Coaching Peripheral Vision Training for Soccer Athletes

Marques, Nelson Kautzner, Jr., Physical Educator

Abstract

Brazilian Soccer began developing its current emphasis on peripheral vision in the late 1950's, by initiative of coach of the Canto do Rio Football Club, in Niteroi, Rio de Janeiro, a pioneer in the development of peripheral vision training in soccer players. Peripheral vision training gained world relevance when a young talent from Canto do Rio, become the 1970 World Cup midfielder for Brazil and played an important part in the league's victory that year. Peripheral vision became essential for the short and long passes, both at the start and the development o fan offense, for soccer players in Brazil. In 1999, this type of training became known as 'peripheral vision training'. The purpose of this paper was to teach peripheral vision training for the coach. The article has two chapters. The first chapter explicated the hemisphericity and second taught Tactical Periodization, the types of training with the practice of the neuromotor learning for the soccer team and explicated match analysis (quality of game and use of the peripheral vision). In conclusion, peripheral vision training is an important session for the soccer team, but needs of research for the science discovers the advantages this training.

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Playing soccer with emphasis on peripheral vision began being practiced in Brazil at the of the 1950's, at Canto do Rio Football Club in Niteroi, Rio de Janeiro, when the coach, pioneered training players' skill in peripheral vision. The exercises developing peripheral vision in a game were important for the preparation of young soccer players at Canto do Rio Football Club, and a talent from Canto do Rio, become a professional soccer player and starred in the 1970 World Cup as midfielder for the Brazil National team. Peripheral vision was the key asset used by the midfielder in short and long passes at the start of the attack, and at the development of the attack, which proved pivotal in Brazil's victory of the 1970 Cup. However, in spite of the relative maturity of the technique, peripheral vision dominance training is not diffused in soccer. Even though literature has established well that peripheral vision is beneficial for attack moves, once this spatial 'field vision' allows a soccer player to observe the totality of the field and enables much more effective long passes and the kick (Van Der Kamp, 2006; Williams & Hodges, 2005). Marques Junior (2008) determined the best attack of the soccer player is with emphasis on peripheral vision because occurs more goals. Williams, Weigelt, Harris and Scott (2002) studied the control the ball inside a target area (2,1 m x 2,1 m). The results showed more score of control ball for the group with emphasis on peripheral vision. Williams, Janelle and Davids (2004) explicated that the best defensive task was with emphasis on peripheral vision. A large amount of studies mention the importance of this mode of vision in a soccer match, but the references do not explain how a coach should prescribe peripheral vision dominance training for soccer players. (Ford, Hodges, Huys & Williams, 2006; Williams, 2002). Soccer coaches cannot yet rely on specialized material on how to prescribe peripheral vision training sessions, and teach soccer players peripheral vision dominance.

How should a soccer coach prescribe exercises to develop in match peripheral vision? Pinto and AraOj o (1999) suggested specific peripheral vision training for soccer players so they may be guided by their spatial vision during matches, or 'field vision', in opposition to 'ball watching'. But these authors did not mention how to structure this training. Marques Junior, Garcia and Da Silva (2008) considered three phases to structure the peripheral vision training. In first phase the coach determines the hemisphericity of the soccer player, in second phase the coach elaborates the periodization and in third phase the soccer player practices the training with the types of practices of the neuromotor learning. However, what is the model of periodization? What are the types of training for peripheral vision training? What are the types of practice of the neuromotor learning? The literature of the soccer has not research about periodization, training and type of practice for the peripheral vision training (Bloomfield, Polman & O'Donoghue, 2007; Suzuki & Nishijima, 2007). Therefore, it becomes an important review article for the soccer. The purpose of this paper was to teach peripheral vision training for the coach.

I. Hemisphericity

Hemisphericity is strong tendency during mental processing of the left hemisphere or of the right hemisphere (Ali & Kor, 2007). The coach determines the hemisphericity of the soccer player because the left hemisphere is the best in some tasks and the right hemisphere is the best in others tasks. The knowledge of the hemisphericity is a reference for the coach understands the difference of the learning and of the progress of the peripheral vision training of the left hemisphere and of the right hemisphere.

Athletes with a mental processing of the left hemisphere have a specific propensity for rational thought, verbal and analytical tasks (Vengopal & Mridula, 2007). On the other hand, a mental processing of the right hemisphere enables easier processing of motor tasks, nonverbal information, spatial and holistic perception. Fairweather and Sidaway (1994) explained how the effective training differs for each type of hemisphericity (left or right). Soccer players with a mental processing of the left hemisphere learn best through analytic and verbal tasks, while athletes with a mental processing of …

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Publication information: Article title: Coaching Peripheral Vision Training for Soccer Athletes. Contributors: Marques, Nelson Kautzner, Jr. - Author. Journal title: Physical Educator. Volume: 67. Issue: 2 Publication date: Spring 2010. Page number: 74+. © 2009 Phi Epsilon Kappa Fraternity. COPYRIGHT 2010 Gale Group.

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