Sports Vision Glossary of Terms

Eye convergence and divergence (i.e., converging the eyes as the tennis ball approaches the racquet).

Ability to see in dim illumination (i.e., beach volleyball match at dusk).

Ability to mentally see, manipulate, practice and perfect flawless details of skill execution (i.e., picturing yourself jump-serving in volleyball before you serve the ball; Serving the ball in tennis).

Affected by the ability to manage stress. Proper breath control and stress management are vital to maintaining good visual attention (i.e., being in the zone when everything “slows down”).

Recognizing the size of the playing field or space surrounding you. (i.e. knowing if a tennis or volleyball serve is in or out; Awareness of the mat during a gymnastics floor routine).

Ability to perceive a whole image when only parts of the image are seen. (i.e., A quarterback reading the defense does not have time to fixate on each defensive player and must quickly determine the overall defensive scheme).

Ability to screen out distractions and stay focused on the object or the target (i.e., when you commit an error on an easy ground ball or miss a short putt, you might be distracted by things that are happening around you)

Predictable vs unpredictable motion patterns (track and field vs putting)

Ability to judge finely detailed information and make valid visual judgements based on contrast sensitivity, color/shade identification, texture, shape, and size. (i.e., skeet shooting, reading a green in golf).

Accommodative (eye focusing) demands based on the distance between the athlete and the visual target.

Ability to pick out details while filtering out irrelevant information and confusing backgrounds (i.e., catching a football with fans in the stadium as the background)

Ability to maintain fixation long enough to assess situation then act on it. (i.e., A golfer reading the green before he/she putts).

Ability to remember details (i.e., how did a motocross rider ride a certain course the last time he/she visited that track). He/she must be able to change that memory if the course changes or the weather conditions are different (i.e., rain). There must be long-term and short-term visual memory skills.

Refers to the amount of time it takes for environmental stimuli to travel from our vision system into our motor system to produce a physical reaction. (i.e., The pitcher releases the ball and you swing a little late and hit a weak foul down the line, or you miss the ball completely). Improving visual reaction time helps an athlete improve his/her response time, by training the brain to work more efficiently.

Ability to remember the order of visual stimuli (i.e., remembering the turns on a bobsled course).

Ability to act on changes in environment and know where you are relative to other objects (i.e., Race car driver being able to adapt to accident on race course while cars all around him/her).

An athlete’s ability to perceive appropriate positioning of themselves in relation to other people or objects within their environment (i.e., lining up correctly in football)