Is Eye Dominance Real in Tennis?

Chris Lewit

There is now a widespread belief in the tennis coaching world that eye dominance, where one eye is assumed to be preferred over the other for sighting, plays an important role in tennis biomechanics. But is it true and/or helpful?

The theory of ocular dominance states eye dominance should be tested and incorporated into tennis technical development decisions. But there is significant controversy about this subject. Not all coaches agree about the importance of eye dominance and many sport scientists and eye experts question the validity of the connection between eye dominance and technique.

Two highly successful coaches, Jofre Porta and Patrick Mouratoglou, plus professional trainer Paul Dorochenko, are examples of experts in the tennis world who believe in the dominant eye theory. But the question is whether it is real or myth.

This article investigates the basis for the ocular dominance theory, compares and contrasts the views of leading sport vision experts and tennis coaches. The next article will offer sensible advice on how to incorporate vision training into the Winning Pretty philosophy and approach.