SVT - Questions & Answers

Below is a list of questions that clients have asked over the years regarding the SVT^TM. The answers are the personal opinions of Pierre Elmurr.

 

1. How is the SVT used to help injured athletes? Is the improvement
accelerated by use of the SVT?

 

From rehabilitation perceptive the answer is yes. If an athlete has been injured for an extended period of time, you can use the SVT to re-process and tune up their reflexes. For example I have a rugby league player who had a shoulder reconstruction and was out for 12 weeks once he regained shoulder motion we started SVT training as part of his rehabilitation.  

2. Have you tried other hand eye coordination tests and how does the SVT
compare?

 

 In 1994 I purchased an Acuvision 1000. I had a honors student conduct the research and we found the device to be valid. However there where significant limitations in its capabilities so in 1999 I started developing the SVT while I was completing my master’s degree. The Acuvision 1000 is no longer available.   

3. Which works better of the 3 programs?

 

I always test in proaction and train in reaction. Although the software has preset programs the excellent advantage is you can design any sequence of lights to appear. Even if you are working with a boxer you can design 3 lights to mimic a “Jab, Jab then a hook” as opposed to say a soccer goalkeeper where you program peripheral lights only.  

4. Has the SVT been used by other athletes in different fields and which
fields show the greatest improvement in hand-eye co ordination.

 

I assume you are referring to visual fields? If an athlete mentions that he is slow to a particular movement (eg. slow to the right) we can develop training program for that side. Sometimes we see weaknesses in certain areas and we can train them accordingly. As I mentioned previously the software is extremely flexible for designing programs that meets the requirements of many athletes covering a wide range of sports.  

5. Which players show the most improvement in reaction times and did this
correlate to performance on the pitch? Are some athletes more responsive or
unresponsive to it?

 

Over the years I have used the SVT with athletes covering a wide range of sports including:

Rugby Union

Rugby League

Aussie Rules (AFL)

Baseball

Cricket

Softball

Tennis

Martial Arts

Basketball

Soccer & water polo goalkeepers

 

Responsiveness really comes down to the motivation of the athlete. We have had excellent responses from many athletes. The SVT is exclusively used by the New South Wales Institute of Sport for training many high performance athletes and athletes like the challenge the SVT presents to them. Sports performance is mutli-factorial so we do not make claims that the SVT improves on-field performance instead eye-hand coordination is one of many skills that is required to compete and perform consistently. We aim to improve the processing time of the CNS in responding to stimuli, in this case by using sensory and motor input.  

  

6. How often is the SVT used? Have you used it passed the recommended 5
weeks? If so does performance continue to improve of stabilize?

 

The 5 week training program (3 times a week) can be used in lead up to competition or in the preseason to prepare athletes. We have shown that after 5 weeks you can go up to 10 weeks without training on the SVT and you can maintain good levels of reaction times scores. However I recommend after the 5 weeks of training that athletes train on the unit once a week if possible  

 

7. Is there any significant improvement in the athlete’s non dominant side
times? Does this improve any more or less than the dominant side?

 

The research has shown that statistically you get an improvement on both sides however the improvement was greater on the dominant side.

8. Do the players have their vision screened at any time during their
training? Can training be improved with the player’s ammetropia correction.
first or does it not have a bearing on the results?

 

All my athletes have to have a comprehensive sports vision eye examination before proceeding to SVT training. If there is any significant refractive error then this should be corrected when training on the SVT.

9. Have there been any research papers written on the sat, apart from the
one on your website?

 

After developing the SVT technology I gave our original model to an independent Institute to scientifically validity the SVT. There are a number of studies in progress globally but they are get to be published or made available to the public.

10. What type of athletes do you see in practice? Pros or amateurs? Are they
willing to pay the fees for the recommended time?

 

As mentioned previously I see many athletes covering a wide range of sports. Besides offering them the sports vision examination and SVT training I also provide advice and supply of sunglasses. I see both Professional and Amateur athletes. If they are motivated then they will pay for the service, sometimes with the professional athletes their club pay’s for the training.