HOW TO IMPROVE OCULAR-MANUAL MOTOR COORDINATION IN AN DEVELOPMENTAL EXAMPLE, THROUGH THE PRACTICE OF BASKETBALL AND VOLLEYBALL

Abstract

Ocular-manual coordination can be defined as the ability that allows us performing tasks involving the use of both our eyes and hands at the same time. We use our eyes for direct attention and our hands to perform a certain activity. Ocular-manual coordination is a set of cognitive abilities, and should guide our hand movements based on sight and feedback. The development of ocular-manual coordination is particularly important for normal child development and school learning. It is key for the development of literacy and, moreover, we use it in an infinite number of activities of our daily life, such as when we cook, draw, insert the credit card into the ATM, type on the keyboard of the computer, launch and/or collect items. In fact, when we drive, we use ocular-manual coordination in an uninterrupted way: based on the information on the journey we perceive through the eyes, the hands constantly act on the steering wheel.

Almost all the activities of our daily life require this type of coordination, so it is important to stimulate and improve it. It is usually stimulated in preschool and childhood for the development of thin and thick psychomotor skills, but it is also crucial in adulthood.