Experimental study of visual training effects in shooting initiation

INTRODUCTION: The present study was conducted to investigate the influence of specific visual training in shooting initiation performance. METHODS: Seventy-one first-year university students were divided randomly into two groups. The experimental group followed a nine-session shooting training program that included technical, physical and psychological components, along with specific visual exercises. The control group followed the same program with one difference: this group received theoretical lectures on psychological training techniques instead of doing visual exercises. Pre- and post-test results were obtained for shooting, concentration, saccades and visual acuity. RESULTS: Statistical analysis indicated significant gains in the four mentioned variables for the experimental group. The control group also showed significant differences in the three first variables but no significant improvement in visual acuity. No significant differences in shooting performance were observed between groups. CONCLUSIONS: The effect of vision training on sports initiation performance is still not clear. It cannot be assumed that the improvement is transferable to the performance of precision shooting at the stage of sports initiation.