Core Four: Martial Arts
Remember that vision is not just how clearly we see or score on the letter chart. So, let’s go over them, the ‘legs’ of the Chair of Vision:
Eyes: Retinal imaging (clarity) and somatoreceptors in the eyes to provide information about where they’re pointing.
Inner Ear / Vestibular Sense: We need a sense of how the head is moving in order to properly direct gaze and predict target movement.
Body Sense / Somatosensory Inputs: Body senses from the whole body, from your toes to your neck, to provide information regarding body position in relation to visual targets of concern.
Children who struggle in school often show signs of visual dysfunction. This can be complex, including a need for optical correction (the refractive state that is less than optimal, ametropia), in addition to struggles with eye movement and targeting. Obviously, if we can’t see a target, that’s a problem. If we can see something but can’t track it, that’s a whole other problem.
Visual targeting relies on not only clear eyesight but also on first knowing where your body is situated in space. You also need a strong sense of balance and awareness of head movement- that is, we need to know if it is us moving or our subject/signal is moving to know how to adjust our eyes’ position to stay on target.
Martial Arts, in its many forms, and as a rule, can be a valuable tool in promoting strong visual targeting. This is because working on these skills has the collateral effect of building core visual skills, namely awareness and control of the full body and its movement in space, two of the three legs of the Chair of Vision.
Martial Arts are accessible, with training widely available online and in virtually every community out there. As collateral benefits, by its nature and as a rule, Martial Arts training builds confidence, self-control, attention, and discipline.
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Martial Arts – one of the Core Four activities recommended by me, Dr. B., to help encourage strong visual skills, cognition, and attention. What are these Core Four activities and why are they so helpful for child vision development? Learn more by clicking here.