Soccer is a fast-moving sport that requires finely-tuned visual skills and quick reaction time. So when you follow a training regimen, don’t forget to get your vision in shape, too.
Sports vision training helps athletes of every age and ability hone the visual skills they need to succeed in their favorite sports.
How to Improve Visual Skills for Soccer
Soccer success requires not only muscular strength and cardiovascular endurance but sharp visual skills that include:
- Visual processing speed
- Eye-body coordination
- Peripheral vision
- Depth perception
- Focus
Why Is Visual Processing Speed Important for Soccer?
One reason soccer is such a popular sport worldwide is that it’s exciting and action-packed. Everything in a soccer game happens so fast, that a spectator could literally blink and miss a goal.
Soccer players need to be constantly aware of what’s happening on the field. The faster your brain can process the information your eyes are sending, the more time you have to react. The difference may be a fraction of a second, but in soccer—every second counts.
The Role of Eye-Body Coordination in Soccer
Your body can be in top-notch condition, but without a high level of eye-body coordination that enables your eyes, brain and limbs to communicate at split-second speeds, you won’t be able to block the ball or score a goal. A training regimen that includes building eye-body coordination skills is certain to improve your soccer game.
What Is Sports Vision Training?
Sports Vision Training is a customized program that enables athletes of all levels to improve their visual skills through in-office and at-home eye exercises. The beauty of this training program is that it can fit right into your workout and game schedule. The program is designed just for you, so you can focus on the skills you need to develop to become a better soccer player.
Schedule an appointment at Impact Vision Therapy in Colorado Springs to get a full visual evaluation. We'll test your current visual skills, identify any deficits and design a sports vision therapy program tailored to your specific needs and abilities. you with a customized program to improve any lagging visual skills.
Want to learn more? Contact Impact Vision Therapy today and we'll be happy to answer any questions you may have.
Our practice serves patients from Pueblo, Colorado Springs, Castle Pines, and Parker, Colorado and surrounding communities.
Q: Can sports vision training really improve my soccer performance?
- A: About 80% of sports performance depends on visual processing and reacting to visual stimuli. After just weeks of sports vision training, many athletes report a marked improvement in their performance. Building visual skills, just like developing muscular strength, plays a crucial role in athletic training.
Q: Which at-home vision training exercises can improve my soccer game?
- A: As part of a sports vision training program, our experts will prescribe a program of exercises that you can do at the clinic and at home. Some exercises you can do at home include:- For focus flexibility, focus on a close-up object and then focus on another object directly behind it and farther away.
- For peripheral vision, stand at an intersection, look straight ahead, and check whether you can see cars using only your side vision.
- For depth perception, hold a straw with one hand extended at arm’s length and drop a small pebble through it with your other hand. While these exercises will give you a general idea of the visual skills you use every day, nothing can replace a comprehensive exam that assesses your visual skill and sports vision training. Speak to us at Impact Vision Therapy for your custom-designed sports vision training program.