a motor skill)
SVT is the motor learning tool and improvements in motor performance is a decrease in reaction time on the SVT board and on field improvements in hand speed
Level of motor performance is susceptible to fluctuations in temporary factors such as motivation, arousal, fatigue

33. Motor learning
Improved motor performance due to increasing synaptic efficiency in the neural-network
Motor learning involves 3 stages:
Determining by trial & error processing the optimal motor program to accomplish a particular task
Repeated practicing of the optimal motor program for rapid & precise execution
Attaining a level of automaticity, the movement becomes “pre programmed” allowing attention to be allocated to other related tasks. “consistent stimulus response mapping”

34. SVT TM independent research, 2001
Statistical established internal validity and test-retest reliability
Training eye hand coordination 3 times a week (½ hr sessions ) for 5 weeks on the SVT TM does improve eye hand coordination as measured on the SVT TM
The skills learnt from training on the SVT TM are transferable to a control device

35. VISION TRAINING
Higher the skill level of the athlete the more specific the training
Higher the skill level requires quantitative analysis and latest technology to measure performance changes
Effective training minimum 2 or 3 times a week for 5 weeks (1/2 sessions). Skills maintained for up to 10 weeks after cessation of training

36. SUMMARY/TIPS
Conduct “hardware” assessment and relate results to on field performance
Treat “hardware” deficiencies
?? Warm up exercises/visual perceptual computer generated vision training programs
Design specific visual motor drills (on field vs off field)
Work closely with sports scientist/coaches to assess/train “software” parameters related to a specific sport

37. THANK YOU!