VOLLEYBALL – Why Vision & Cognitive Training is Crucial
Former head coach Sue Sinclair at Illinois Central College has recognized the significance of sports vision training in volleyball, and wrote this blog article about how important it is. Coach Sinclair references a sports vision guidebook in which she incorporates the recommended training activities in her volleyball practices.
Volleyball players rely heavily on their vision, whether they realize it or not. They are constantly scanning the court, watching their opponents and anticipating where the ball is going. Having high-level visual skills equates to higher level athletic performance. The good news is that visual skills needed for volleyball can easily be trained and improved upon. Getting better vision and cognitive skills can translate to a significantly better performance on the court.
Vision and sight are two terms that are often interchanged in casual conversation. Sight is a number, typically measured as 20/20, and refers to someone’s visual acuity. But the term vision refers to much more than sight. In volleyball, vision refers to the process of how the volleyball player determines what the next best athletic move is based on what is seen. Vision encompasses eye teaming (converging and diverging), visual tracking, accommodation (eye focusing) and then processing that visual information to determine how to make a play on the ball or whether to hold and let a teammate make a play.
A volleyball can be served or spiked at up to and over 100 mph. Being on the receiving end of the volleyball coming in at 100+ miles an hour means that you must be in the correct position at the right time. The visual system is relied upon to provide the information of where and when to make a play on the ball and react quickly.
A volleyball player on the receiving end of a serve uses many visual skills simultaneously in order to get into the correct position to make a play. Convergence is a visual skill needed in order for each eye to follow the path of the ball as it draws near to them. Visual convergence means pointing eyes “in” towards the nose as the ball moves towards the player, which is what is actually happening in those quick moments. Convergence is extremely important in order to maintain depth perception. Each eye must point at the volleyball in order to provide its individual respective for visual input to the brain. If one eye lags behind or is in front of the volleyball, then depth perception can be compromised.
Also, as the ball is coming near, the eyes must track the ball. This means that the eyes have to follow the volleyball as it approaches.
One other important visual skill utilized in volleyball is peripheral vision. As the athlete is watching the incoming ball, they also need to be aware of teammates and the boundaries. They can’t run into teammates and obviously shouldn’t make a play on a ball that is going out of bounds.
The visual skills mentioned above – convergence, depth perception, tracking and peripheral vision all need to be in order and working efficiently to be good at volleyball. If it takes extra thought to get the visual system working, then the athlete is being robbed of critical cognitive energy that could be utilized to think about getting into position. If these visual skills are providing inaccurate information, a volleyball player will be in the wrong place at the wrong time. No amount of skill or speed is useful if it can’t be applied appropriately. To get better at volleyball with vision training is to make executing plays second nature. Instead of thinking or focusing harder than necessary, you are simply doing. Getting to this level is how players can make the game look easy.
A blocker also uses the visual skills mentioned above. They will track the volleyball as it gets passed and then set in preparation for the hitter to strike the ball. Peripheral vision is helpful in order to get themselves positioned and ready to make a block. It’s vital to see the hitter before they jump so the blocker can get in position. But the blocker still has to follow the ball as it is passed and set. The only way to perform this is to utilize peripheral vision.
Improving your volleyball skills starts with your vision. In the end, vision dictates all decisions and movements. Cognitive and visual training is just as important as workouts, extra reps, and physical play. It helps volleyball players take their game to the next level and – in this day and age – absolutely should not be neglected. The earlier any athlete starts sports vision training, the more beneficial it is. Just as learning any physical fundamentals at a young age, cognitive and visual fundamentals are what allow athletes to focus on more complex skills as their game evolves with time. Many volleyball players have not reached their full potential due to a lack of awareness that visual skills can be improved – unknowingly battling delays for their entire career.
Sports vision training for teams and/or individuals in volleyball, as well as endless other sports, is imperative for better play. Vision training activities are proven to directly impact on-court performance, and any good sports visual training program must have activities and drills ordered in a particular manner. This is what will maximize the overall gain in visual performance and increased athleticism.
Author: Dr. Lindsey Stull