HIGHER GROUND VISION TRAINING SPECIAL

 

Used By Top College Softball teams, including many in NCAA College World Series, Major League Baseball teams, Olympic medalists, high school teams, and elite athletes in numerous sports. YOU can use the same program to get better in the critical areas mentioned below

 

To view exciting television programs, hear audio testimonials, read detailed

 participant perceptions, and find much more information, visit the following web sites.

www.vizualedge.com/success.html

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncaa/news/story?id=2481988

 

Contact us for additional information and purchase options.

Higher Ground – POB 741 – Tifton, GA 31793    229-386-9770 

 bsimpson@friendlycity.net      www.highergroundsoftball.com

 

Introduction

In recent years, Higher Ground has developed an expanded consulting and service relationship with Vizual Edge, a leader in visual performance for elite athletes. Higher Ground now offers specialized visual skills evaluation and training for softball and other sports! The Vizual Edge Performance Trainer available on CD-Rom can now be ordered directly from Higher Ground to allow athletes to begin improving the critical visual component of their game. This technology is used by leading high school, university (many coached by members of USA National Team staff), Olympic, and professional teams. Below is a partial list of college softball teams and professional baseball clients that use the Vizual Edge Performance Trainer.

                       

University of Alabama                                               University of Tennessee

Northwestern University                                Louisiana State University

Georgia Tech                                                  University of Nebraska

Oregon State University                               Mississippi State University

Ohio State University                                     University of Iowa

University of Kentucky                                  University of South Florida

University of Virginia                                                North Carolina State

University of North Florida                           Marshall University              

University of Texas El Paso                           Trevecca Nazarene

Texas State University                                               Austin Peay State University

Kansas City Royals                                        Alma College

Milwaukee Brewers                                      Cincinnati Reds                                 Numerous high school teams, complete university athletic programs,

and individual athletes also enjoy the benefits of improved visual skills. 

 

“Vizual Edge gave our players the confidence and the tools necessary to compete for a National Championship.” – Kate Drohan, Head Coach Northwestern University Softball

 

“Softball program coaches place a high priority on preparing our athletes – we condition and weight train, and now we have the ability to train our visual skills as well.” – Sue Johnson, Head Softball Coach Deerfield High School (Illinois)

 

Higher Ground Involvement

In late 2002, I was introduced to this program by Greg Riddoch, former manager of the San Diego Padres and former third base coach for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. Greg has made four softball videos for Higher Ground and assisted us at numerous softball and baseball camps and clinics. Greg was a speaker at our Annual SUPER Softball Clinic in Atlanta in February, 2003, and he was able to get the staff of Vizual Edge to come and make a presentation, allowing hands-on use of the products by those in attendance. Clinic attendees and instructors, including former Olympian Sheila Douty and pro standout Carla Brookbank-Schaal, were very impressed. We have offered our campers this testing program at the SUPER and SELECT Camps for several years and it has been a very popular addition to our other instruction.

 

In April, 2006, I traveled to the Vizual Edge headquarters in Illinois for training and meetings. We now have expanded our testing and are also able to offer directly the optional training programs that are available for improved sports visual skills. Prior to 2006, we tested players to assist them in discovering strengths and weaknesses, but did not have the capability to offer the training programs that allow athletes to make improvements. Through an expanded partnership with Vizual Edge, we now serve as a special consultant and dealer for them and assist individuals, teams, and organizations as they seek to improve critical visual skills.

 

We provide you with testing and training software by Vizual Edge, for:

• Vizual Alignment™ - The aiming of the two eyes is the skill that allows the athlete to “watch the ball.” Inaccurate aiming of the two eyes impacts the perception of the position of objects in free space. A small misalignment is considered normal.  However, if the eyes are misaligned on a target, the athlete may misjudge the target or object. Deficiencies in eye alignment can cause errors in timing and reduce consistency in play on field.
• Depth Perception – This skill requires the efficient use of the two eyes together. It enables a player to correctly perceive where the ball is in free space.
• Vizual Flexibility™ – Binocular eye movements shifting from near to far quickly and accurately will influence decision making and execution of motor movements. Shifts of gaze on field from near to far and back again.
• Vizual Recognition™ - An athlete uses the skill of processing visual information to determine angles, speed and rotation of the ball, position of players on field, position of lines, and distance to the target.
• Vizual Memory™ - This skill makes up a player’s ability to implement strategy of the game based on the visual information and call upon previous visual experiences. The skills of recognition and memory are used by an athlete to gain a sense of field awareness and initiate offensive and defensive movements.
• Vizual Tracking™ - The eye movements used to scan the playing area and follow moving objects.
• Hand-eye-body coordination –The motor movements made by an athlete are a result of the quality of input visual information. “The eyes lead the body.”

 

Training these skills will help you do the following on the field:

1) Detect the location, motion, and rotation of the ball with greater speed and efficiency.

2) Field fly balls, line drives and grounders better through improved reaction time.

3) Decide on split-second strategy more effectively, knowing more about the whole game.

4) Hit better by knowing when to swing through better ball detection.

5) Play with greater confidence.

 

Like weight training for the eyes, the optional Vizual Edge Performance Trainer™ builds both strength and endurance through regular use. It can be used effectively both on- and off-season, and in the privacy of an athlete's home or at a training facility. The programs will provide the player information about visual strengths and weaknesses in various areas of visual skills. The eyes lead the body, with an urgent need for correct visual information coming prior to successful physical performance.

 

Practical Tips

You can order the software program directly from us at Higher Ground. The pricing for the software program is based on the number of testing/training sessions that are loaded on the CD. It is used on a laptop or desktop computer (200 or more sessions purchased for a team can be split and used on multiple computers) and players should train 1-2 times per week. The
recommended initial training period is 12-15 weeks, but in many cases substantial improvement is seen in 4-6 weeks. The software is coded to allow a certain number of testing and training sessions (prices below). Testing sessions each last 30 minutes and each training session lasts 20 minutes. Some teams involve more than one player in a training session to maximize the funds. Each exercise in the training session takes about 1-2 minutes and surveys show that players usually spend about 12-15 minutes in the sessions. More sessions can be ordered to reload the CD when the total runs out.

Some teams use the training as part of regular practice time and others use as part of strength and conditioning segment of training. An especially nice feature is that the developers of the program will assist teams in your team’s training if you send them test results The annual service fee for the initial year’s assistance is included in the pricing for higher volume packages (200 or 500 sessions). They will help you design what is best for each person, and advise when to increase level of difficulty or number of repetitions for each visual exercise.

 

Budget conscious programs can typically get 1.5-2 times as many training sessions by allowing two people to split one session. That means a 60-session or 100-session package can work quite well for a small team with not enough funds to get the 200-session or 500-session package. The larger one is better, but the smaller one is workable. When you purchase, we can also mail you test standards, scores from an advanced skills camp we conduct for 14-18 year olds from a number of states and foreign countries, and means (averages) for a minor league baseball test group.

Vizual Edge Training - Prices
30 sessions         $199.95    Individual program
60 sessions         $299.00    Best small/medium size packet value for individuals or budget teams
100 sessions       $499.00    Terrific mid-level packet for individual or team program          

200 sessions       $1325.00  Typically for teams. Includes one year’s support.
500 sessions       $2950.00  Typically for teams. Includes one year’s support.
 

** Surveys find that well over 50% of program users also have academic improvement **

Higher Ground – POB 741 – Tifton, GA 31793    229-386-9770   bsimpson@friendlycity.net                

 

University of Nebraska Softball - 2006

                                                                    

ATTITUDES AND PERCEPTIONS OF NCAA DIVISION I SOFTBALL PLAYERS PARTICIPATING IN VISUAL EDGE PERFORMANCE TRAINING (VEPT) 07-25-06

 

Spaniol, F.J., Seiller, B.L., Kathy Puchalski

 

The purpose of this study was to investigate the attitudes and perceptions of NCAA DI softball players participating in Visual Edge Performance Training (VEPT), a software program designed to enhance visual skills.  Eleven female subjects between the ages of 18-22 participated in the survey.  The participants averaged 1.27 training sessions per week for 14.6 minutes per session for a period of 12.5 weeks.  Results from the survey indicated that 100% percent of the subjects agreed or strongly agreed that visual skills play an important role in softball performance and 100% believed the VEPT actually enhanced those skills during this study.  For example, 73% believed the VEPT increased their ability to “focus” on the ball, 54% felt the visual practice improved their concentration, while 73% agreed the training augmented their ability to “see” the ball.  Furthermore, 55% of the participants felt these increases in visual skills improved their performance on the field.  Specifically, 64% believed batting results increased, and 57% felt their fielding improved.  In addition to softball performance, 36% of the subjects indicated that VEPT had a positive influence on their academic performance, while 45% of the subjects felt their reading concentration improved.  Overall, the results of this survey indicate that a significant number of NCAA DI softball players participating in VEPT believed their visual skills improved, which they felt translated into enhanced performance.

 

 

Milwaukee Brewers Instructional League - 2006

 

ATTITUDES AND PERCEPTIONS OF PROFESSIONAL BASEBALL PLAYERS PARTICIPATING IN VIZUAL EDGE PERFORMANCE TRAINING (VEPT)

 

Spaniol, F.J., Seiller, B.L., Puchalski, K., and Bonnette, R. (2006)

 

The purpose of this study was to investigate the attitudes and perceptions of professional baseball players that participated in Vizual Edge Performance Training (VEPT), a software program designed to enhance visual skills.  During the 2006 baseball season, twenty-three male subjects between the ages of 16-26 participated in a thirteen question Likert-scale survey, which examined the perceived effectiveness of VEPT.  The participants averaged two training sessions per week for 5.13 minutes per session for a period of 9.6 weeks.  Results from the survey indicated that 100% percent of the subjects agreed or strongly agreed that visual skills play an important role in baseball performance, while 65% believed that VEPT actually enhanced those skills (30% were undecided due to limited training time).  In addition, 68% believed that VEPT improved their performance during this study and it took an average of 3.61 weeks for them to notice such improvements.  Interestingly, 100% of Latin-born players (n=6) reported that VEPT improved their performance, while 63% of American-born players (n=17) felt the same.  As a group, 65% believed that VEPT increased their ability to “focus”, 65% felt the visual practice improved their concentration, and 62% agreed the training augmented their ability to “see” the ball.  In addition, 44% reported more consistency, 48% believed batting results increased, 46% felt their fielding improved, and 35% reported superior balance.  Overall, the results of this survey indicate that a significant number of professional baseball players participating in VEPT believed their visual skills improved, which they felt translated into enhanced performance.