Vision Training in Ice Hockey.
Hockey players and coaches,
What if I told you that, on average, you could increase your shots on goal (S) by 55% increase your shot percentage (S%) by 74%, and increase your goals (G) by 133%?
That’s exactly what the NCAA Division I Ferris State Men’s Ice Hockey Team did in the 2013-2014 season. After implementing a 6-week pre-season vision training program with their 22 players, they saw those exact gains.
The idea for vision training in athletic performance is not new or unique to hockey:
The Carolina Hurricanes (NHL) saw 18% improvements in on-ice skills after visual training.
And the University of Cincinnati improved their batting averages with vision training.
Visual performance in hockey.
Now, this should be obvious, as hockey is one of the fastest sports you can play. At the elite collegiate and professional levels, this speed places a massive demand on the players’ visual systems. Player’s have to be able to see the play, interpret their next move, and execute the proper play or response - quickly, or risk getting crushed or losing.
Hockey players rely on peripheral vision, visual reaction time, visual acuity, and eye movements to drive this elite performance. By training these attributes, hockey players can gain a massive edge in their on-ice athletic performance.
“The ability to improve these skills is significant for the hockey athletes because improving those visual skills through training may positively impact their competitive performance. Vergence, accommodation, and reaction time are important for tracking and reacting to the puck, making split second decisions, and perceiving what other players are doing around them. This was demonstrated in analysis of the goals, shots on goal, and shooting percentages, which all improved during the season in which vision training was implemented.”
The training program.
These players trained basic and dynamic hockey visual skills 2-3 times per week in the 6-week pre-season and were repeated four times during the season’s bye weeks or off weeks.
Nearly all of the Ferris State Men’s Ice Hockey Team stated that their vision training was an effective and important use of their practice time. Their survey data showed, and on-ice statistics showed that it positively impacted their play.
Reference:
Jenerou, A., Morgan, B., & Buckingham, R. (2015). A vision training program’s impact on ice hockey performance. Optometry & Visual Performance, 3(2), 139-148.