Visual Strategies

Š AFP

Damien Lafont damien_lafont@yahoo.fr

A.S.Montferrand Tennis

Denver 2008

Plan Sport, vision and perception Visual strategies Interaction visual strategies & mental : the tennis example Perspectives Damien Lafont

Denver 2008

Sport, vision and perception Vision : important parameter Empirical methods Confidential methods In development ‌

Damien Lafont

Denver 2008

Visual training Static and dynamic acuity Contrast sensitivity Ocular movements (mobility) Accommodation Coordination : convergence et divergence Damien Lafont

Denver 2008

Perceptual training Visual attention Attentional partage Memory Multisensorial integration Visual strategies Damien Lafont

Denver 2008

Perceptual training Peripheral vision Eye / hand coordination Reaction Time

Damien Lafont

Denver 2008

Perceptual training DynaVision

SVT Wayne Peripheral Awareness AcuVision Trainer

Damien Lafont

Denver 2008

Perceptual training Methods Visual Performance Visual Fitness TMK Slow Down the Game Dynamic Edge EyeCoach EyeBall Damien Lafont

Denver 2008

Perceptual training EyeBall – Sherylle Calder Improving performance through increased perception see better, faster, at the best moment, at the best place

Methods on field « homeworks »

Results ?

Rugby, Hockey Damien Lafont

http://www.sportsvisionmagazine.com Denver 2008

Visual strategies Decision What to see and When?

Identify the best strategies

Laboratory On field Gaze control Damien Lafont

Denver 2008

Gaze Stability (100 ms) fixation tracking

Instability saccades

Optimal control depends on the task (interceptive ‌)

Identify the control strategies Damien Lafont

Denver 2008

Visual strategies ÂŤ Vision in Action Âť Recording what the athletes see

Damien Lafont

Denver 2008

Visual strategies

Damien Lafont

Denver 2008

Visual strategies Identified visual strategies in sport: Basketball Golf Volleyball Table tennis Hockey

Damien Lafont

Denver 2008

Visual strategies: Example of the hitting phase in tennis

Usual model Observations Mental effects

Damien Lafont

Denver 2008

Visual strategies - Tennis Between points, games and sets Routines Ocular movements Girod (1997), PNL

Return of serve The most relevant cues (anticipation)

During the stroke execution?

Damien Lafont

Denver 2008

Visual strategies - Tennis Current model: « Watch the ball ! » The player must try to always watch the ball

≠ OBSERVATIONS

Damien Lafont

Denver 2008

Visual strategies - Tennis

Š Advantage Tennis - McCarron

Š Advantage Tennis - McCarron

Damien Lafont

Denver 2008

Visual strategies - Tennis

Š Advantage Tennis - McCarron

Damien Lafont

Denver 2008

Visual strategies - Tennis Forehand / Post-impact

Damien Lafont

Denver 2008

Visual strategies - Tennis Federer shows a specific gaze control (eye & head) during the hitting phase :

Fixation on the contact zone at impact Fixation on the contact zone during the follow-through Unique signature ?

Damien Lafont

Denver 2008

Photo analysis Data + 9000 photos

Advantage Tennis - Mike McCarron Pablo Sanfrancisco Vandystadt AFP Reuters Associated Press Getty Images

ATP & WTA tournaments – Top 100 Hitting phase: Impact and post-impact Groundstrokes: backhand & forehand

Damien Lafont

Denver 2008

3 profiles Fixation in backhand AND in forehand « Total fixation » Fixation in backhand OR in forehand or by intermittency « Partial fixation » No fixation

Damien Lafont

Denver 2008

« No fixation »

« Fog zone » Different head positions Different gaze orientations Damien Lafont

Denver 2008

« Partial fixation »

© Getty Images

Damien Lafont

Denver 2008

« Total fixation »

© AP

Damien Lafont

Denver 2008

ATP - Top 100 ATP ranking 8/20/2007 1. Federer,

Nadal, Djokovic, Davydenko, Roddick, Blake, Gonzalez, Robredo, Berdych, Haas, Youzhny, Ljubicic, Gasquet, Canas, Ferrer, Hewitt, Moya, Baghdatis, Murray, Chela, Ferrero, Mathieu, Monaco, Nalbandian, Safin, Nieminen, Tursunov, Almagro, Volandri, Soderling, Starace, Melzer, Karlovic, Stepanek, Verdasco, Hrbaty, Ancic, Kohlschreiber, Andreev, Simon, Clement, Lee, Santoro, Monfils, Gicquel, Montanes, Querrey, Calleri, Becker, Fish, Tipsarevic, Mayer, Hernandez, Eschauer, Rochus, Malisse, Wawrinka, Bjorkman, Del Potro, Massu, Llodra, Lopez, Benneteau, Spadea, Koubek, Ginepri, Russell, Dancevic, Acasuso, Mahut, Delic, Johansson, Vassallo Arguello, Tsonga, Hartfield, Berlocq, Seppi, Roitman, Grosjean, Lapentti, Korolev, Vliegen, Zabaleta, Berrer, Garcia-Lopez, Horna, Bolelli, Guccione, Gulbis, Serra, Luczak, Henman, Kunitsyn, Gabashvili, Haase, Goldstein, Pavel, Pless, Navarro Pastor, Zverev.

Total fxation : 10 players Partial fixation : 35 players No fixation Damien Lafont

Denver 2008

A new model ?

The best players : Seem to follow the ball longer Fix the contact zone after the impact Switch from the ball to the contact zone BALL CONTACT ZONE Damien Lafont

Denver 2008

Fixation on the contact zone : The consequences

Biomechanical benefits Visual and cognitive benefits Mental benefits Damien Lafont

Denver 2008

Visual strategies - Tennis What the coaches tell us Vic Braden (1977, 1993) During the hitting phase, the player should avoid moving his head to see where the ball is going

Scott Ford (1984, 2002) Focus on the contact zone would favour ÂŤ flow Âť states, therefore optimal performance

Damien Lafont

Denver 2008

Visual strategies - Tennis ÂŤ Fixation Âť on the contact zone : the mental effects Concentration Control Stress

Damien Lafont

Denver 2008

Psychology Focus on the ball Focus on the contact zone

« Outcome » focus lack of control Concentration « Flow » Present & Control « Zone » Confidence TESTS & QUESTIONNAIRES OMSAT-3, T-TAIS

Damien Lafont

Denver 2008

Effects Mesurements  EEG – Vickers et Crews (2002)  Golf – brain activation and gaze control

Damien Lafont

Denver 2008

Perspectives Training and learning methods of

visual strategies in tennis  Anticipation  During movement execution  Drills  Level of expertise

Improving performance Damien Lafont

Denver 2008

Perspectives Training  Golf  Baseball  Cricket  Soccer  Rugby

Damien Lafont

Denver 2008

References  Lafont, D. (2008). Six good reasons to keep your eyes off the ball, ITF Coaching

and Sport Science Review, 44.  Lafont, D. (2008). Gaze control during the hitting phase in tennis: a preliminary

study, IJPAS, 8(3), 85-100.

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Lafont, D. (2008). From the ball to the contact zone: Evidence of visual referential switch among elite tennis players, Le tennis dans la société de demain, Dijon, France, April 2008.

 Lafont, D. (2007). High-speed photo analysis of top players’ gaze behaviour,

Tennis Science and Technology 3, ITF publication, London, 227-233.  Lafont, D. (2007). Towards a new hitting model in tennis, International Journal of

Performance Analysis in Sport, 7(3), 104-114.  Lafont, D. (2007). Watch the ball? ITF Coaching and Sport Science Review, 43, p.11.

Denver 2008