Central Vision in Tennis: Visual Span, Ball Tracking & Game Reading

Key Points

• Key Takeaways:

  • Central vision comes from the macula, a tiny area of the retina (only 1-2 degrees of the visual field that delivers sharp, detailed vision.
  • Central vision allows you to read, write, recognize faces, and in sports, track the ball with precision at impact.
  • Performance depends not just on the retina but also on how the brain processes this information - this is your visual span, or the ability to capture and process information in a single glance.
  • A strong visual span is the foundation of "reading the game" quickly and effectively.

• Training drill:

  • Use sticky notes with shapes, numbers, or sport-related images.
  • Have a partner cover them with a sheet, reveal briefly (1-2 seconds), then cover again.
  • Recall and describe what you saw.
  • Gradually reduce exposure time, add more notes, change positions, and introduce variations (colors, instructions like "find the red one first").
  • This exercise sharpens both central vision and the cognitive processing of visual information, making it directly transferable to reading situations in sport.