Whether you’re playing in the minor leagues, collegiate or professional, it’s interesting to note that vision training, also known as eye exercises, is rapidly increasing in popularity on the baseball field. It is used to train an athlete’s eye to improve hitting for the Baltimore Orioles, University of Cincinnati Bear Cats, Texas Rangers, Milwaukee Brewers, and many other professional teams, schools, colleges, and universities. When implemented, the University of Cincinnati team batting average increased from 0.251 in 2010 to 0.285 in 2011. In 2011 there was a slugging percentage increase of 0.033%. Batting averages for all other colleges and universities increased 10%. Without a doubt, vision training is proving to be very beneficial, especially in a sport like baseball. After all, visual skills are critical to improving physical performance on the field.

Here are 5 reasons baseball stars like eye exercises:

1. Eye exercises improve the speed and efficiency of the eye muscles. The result is improved coordination that improves the player’s ability to track the ball. This becomes essential in terms of the player’s ability to clearly see the location, movement and rotation of the ball.

2. In the game of baseball, a player must be able to quickly process information from the brain to the eyes. This results in a faster reaction time. As a result, players are able to exercise better judgment on the course in terms of knowing when to swing and have a greater ability to improve timing and balance.

3. Eye exercises allow baseball players to develop better depth perception. This helps them efficiently shift their focus from faraway objects to those that approach the player closely. Some quick, fun and easy techniques can benefit both young and old players, as long as they are performed regularly.

4. Due to the fact that the improvement in reaction time obtained with vision training can result in faster reaction time; this, in turn, provides an additional benefit to the player in terms of reducing the incidence of injuries on the field.

5. Greatly improves the statistical scores of baseball players. For example, the Cincinnati Bearcats adopted a very effective vision training program to help their offense. According to the Associated Press, the dramatic increases in the Bearcats’ batting averages by 34 points last season occurred despite the NCAA transitioning from wood bats to aluminum bats.
Hitter Lombardozzi told the Associated Press: “I really like vision training. It’s a no-brainer for me. The most important thing about hitting is that you have to see the ball to hit it. Any kind of vision training you can do to help see the ball, the more successful you will be. Vision training worked wonders for Lombardozzi, who is currently batting .317 in 33 games this season. What a great success story!
From quicker reaction time, sharper eyesight to better batting averages, practicing eye exercises can go a long way toward ensuring your success on the baseball field.