Page 2 - Sports Energy News, Cornwall, Issue No 6

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Performance Headquarters:

Helping Athletes See Things More Clearly

The information comes through your
By Terry Tinkess

eyes first, which is why the term eye-
Sport at the elite level is hyper- hand coordination rather than hand/eye
competitive and getting even the coordination is used.
smallest advantage over your opponent Using the board works largely on
can be the difference between victory the athlete’s “core skills” while some
and defeat. There are many methods of the other activities implemented
which can help in this regard, but in the tend to work on more “finished” skills

past local athletes were forced to drive involving eye-hand, eye-stick or eye-
to Ottawa, Montreal or even farther to foot coordination.
take advantage of what science and “The equipment allows us to be very
technology could offer them. flexible,” says Veilleux. “So if we work

A recent addition to the Benson with a boxer like Tony Luis, we’ll work
Centre means that they can save the a certain way, if we are working with
travel time and become the best they hockey players we’ll work a certain
can be while accessing some of the way, if we work with soccer players
same training used by professional Pierre Ouellette demonstrates one of the many ways that the Dynavision we’ll work a certain way.
teams such as the New York Rangers, Board helps to develop an athlete’s ability to process information from “This is your 180 degrees, which
multiple sources. Photo by Terry Tinkess
Edmonton Oilers, Detroit Red Wings, is what we want to improve,” says
Ottawa Senators, Toronto Blue Jays Veilleux says that what really here is he is improving his ability to see Veilleux, illustrating a 180-degree field

and Edmonton Eskimos. attracted him to this technology is that faster and make decisions faster and of vision, stretching basically from
Performance Headquarters, operated it can isolate some very specific skills process information faster. The athlete shoulder to shoulder along a horizontal

by Benoit Veilleux is located on the off the playing surface that you cannot learns to multi-task, which is exactly plane. “The irony is that 180 degrees
second level near the rear of Rink One work on in a very specific way while what they are doing on the ice (or the here (indicating 180 degrees vertically)

and through visual and processing you’re practicing your sport either on fi eld.) The neat, neat thing about this as well. Where is the puck? It is right
training using a variety of high-tech the ice or the field, what ever sport it is the athlete can see how their game is here, (in the athlete’s feet) the toughest

equipment such as a Dynavision place for a human being, let alone a
is. improving.
board, they help the athlete to increase hockey player to see.”
The Dynavision board is impressive, According to Veilleux, when an
the speed in which they can process almost hypnotic even before it is put athlete is asked to multitask, and they Veilleux proceeds to demonstrate a
information. into action. There are 64 lights on the are asked to introduce their brain into number of different elements on the
“I’ve been practicing sports board, which is approximately four an activity, a number of things happen. board ranging from simply pushing
psychology for more than ten years feet by four feet. It comes with what Their motor skills slow down (an athlete on an illuminated light to turn it off,
now, twelve I think,” says Veilleux, is called a “T-scope” in the centre, is very quick in practice but appears to to having to choose between red and
“and I’ve always looked for something and this is actually a computer screen slow down in game action), they can green when deciding which to turn
to improve the ability of athletes to through which data is presented to experience tunneling (tunnel vision), off.
be at their best, to try and isolate their the athlete. It is fully programmable and they lose the ability to process It gets even more interesting when
mental skills to be able to perform at through the associated software and an verbal cues (they are so absorbed that the athlete has to decide which colour
the best of their ability. to turn off, but only in a predetermined
ordinary computer. they don’t hear instructions.)
“A few years ago I started researching quadrant while also watching the
“The neat thing about this is that it The training also helps to improve
and making phone calls to people who allows you to work on your peripheral the speed and span of recognition T-Scope for a six-digit numeric
were doing similar stuff to me, and I awareness, it allows you to work on the athlete enjoys. Speed and span of sequence that flashes for perhaps a

was directed towards this company your time reaction, and it allows you recognition is the ability to see at a tenth of a second, calling it out while
with this equipment and I soon realized to be able to work on your ability to glance what is happening, and then continuing to turn off the correct
that this was what was missing for me colour light. Do all of the above
process information,” says Veilleux. turn away and still be able to imagine
to achieve some of my goals with my “What we believe the athlete is doing how the play will continue to unfold.
athletes. continued on page 11
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Loca P o e

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