Coaches who include eyesight training in their sports program claim that they desire more practice variations, focused methodology, and application in the game.

Overbound Performance was created to do just that.

The program focuses on the top 3 skills that current coaches see lacking in their athletes. 

1. Field awareness

2. Reaction time

3. Judgment of speed and distance

Performance Training is a specialized regimen that provides drills that focus on vision development through selective vision obstruction, as provided by the Performance Eyesight Trainer, and through application of other techniques that stimulate the visual system. It addresses the improvement of the 3 critical skills mentioned above via the development of:

1. Peripheral vision, 

2. Binocular/3D vision, and 

3. Dynamic acuity 

Peripheral vision drills train the eyes’ ability to detect movement and other stimuli outside of the player’s central field of view and to expand the active field of vision. They also train the mind and the body to react to the stimuli in an increasingly fast manner.

Binocular/3D vision drills focus on the athlete’s ability to effectively judge the distance among objects on the field. The better this vision, the easier it is for the player to make decisions about their actions. Do they have enough space for a pass to get to their teammate?

Dynamic acuity drills train the eyes to change focus from one spot to the next in a most efficient manner. They simply teach the eyes to move smoothly in order to track an object, and to shorten the time between the moments of focus. Both of these skills are necessary for the eyes to correctly register the object and its position/location in a sequential order. The sequence of the object’s positions then gives the brain information about how fast the object is moving and in what direction.  

The Training is structured to fit the needs of already busy practice schedules. Drills and techniques are split into a series of training sessions, each requiring only 10 minutes of practice at a time. They leverage traditional warm up routines and existing training props that all coaches and athletes have readily available (cones, poles, nets, etc.).

Performance Training combines the principles of holistic eyesight development with common sports regimen. In order to maximize the learning potential of the athlete’s visual system, it adapts traditional vision improvement techniques to the physical practice environment that the athlete is accustomed to, all while respecting the rules and needs of both systems.

Each training session consists of 3 steps:

STEP 1: Stretching and relaxation of the neck and shoulder muscles

STEP 2: Eye conditioning

STEP 3: Drills for the development of a selected skill

It is critical that all three steps are part of each Performance training session.

When you go through the regimen for the very first time, start at the beginning and practice the techniques and drills in the order provided.  As you learn, you may find that some drills bring you stronger benefits than others. Therefore, you may choose to swap things around. Each pair of eyes is unique and should be treated that way. Additionally, requirements for individual visual skills vary by sport. As long as at least one practice/drill from each step is represented in your session, you cannot go wrong.  When short on time, select only 1 drill from STEP 3, but keep STEP 1 and 2 in your routine.

With that said, repetition leads to excellence. Just because a drill was easy to do should not stop you from repeating it. Remember that you are forming neural pathways between your eyes and your brain, and between your brain and your body. The stronger the pathway, the better off you will be. Same is true for when a drill is very hard. Stay with it, work on it, little by little, until the skill shows up.

For maximum benefits in your athletic performance, train your eyes right before/at the beginning of your sport practice session. Having your eyes working at their best will amplify your performance on the field and make your sports practice more productive. Performance Training leverages common props and warm-up routines, so that no special set-up is required. You can even choose your eyesight training based on the props set up of the day.

Practicing with your teammates may provide you with an extra mental boost, especially if you play a team sport.

For best results, practice in your sports/athletic environment. This includes a field, court, stadium, or wherever else you are when it is “go time”. Notice that there is nothing artificial or digital present in the Performance Training system. It may feel old fashioned in times when just about everything is digital, but there is a good reason for it. During the game your eyes are working in the real world. No gadgets, no help. Practicing in the real world set-up, on the field, will help translate your learning into your game situation. Remember, we are working on turning new (stressful) situations into familiar (neutral) situations that your brain can remember and automate, so that when in the middle of the game you can tap into what you have trained, react automatically, and therefore faster.

With that said, any practice is better than no practice, so if your game environment is not an option, or if you want to train during your off days, go for the closest scenario you can find.

There is really no limit to the length of your eyesight practice, as long as your eyes and mind are engaged and you feel no strain. Given that time is what most coaches are short of, below is a recommendation for an effective session that will not hinder your sport practice time:

10 minutes before or during practice warm-up:

STEP 1: select 1 technique

STEP 2: select 1 technique

STEP 3: 1-2 techniques

If time allows, spend 1 minute thinking about what you have learned and how you can implement the learning in the sports practice that is about to start. You may close your eyes while recalling the drill execution. Breathe deeply.

It will take you 2-3 sessions to get through each Training in STEP 3. If the drills are easy, great. Do not skip them, get better at their execution. If they are difficult, then take your time to learn. If you get stuck try a different drill, then come back to it later.

Eyesight development is cumulative learning. Each skill you learn or improve will make the execution/learning of the next skill easier or better. So when you can, experiment with longer sessions. Practice one drill for a longer period of time (does 5x the repetitions sound too crazy?) or practice multiple drills in one session.

Many of the Training Sessions suggest usage of several vision obstruction shields. In general the higher the shield number, the higher the difficulty. Always start with the easiest way to practice (use the lowest shield), learn the moves, and progress from there. 

Peripheral vision training recommends shields #2 and #3 to be used to train the skill of field awareness. However, when you first start, use shield #1. Familiarize yourself with the feeling of losing your central vision. Remember, vision development is a process, not a race to the finish line.

Many drills, especially those developing field awareness through peripheral vision activation and expansion, recommend using agility poles with flags. The reason is simple. Visual rods register movement. No detail, no color, but movement. Flags move in the wind and create movement. Therefore, using agility poles with flags helps the rods register the poles and engage easier. Additionally, the movement of the flags combined with the movement of the athlete creates a highly realistic game situation. After all, it is the constant change of the position of all objects on the playing field that the player needs to be aware of.

Using the Performance Eyesight Trainer requires very few rules. However, to gain the skills you are after, the two rules listed below should be followed diligently.

As an athlete or coach, you have, for sure, experienced the benefits of creating a desired outcome of a race/game/match in your mind long before the event takes place. By doing so, you have shown your brain what it is that you are after, a road map directing it towards where you want to go, which made it, in a way, easier to get there. 

Studies claim that up to 80-90% of seeing happens in the visual cortex of our brains. The brain can be controlled by our mind. Given we have complete control of the mind through our conscious thinking (if and when we want to), we then have indirect access to the performance of the brain and to the seeing process itself. 

Imagination is a way of working with the mind. Where beneficial, the program encourages imagination to be used in a visual skill learning process. Do not shy away from it! Embrace it! Find the right moment to imagine yourself performing the skill as desired. Show the brain what and how you want to see. 

Overbound Performance is a complimentary self-taught/self-study program. We have put a lot of thought and effort into presenting the materials in a structured, yet simple way and we hope you will find the training clear and easy to understand. If you have a question about the techniques or drills, you may submit it by clicking here. We consolidate questions that we receive, categorize them and publish our answers periodically in an FAQ section in the Academy.

This program does not come with personalized support. Should you need personalized help, please let us know. Overbound offers one-on-one coaching tailored to each athlete’s specific needs.

If you need help navigating the Academy, please use the “connect” link at the bottom of any page on the website to let us know about the issue you are facing. We will be happy to assist you.