A review of the essential visual skills required for soccer: Beyond 20–20 optometry

Abstract

In ball sports such as soccer, the visual system is critical in guiding a player's search for crucial information that underpins skillful behavior, which requires the incorporation of all of the relevant information in the environment in order to make successful decisions under pressure. However, vision in sport, and focusing on the specific visual skills required to be successful in a particular sport has largely been a practice ignored by experts and coaches as being an essential component of athletic performance. This is the first attempt to summarize and compile the necessary visual skills for soccer. This review's evidence suggests that, while current research still tends to focus on visual skills as a whole, there is a need to streamline this focus to the necessities of a particular sport. Furthermore, in identifying the visual skills essential for soccer, it allows for the effective training and testing of these skills, as well as for talent identification.

Visual skills essential for rugby

“…All visual skills discussed in this review are classified based on whether they meet the requirements of visual hardware or software skills. Visual hardware skills include [ 1 ] ( Table 1 ) visual acuity [ 13 - 16 ], depth perception [ 17 - 20 ], fusion flexibility [ 21 - 25 ], and contrast sensitivity [ 23 , 25 , 26 ]; visual software skills [ 1 ] ( Table 2 ) include eye tracking [ 27 - 31 ], hand-eye coordination [ 19 , 21 , 32 - 36 ], eye focusing [ 15 , 21 , 37 - 43 ], peripheral vision [ 17 , 19 , 34 , 44 - 47 ], speed and span of recognition [ 22 , 23 , 38 , 48 - 50 ], visual response time [ 24 , 25 , 51 - 53 ], and visual memory [ 24 , 50 , 54 , 55 ].…”

Acute effects of prismatic adaptation on penalty kick accuracy and postural control in young soccer players: A pilot study

“…Previous studies have demonstrated that PA can modulate the excitability of the primary motor cortex, parietal cortex, and cerebellum influencing their related functions such as visuospatial and spatiotemporal skills as well as postural control [ 21 , [28] , [29] , [30] ]. In soccer, visual skills such as peripheral vision, depth perception, visual reaction time, and visual tracking of a moving object are of fundamental importance for players [ 13 , [15] , [16] , [17] , [18] ]. In fact, many research groups have demonstrated the influence of visual training on sport performance in soccer players [ 13 , [15] , [16] , [17] , [18] ].…”

“…In soccer, visual skills such as peripheral vision, depth perception, visual reaction time, and visual tracking of a moving object are of fundamental importance for players [ 13 , [15] , [16] , [17] , [18] ]. In fact, many research groups have demonstrated the influence of visual training on sport performance in soccer players [ 13 , [15] , [16] , [17] , [18] ].…”

“…As for soccer, visual skills such as peripheral vision, depth perception, visual reaction time, and visual tracking of a moving object are of fundamental importance for players [ 13 , [15] , [16] , [17] , [18] ]. For these reasons, many articles have demonstrated the role of visual training in this sport [ 13 , [15] , [16] , [17] , [18] ]. For example, Wilkins et al studied the influence of a visual training program using stroboscopic glasses on visual-perceptual skills in young soccer goalkeepers [ 13 ].…”

A 16-week school-based intervention improves physical fitness in Slovenian children: a randomized controlled trial

“…Compared to some recent studies by various authors ( Bauer et al, 2022 ; Kryeziu et al, 2023 ; Mohammadi-Nia et al, 2023 ; Osipov et al, 2023 ; Wu et al, 2023 ; Yuksel et al, 2020 ) that have examined different exercise programs in children and their different effects on PF, the importance of understanding these relationships in the context of child development is becoming increasingly clear. Speed is a central component of PF and refers to the ability to perform movements quickly and efficiently ( Barbieri et al, 2022 ; Fernandez-Fernandez et al, 2023 ; Jafar et al, 2023 ; Volk et al, 2023 ). Although it may appear to make a smaller contribution to health and long-term disease prevention, the importance of speed should not be underestimated, especially in the developmental phase of 8–to 9-year-olds ( Herszage et al, 2023 ).…”