Credit: Rick DikemanElite athletes are not just stronger, faster or more agile than their peers; their visual learning skills are also a cut above.
Jocelyn Faubert from the University of Montreal found that professional football, ice hockey, and rugby players were significantly better than amateurs or non-athletes at processing a fast-moving, complicated scene. And as the three groups practiced, the pros widened their advantage even further.
“During a game, athletes are always confronted by situations where they have to keep track of teammates or opponents,” said Faubert. An exceptional ability to do this might be part of what separates the greats from their peers, he added.
“They aren’t just better because they’ve had more practice, although there’s that too,” said Andrew Wilson, a perceptual psychologist at Leeds Metropolitan University in the United Kingdom who was not involved in the study. “They are also better because they learn faster. Like ...
