Robust data capture and analysis
We provide solutions for examining sports performance — whether you are conducting a study on a football field, ski run, or a lab. Our solutions deliver robust data, enable freedom of movement, and are easy to use.
Sports performance research
Eye tracking in sports performance research
Knowing where and when to look is crucial for the execution of a skilled motor action. Our eye tracking solutions capture gaze behavior data that can be used for developing improved training programs, assessment methods, and injury prevention strategies.
Why use eye tracking?
When examining sports performance, there is a difference between looking and seeing. Training athletes to see the most relevant aspects of the target can enhance their trajectory estimation, visual search, and decision-making skills. These perceptual-cognitive processes are now accessible for objective evaluation with eye tracking technology.
What you can measure with eye tracking
Tobii Pro Glasses 3 combined with our analysis software Tobii Pro Lab are all you need to run sports performance studies and acquire quantitative data underlying perceptual-cognitive skills, including:
Decision making
Study visual cues that influence decision-making in real-time. Improve strategic thinking and decision-making process by identifying information overlooked to tunnel vision.
Focus
Train athletes to focus on the most relevant aspects of stimulus and enhance their anticipation, hand-eye coordination, or trajectory estimation skills.
Visual search strategy
Analyze gaze patterns of an effective search strategy for locating relevant targets and opportunities during a game.
Attention
Increase the efficiency of athletes’ gaze behavior by directing their eye movements to information-rich areas of sports scenes.
Ability to read the game
Learn how players anticipate and interpret game dynamics, improving their tactical awareness.
Quiet eye
Relatively long final fixation on a target is linked to successful performance in precision sports like golf and shooting. Study and improve this gaze strategy with eye tracking.
Fields of research
Sports analytics Sports analytics
Coaching and training Coaching and training
Rehabilitation Rehabilitation
Sports psychology Sports psychology
Motor control Motor control
Sports medicine Sports medicine
The benefits of eye tracking
Shortcut the learning curve
Elite athletes, judges, and coaches demonstrate superior visual search strategies compared to novices in many sports and disciplines, including ice hockey, football, and karate. Use eye tracking to study how life-long training influences one’s ability to read the game and use this knowledge to shortcut the learning curve from novice to expert.
Improve hand-eye coordination
Efficient visual-motor coordination is crucial for high athletic performance in sports like rock climbing, tennis, and darts. Tobii eye trackers are compatible with many motion capture solutions, for example, Qualisys. The combination of eye tracking and motion capture will help you gather insights about athletes’ hand-eye coordination into improved training strategies.
Research setups for sports research
Wearable for the real world
Tobii Pro Glasses 3 wearable eye tracker allows complete freedom of movement, which is crucial when studying athletic performance. The lightweight design of the glasses, coupled with a wireless connection, allows participants to perform their sport as usual.
Screen-based for the lab
For lab environments, our screen-based eye trackers, Tobii Pro Fusion and Tobii Pro Spark, can be combined with Tobii Pro Lab to study athletes’ perceptual-cognitive processes.
Screen-based for the field
In the field, you can connect the plug-and-play
Tobii Pro Spark eye tracker to a screen in, say football Video Operation Rooms (VOR), or any other location where study participants are readily available. Works together with Tobii Pro Lab to gather insights on gaze behavior.
Uncover the winning formula of sports performance research
Sports science at the frontier of elite athletic performance
Dr. Adam Kiefer highlights the importance of physiological, emotional and perceptual-cognitive behavior in elite sports performance training.
Examining quiet eye with elite athletes
Quiet eye is being introduced in athlete training in a range of sports to peak performance through improved concentration and reduced stress.
Eye tracking in football — getting an edge on the field
Technology continues to narrow the margins between winning and losing. Eye tracking allows coaches and trainers to see what their players see.
Elite Bundesliga VARs — how do they make decisions?
Michael Schoenes shares the details of a trial carried out on live Bundesliga matches and how our technology helps to reveal the decision-making processes of football VARs.
Eye tracking in sports performance research
How to use wearable eye tracking to research sports performance and other applications that include safety helmets or other kinds of protective gear.
Using eye tracking to analyze surfers’ gaze patterns
Under the name Vision in Motion (VIM), several researchers from different areas of sports science combined their existing research constructs to study perceptual-cognitive expertise in surfing using both eye tracking and motion analysis technology.
How to use eye tracking data in sports performance
Wearable eye tracking is a fantastic tool to dig into the cognitive processes that occur when out on the ice, hitting a ball, or judging a performance.
Scientific publications
Did you know that over 12,000 scientific publications feature Tobii eye tracking technology? Discover the latest trends in eye tracking for Sports research by exploring our scientific publication library.
Related products
Tobii Pro Glasses 3
Designed for the real world, our third-generation wearable eye tracker allows you to conduct behavioral research in a wide range of settings.
Tobii Pro Spark
A powerful screen-based eye tracker, capturing gaze data at 60 Hz. With this affordable system, anyone can easily enhance their research with data that illuminates human attention and intent.
Tobii Pro Lab
Tobii Pro Lab, our eye tracking software supporting screen-based and wearable eye trackers. Guides the researcher through the entire research workflow.
Tobii Pro Fusion
Screen-based eye tracker, capturing gaze data at speeds up to 250 Hz. This powerful research system supports from fixation to saccade-based research outside of the lab.
Enabling success
We offer tailored support to address research needs throughout your journey with our eye tracking solutions.
Tobii Funding support services
Help you improve your grant proposals for research that includes eye tracking in its methodology
Tobii Connect
Product documentation, how-to guides, FAQs, and access to software updates. Our customer care services help with any technical issues with our products.
Tobii Academy
Our online learning platform helping you ensure study success at every step of the way, from study design to interpreting your eye tracking data.