Vision Skills: All are paramount for successful ice hockey skills. Think about your on ice vision or your players visual skills in a wire cage (their view) verses a hockey face shield with our lens i.e., (our view). Now consider these views related to the visual skills below:
- Dynamic Visual Acuity
If you are playing a sport like hockey, you need to be able to clearly see objects while you and/or the objects are moving fast. Without good dynamic
visual acuity, which is greatly impaired with a traditional wire cage mask your player is disadvantaged.
- Visual Concentration
When your player commits an error they might be distracted by things that are happening around them. Our eyes normally react to anything that happens in our field of vision-spectators, or other participants. Visual concentration is the ability to screen out these distractions and stay focused on the object or the target. Your player may be able to tune out external distractions but they can not over compensate for a wire cage permanently in their visual field.
- Eye Tracking
When playing with a puck or a fast-moving opponent, you need to be able to follow objects without much head motion. Eye tracking helps you maintain better balance and quickly react to the situation. Wire cages make tracking difficult.
- Peripheral Vision
When a player sees their teammate out of the corner of their eye, They are using their peripheral vision. Much of what happens in sports does not happen directly in front of you. Therefore, increasing your ability to see action to the side without having to turn your head is important.