Natalie Porter Olympic Basketballer Understands the Importance of her Eyes

Natalie Porter Olympic Basketballer now understands the importance of her eyes

Recent research has indicated that there is a clear link between peak performance in sport and visual skills. This is extrememly important in Natalie Porters case, due to her role in the Australian Opals Basketball.

It has been suggested that 95% of physical movment is controlled visually so it is clear that an athlete?s eyesight is one of their most important resources, although many althletes don?t recongnise this and they ignore visual exercises with body training and diet. Eye muscles can be trained in the same way the body can.

Johnson and Johnson have become the offical vision care partner of the Beijing Olympics and have began providing Australian and New Zealand atheletes with access to over 100 optometrists who are professionals in the key elemenents of performance and vision training.

Natalie holds the title of Most Valuable Player for the Women?s National Basketball League (2007/08 season) and won a silver medal at the 2004 Athens Olympic Games.

Johnson & Johnson Vision Care?s vision expert Helen Venturato knows how important vision is for sporting performance. Each eye has seven different muscles that help control eye direction and give you the ability to focus. Coordination of this visual system gives you a depth perception which means you?ll have prime hand and eye and foot and eye coordination. Helen has put together some tips to help you present an extra edge while on the sporting arena such has:
Minimise reading and computer work on game day, such ?near tasks? fatigue the eye muscles which may result in slowed reaction speeds and poor distance judgments.
If longer periods of near tasks are unavoidable on game day ensure that a 20 second rest is taken after every 20 minutes of reading or computer use. During the rest period, the eyes should be focused on an object more than six meters away. Also spend at least 30 minutes (preferably one hour) adapting to the light levels that the game will be played at.

The eye muscles can all be ?warmed up? to ensure that the visual system is at its peak and game ready here are some more tips from Helen Venturato. Warming up the eyes is simple and can be done for any sports.

Eye warm up exercises for moving ball sports:

Hit or throw the ball rapidly, at close range with a partner or against awall, for approximately two minutes

The wall or partner should be approximately one metre away,however this distance may need to be varied according to the sportand size of the ball

To build concentration further and warm up peripheral vision,introduce a second ball into the exercise

Remember to alter the ball direction across all four planes (to the left,to the right, along the ground and upwards)

Eye warm up exercises for non-ball sports:

Begin by recreating the playing conditions e.g. stance, lighting

Concentrate on moving the focus of the eyes as rapidly as possiblefrom a ?near target? to a ?distance target? and back again. The aim ofthe exercise is to focus and refocus as rapidly and accurately aspossible

Any detailed object may act as the near target e.g. the ball point of apen held at arms? length

As soon as the eyes are focused on one distance, they should bemoved to the next distance and then back. Focus time should be lessthan one second for each distance

Consideration should be given to the type and distance of focusrequired during the specific sport e.g. shooters should spend timefocusing on the near target and then distance target, but a tennisplayer may focus on the length of a racquet head, the height of a balltoss and then to the other end of the court
Helen Venturato?s tip to achieving optimum vision and sporting performance is to visit a qualified eye care practitioner and have your eyes tested every two years.

Natalie Porter Interview

How important is warming up your eyes in your sport?

Natalie Porter: Warming up my eye muscles helps my visual system to be game ready and at its peak. The slightest advantage can make a huge difference in shooting and getting the ball, and if you don?t have clear vision your mind is also blurred.


Is visual performance more important in basketball due to the fast paced movement?

Natalie Porter: Different sports have different visual demands. In basketball, the fast-paced nature of the game is definitely one reason players need spot on vision. The rim of the basketball net is also narrow and accuracy is important too. You need to be on the money with your passes and can?t have discrepancies eyesight plays a role in all of this.


Have you had any incidents where you haven?t warmed up your eyes and you have seen the difference?

Natalie Porter: There have been many times when I have had to come straight from work to training and have been staring at a computer all day and not had time to warm up my eyes and have noticed a difference in my levels of concentration and focus on the hoop.


Did you warm up your vision or even understand how important it was before you joined with Johnson & Johnson Vision Care (JJVC)?

Natalie Porter: I was like many athletes who don?t realise the importance of visual performance in sport. In my earlier years with the WNBL I kind of cruised, and just let my natural talents get me as far as I could but in recent years I put in extensive hours of training to improve my game. When ACUVUE became our team?s sponsor I saw it as a great way to give myself an extra edge.


What factors impacts your vision the most while playing an important match of Basketball?

Natalie Porter: Fatigue, environmental and lighting factors can all impact visual performance.


How do you warm up your eyes, what works best for you?

Natalie Porter: On game day it is important to steer clear of reading and computer work as this can tire the eye muscles. Warming up the eyes is simple an exercise that I like involves throwing a ball quickly, at close range, with a partner or against a wall, for about two minutes. After a while I introduce a second ball for concentration and to warm up peripheral vision. It is important to alter the ball direction too and make sure you are throwing it to the left, right, close to the ground and up high.


Do you recommend anyone, at any level or league, warm up their eyes before their sport?

Natalie Porter: Eyesight is a key sense that helps you to perform at your best during sport. I was recently told that 95 per cent of all physical movement is controlled visually and that vision is the trigger mechanism for the very first movement. So, I definitely think eyesight plays a vital role!


What did you find as the most successful technique learnt from Johnson & Johnson Vision Care (JJVC)?

Natalie Porter: The most important thing I learnt is the importance of regular eye examinations to maintain eye health.


Do you find now that you know your vision is equally important in your game that you have found it important in other situations?

Natalie Porter:Yes I find that vision is very important in different situations I am involved in. I am doing a Master of Business and when it comes to exams I want to make sure that my vision and focus is at 100%. I follow a similar routine to my basketball one and make sure that my eyes are warmed up prior to an exam.


What do you do now, that you didn?t before to ensure you keep your eyes at their best ability?

Natalie Porter:For many athletes visual performance in sport is overshadowed by the importance of body conditioning and diet. I?m careful to pay attention to my vision and regularly visit my optometrist to have my eyes checked out.