May 6, 2008 11:01 am US/Central
Wheeling School Helps Athletes Keep Eye on Ball
WHEELING, Ill. (CBS) ―
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I-Trac is a vision tool designed to improve the eyesight of professional ball players and college and high school athletes.
CBS
Training their bodies is a necessity for any successful athlete, but for baseball hitters, training their eyes is even more important.
A company in Wheeling is helping the Cubs get an edge with a system called iTrac, as CBS 2's Howard Sudberry reports on how it works.
Tennis balls, marked with red and black numbers, are fired at speeds up to 150 miles an hour. Hitters call out the color and number (if they can); then the speed is slowed down, so their eye can track the ball better.
"Now, as the ball's coming in they can determine by that spin, where the ball in fact is going to end up, or where it's going to be heading to," said Vision Training director Eric Maleski.
"He can turn the machine up to 130-150 miles an hour, then all of a sudden when he turns it down to 90 mph it seems like it's coming in slow motion," said Cubs hitting coach Gerald Perry.
Eric Maleski trains the Cubs, and offered a demonstration. You're supposed to follow the ball into the catcher's glove and call out the color and number.
I did above average, according to Maleski.
"Yes, you got all the numbers, or all the colors right, and you actually got a few of the numbers which is well above average for the first time," he said.
"I like it a lot, actually. I've been doing it the last few days. I did some, usually after every homestand a lot to focus on the ball," said Cubs infielder Mike Fontenot.
"We're not teaching them how to hit, that's Gerald Perry's job, that's their job," said Maleski. "What we're able to do is how to see the ball better and trust their eyes, and to actually use their talent."
Baseball players hear it from the time they are in Little League. Keep your eye on the ball. That's easier said than done when it's being thrown at 95 miles an hour, but iTrac definitely helps. And a lot of Cubs hitters are believers. So I guess seeing is believing.
Ryan Theriot and Geovany Soto also use the system along with four other Major League teams. The Vision Training Academy in Wheeling also trains local high school and college players.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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