Beyond physical superiority, mental stamina, and smart play, most of the world’s best athletes possess another specific advantage that gives them an edge. We’re not talking about performance-enhancing drugs or blood doping, but something a lot more natural—good vision. Being able to follow a fastball as it flies over home plate, judge the shooting distance to a basketball hoop, or leap in the air to catch that spiraling football at just the right moment all depend on good eyesight. And maximizing one’s vision can make all the difference between a good player and a great one. While wearing corrective lenses is certainly one way to sharpen visual acuity, it isn’t the only one. In his new book, High Performance Vision, sports-vision specialist Dr. Donald Teig, shares his highly successful approach to visual enhancement.

During his work with professional athletes over the past forty years, Dr. Teig developed a series of visual and visual-motor performance tests to determine the strengths and weaknesses of their eyesight. After establishing an initial baseline of test results, the athletes were given specific exercises designed to improve their visual skills. He then tested them again and measured the results against the baseline. With each succession of exercises, their sight and motor coordination improved, as did their performance on the playing field. In High Performance Vision, Dr. Teig details his unique approach and offers his highly effective exercise regimen for improving your own vision.

If you’ve been looking for safe, natural way to improve your game, High Performance Vision offers the perfect solution. In a clear and reader-friendly style, it shows you how to gain the edge that many pros have used for years.

Dr. Donald S. Teig, OD, FAAO, received his BA in psychology from the University of Buffalo, and his BS and OD from the Pennsylvania College of Optometry. He has served as vision consultant to many professional sports teams in areas including baseball, football, and hockey, and is past president of the International Academy of Sports Vision, prior chairman of the Sports Vision Section of the American Optometric Association, and former director of the Institute for Sports Vision. Dr. Teig is also the founder and director of a national team of sports medicine experts known as “The A Team—High Performance Vision Associates.”

            Beginning over forty years ago, Dr. Teig pioneered work in sports vision and visual-motor performance training with major league baseball. Subsequently, Dr. Teig and his associates have worked with over fifteen major league baseball clubs, pro golf and tennis tours, several NBA basketball clubs, many Olympic teams, professional football and hockey teams, and dancers of the Joffrey Ballet.

            Dr. Teig has written numerous articles on the relationship of vision to improved athletic performance. He has lectured throughout the world on this topic, and has developed much of the equipment and techniques being used in the field today. As a sports-vision specialist, Dr. Teig has appeared on several network television and radio programs, including featured segments of The Today Show, Dateline NBC, ESPN Sports Center, The View, and programs on HBO. He has also contributed to sports segments on New York’s all-sports radio station, WFAN, earning him the nickname “Doctor Jock.” 

Acknowledgments, ix

Foreword, xi

Preface,

Introduction,

PART ONE

Getting Started

1. Setting Your Goals

2. Vision Basics,

3. Preventing Eye Conditions and Injuries,

4. Measuring Your Visual Skills,

PART TWO

The High Performance Vision Training Program

5. The Role of Vision in Sports,

6. At-Home Eye Exercises,

7. In-Office Eye Exercises,

8. Sport-Specific Eye Exercises,

9. Putting It All Together,

Conclusion,

Resources,

About the Author,

Permissions,

Index,  

"Dr. Don Teig's program proves the philosophy that you need to be visually fit, not just physically fit, if you want to gain a competitive edge. The information discussed throughout these pages will put you on track to improve your game if you take the time and effort to make these drills part of your training routine. I really appreciate Don’s skill and technological knowledge, as well as his sincere commitment to keeping the eyes healthy. I am confident this book will help you in your quest for excellence." 

"Maximizing my vision and my approach to visualizing success as a goaltender was always a high priority in my career. Dr. Teig is the recognized pioneer in this field. His knowledge and approach to training my eyes helped me to achieve my goals as a professional athlete." 

"The improvement of efficient vision skills over the years has had a huge impact on major league baseball, especially the hitters. Dr. Teig has been a leader in this technology ever since I was a player in the seventies, when he worked with me to improve my vision skills." 

"Dr. Don Teig's program proves the philosophy that you need to be visually fit, not just physically fit, if you want to gain a competitive edge. The information discussed throughout these pages will put you on track to improve your game if you take the time and effort to make these drills part of your training routine. I really appreciate Don's skill and technological knowledge, as well as his sincere commitment to keeping the eyes healthy. I am confident this book will help you in your quest for excellence." 

"Every professional team or athlete is in a constant search to improve performance. Sports vision is a vital avenue in this search. Don Teig has been passionate about the relationship between vision and performance for forty years. He has worked with many different athletes in various sports. This book will help anyone looking for that edge." 

"This book is a must-read for any professional in the field of player improvement. Dr. Teig is a visionary and pioneer in the discipline of vision and neuromuscular testing and training. The future of athletic development will be in the hands of the vision-training coach as much as the strength and fitness coach. This is truly cutting edge for the amateur or professional athlete." 

"After decades of working with athletes, from Little Leaguers to professionals, [Dr.] Teig now shares his knowledge and experience in a guide focused on vision . . . covers the biological basics of vision in easily comprehensible terms, complete with detailed diagrams, questionnaires, and charts brimming with information . . . Teig is meticulous in his instructions; each graphic reinforces the information clearly detailed in the text . . . a mandatory textbook for anyone who participates in or coaches a sport." 

To paraphrase boxing legend Muhammed Ali, “Float like a butterfly,

sting like a bee, your hands can’t hit what your eyes can’t

see!” Ali may have been talking about the speed of his legs, but he

unintentionally made a more important point about the role of

vision in athletics. The fact is that, when it comes to sports, you are

only as good as your eyes. And just as exercise and practice can

increase your strength and speed, so may high performance vision

training enhance your visual system.

It’s your eyes that alert and activate your motor system so that

you can react with split-second timing. But there’s more to keeping

your eyes on an object than merely looking at it, no matter how

hard you concentrate. You have to see not only where the object is

but also where it is going, how fast it is traveling, and how much

spin it has on it. If it sounds difficult, that’s because it is. Some

people play sports for years and never quite get the most out of

their eyes. That’s a shame because, in most cases, you can improve

your visual system and actually train yourself to see better by

means of a fairly simple program known as high performance

vision training. While you may do this training at a specialized

clinic, you may also practice many high performance vision exercises

on the playing field and in the privacy of your own home, as

you will discover.

In over thirty years of evaluating and training the visual skills

of athletes, I have had the privilege of improving the on-field performance

of a wide variety of competitors, including little leaguers,

weekend warriors, and some of the finest athletes in the

world. Who could have predicted that the equipment and eye

exercises I developed with the help of engineers, coaches, athletic

trainers, and the very athletes I sought to help would have evolved

into a specialty program that has taken me all over the world?

Until now, I have carefully shared my knowledge only with the

athletes who have trained with me. My intent now is to share this

program with you.

Part One begins at the beginning and asks you to set goals.

They can be general. For example, “I want to improve my overall

athletic performance by making my eyes more efficient.” They can

also be targeted to specific needs. For example, “I want to reduce

my number of strokes during eighteen holes of golf to thirty-five

or less.”

You’ll then learn the basic biology of vision to get a better

understanding of how the human eye actually takes in light and

sends data to the brain to be processed into images. The pros and

cons of various corrective options, including glasses, contact

lenses, and Lasik, will also be reviewed. After this tutorial, you’ll

find a list of the most common eye problems, including injuries

and the specific sport with which each is associated. You’ll be -

come familiar with the symptoms of these conditions and the treatments

typically administered to alleviate them. Finally, you’ll see

how to measure your visual skills as you consider a proper training

program.

Part Two starts by examining the role of vision in sports and

explains the parameters within which a doctor determines a

patient’s overall vision. Next, you’ll dive into high performance

vision training in earnest as this book gives you a comprehensive

list of exercises that will help you hone your visual system to its

peak potential, whether in a clinical setting, on the field, or from the

comfort of your own home. You’ll also get detailed sport-specific

drills and exercises, which are sure to provide you with an even

sharper edge in your chosen activity. By taking advantage of all the

high performance vision tools at your disposal, you’ll be truly

amazed by the degree to which your game will improve.

All athletes want to be in “the zone” as often as possible during

competition. Most find getting there an elusive and daunting task.

No matter how much you practice, you may feel as though you’ve

hit a wall in terms of performance. High performance vision training

was designed to break down this wall. After all, 80 percent of all

sensory information to the brain comes through the eyes. Use this

book as a guide and get yourself to the place beyond the wall.