Tobias JunkerIf you’re involved in the game of fastpitch, I know you’ve heard the phrase, “See the ball. Hit the ball.” After all, you can’t hit it if you don’t see it right? As simple as this sounds and as often as we hear it, many of us don’t give much thought to just how important vision is to softball performance. But the fact that you’re here tells me that’s about to change for you. One of the most important things I’ve learned is that vision training is not only for hitting. Vision impacts all aspects of the game.
Why should you train your vision?
A player’s visual skills has a significant impact on her softball performance.
Optometrists have found that visual skills, like all physical skills, are trainable. Therefore, visual skills can not only be taught, but can be practiced and perfected as well. That’s why many softball teams and players make vision training part of their regular practice and training routine. As an added bonus, vision training can also improve reading skills. How cool is that? You can get better at softball and reading at the same time!
There are quite a few different visual skills that can be enhanced through vision training. It’s very likely that an athlete can improve in at least one of these various areas through vision training.
Vision, as referred to at this site, involves more than just eyesight. It also involves many subtle and sophisticated links between your brain, muscles and eyes. Improving stamina, flexibility, and fine-tuning of your visual system through vision training may provide you with the split-second timing you need to really excel in, not only batting, but in the sport of softball overall.
Vision directly affects coordination, concentration, balance, and accuracy. Because of all that vision involves, it directly effects the following basic softball skills:
- Catching
- Throwing
- Batting
- Fielding
- and more
