Author(s): Dr. Vikas Vaishnav, Dr. CD Agashe and Dr Ajay Karkare

Abstract:
It is believed that athletes need certain visual abilities to perform at the highest level. However, despite the need for understanding ocular muscle balance and visual fatigue in hockey not only for talent identification but also in sports performance, very few studies have been conducted in the past in this regard still very little information is available on effect of ocular muscle imbalance on skill ability of hockey players, hence the present study was planned. The present study was conducted to find out the effect of ocular muscle imbalance on skill ability of hockey players. 100 state level junior male hockey players (Ave. age 16.23 yrs) were selected as sample. The criteria for selection of subjects were participation in state level hockey competitions in the state of Chhattisgarh. Random sampling method was preferred choice in the present investigation. Ocular muscle imbalance was tested at Department of Ophthalmology, All India Institute of Medical Science, Raipur. To assess basic fundamental skills of hockey, three dimensional SAI Hockey Skill Testing for Talent Spotting at Young Age was used. The results clearly indicate that hockey skill ability of junior hockey players is significantly affected by ocular muscle imbalance. It was concluded that ocular muscle balance is the key factor as far as execution of basic skill in field hockey is concerned.

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