Tracking a tennis ball that’s served at over 100 miles per hour. Spotting a baseball flying high above the stadium in the night sky. Having your hands ready to catch the bullet pass your teammate sends your way. Seeing that punch coming at you from your sparring opponent in your peripheral vision.
Athletes need to be in peak physical condition. This does not only mean strength and endurance, though. Having spot on vision is critical in any sport. While INSERT PRACTICE NAME has plenty of services at your disposal for making sure you’re in top shape, here are a few things you can do outside the doctor’s office to give your eyes a strength workout on par with leg day.
Eye Yoga
Yoga is a fantastic practice for everyone, not just athletes. But, just like your other muscles, your eyes need flexibility and mobility in order to react to situations quickly without tiring out.
The easiest way to give your eyes a stretch is by changing your focus. Start by concentrating your eyes on an object about an arm’s length away. After 10 seconds, shift your focus to something far away for the same amount of time. Go back and forth like this, seeing how quickly your eyes are able to adjust.
Catch the Edge
Next is your peripheral vision—being able to spot things out of the corner of your eye. Go for a walk outside and try to pick out things that are on the edge of your vision without turning your head to look. If you have a friend with you, have them hold up some fingers on the edge of your vision and try to count them. Don’t forget to practice this on both sides of your head!
Dynamic Acuity
Tracking objects sharply is important for nearly every sport. Improve your ability to do this by trying to read moving words. Have a friend pull up some text on their phone and try to read it as they move it around.
Go Deep with Depth Perception and Hand-Eye Coordination
This is an easy one, but hugely important. Practice your depth perception by trying to do precise tasks at arm’s length with only one eye open. This can be simple stuff like threading a sewing needle or putting a screw into a hole. If you’re outside with a friend, try throwing and catching a ball with one eye open at a time.
As a bonus, this will also boost your hand-eye coordination immensely. For something a little more fast-paced, bounce a small ball off the wall repeatedly and try to catch it as it comes back.
Visual Memory
Remembering what you saw is just as important as seeing on its own. In sports, you might only catch a quick glimpse of something and have to act on it. Any kind of fast-paced memory or matching game will help you boost this skill. Keep challenging yourself with every playthrough to beat your previous time.
For bonus points, play the matching game using only your peripheral vision! Have a friend quickly flash you a number or some fingers and tell them what you saw. Have them go faster and faster until you’ve got it mastered.
These at-home practice exercises will give you some basics to keep your mind and eyes sharp. At See Clear Associates, LLC, we offer a series of services, tests, and sports vision therapies to help you up your game. Give us a call today to see how we can boost your athletic performance and make sure your eyes are as strong as the rest of you.