ORIGINAL ARTICLES   

Gazzetta Medica Italiana Archivio per le Scienze Mediche 2013 July-August;172(7-8):627-34

Copyright © 2013 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

language: English

The effectiveness of Dynavision training to improve visual motor skills of collegiate athletes: A pilot study

Cross A. K. ¹, Brockevelt B. L. ¹, Kruisselbrink A. R. ¹, Triplett A. S. ², Flett J. M. ³

¹ Department of Occupational Therapy, University of South Dakota, Vermillion, USA; ² Department of Occupational Therapy, Spencer Hospital, Spencer, USA; ³ Department of Occupational Therapy, Rapidcity Regional Hospital, Rapidcity, USA

Aim: This study examined the effectiveness of Dynavision training in improving visual motor skills of collegiate volleyball athletes.
Methods: This was a pilot study with a randomized control trial design. Seven participants were divided into a control and experimental group. Each group’s reaction time and number of hits on the board was assessed using the Dynavision apparatus at pretest and posttest. The experimental group participated in six weeks of Dynavision training, three days per week for a total of 18 interventions.
Results: Dynavision training increased the average number of hits and decreased reaction time for the experimental group. When compared at pretest and posttest, the average reaction time for the experimental group decreased by 17% and the average number of hits increased by 49.8%. Alternatively, the average reaction time for the control group decreased by only 4.2% and the average number of hits increased by 7.9% between pretest and posttest. Although the power was low (0.41), the effect size was larger than typical (ηp2=0.68).
Conclusion: The findings in this pilot study are promising concerning the effectiveness of Dynavision training in improving visual motor skills, which may generalize to improved sports performance. However, future research should be conducted in order to validate these findings with this population.