Vision Training: The Missing Piece in Your Game Prep

You train your speed, your strength, your hands, your edges.

But when was the last time you trained your eyes?

Vision is one of the most overlooked athletic tools, and yet it plays a role in nearly every critical on-ice decision:

• Tracking a puck through traffic

• Picking up a teammate on the weak side

• Reacting to a rebound or deflection

• Recognizing pressure before it arrives

The best players and goalies don’t just see the game better—they process it faster. And that starts with training visual function, just like you train movement.

What is Sports Vision Training?

Sports vision training is a system of drills and exercises designed to improve how the eyes work with the brain to interpret, respond to, and track visual information during performance.¹

This includes:

• Visual acuity (how clearly you see)

• Peripheral awareness

• Depth perception

• Eye tracking and coordination

• Visual reaction time

These aren’t just “nice-to-have” skills. They’re critical for in-game performance—and trainable.

Simple Vision Drills to Add to Your Routine

1. Brock String Training

A string with beads spaced out teaches you how to improve focus, depth perception, and eye convergence.

Try it for 3–5 minutes daily to enhance puck-tracking skills and clarity.

2. Eye Jumps (Saccades)

Pick two points (hands, objects, wall targets). Rapidly shift focus between them without moving your head.

This improves eye speed and tracking consistency.

3. Scanning Drills

Have a partner flash numbers, letters, or colors in your peripheral vision while you focus on a central task (e.g., stickhandling or balancing).

This enhances game-like peripheral awareness and multitasking ability.

4. Near-Far Focus

Switch visual focus between a close object and a far one—this mimics the demands of tracking a puck and reading the play at the same time.

Why Vision Training Works

Research shows that targeted visual training enhances:

• Reaction time

• Decision-making speed

• On-ice situational awareness

• Overall sport-specific visual processing³

And it doesn’t take hours to see benefits—5–10 minutes a few times a week can translate directly to better in-game performance.

If you want real sports vision training

Go see Dr. Akerman at Milton Sports Vision,

This isn’t a sponsored email (although it should be) but working with him was invaluable and I send all my goalies to him.

Dr. Jamie

Ghost Rehab and Performance | Elite Goalie Method

References (AMA Format)

1. Abernethy B, Wood JM, Parks S. Can the anticipatory skills of experts be learned by novices? Res Q Exerc Sport. 2001;72(4):313–318.

2. Milton Sports Vision. The Milton Sports Vision Training System. https://www.miltonsportsvision.com. Accessed April 2025.

3. Appelbaum LG, Erickson G. Sports vision training: A review of the state-of-the-art in digital training techniques. Int Rev Sport Exerc Psychol. 2018;11(1):160–189.

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