Good vision is perhaps one of the most underrated skills any sports professional possesses – yet it’s one of the easiest and most effective ways to improve performance.
Whether sport is a serious pursuit or a hobby, there are a couple of quick ways to improve your experience through better vision.
Clearer vision = better performance
Clear vision is closely linked to sports performance, which is why it’s important to have regular eye examinations, regardless of whether you wear glasses or not. Your optician checks that your eyes are in good health and confirms whether your vision can be corrected. If you haven’t already, it’s worth asking your optician about contact lenses. For those with a competitive streak, having clear vision can make all the difference between winning and losing.
Find out which is your dominant eye
Most people know which is their dominant hand, but many don’t realise they also have a dominant eye. By identifying your dominant eye, you can position yourself for better hand-eye coordination and improved aim.
If you play tennis, golf, cricket, or any precision sport, try this test – a simple tilt of the head could give you that extra edge:
- Form a triangular space with your hands by overlapping your right thumb and index finger with your left.
- Hold your hands out in front of you at arm’s length.
- Focus on a single object across the room and look at it through the triangle you’ve made.
- Close your left eye.
- If you can still see the object, your right eye is your dominant eye. If not, try closing the right eye. Whichever eye keeps the object visible through the triangular gap is your dominant eye.
You can easily improve your hand-eye coordination by relying more on your dominant eye when aiming – simply by adjusting the position of your head. You can also work on strengthening your weaker eye: some people do this by placing a patch over the dominant eye.
If you’ve noticed an improvement in your sport after improving your vision, or have other tips to share, we’d love to hear from you!