year 14, Issue 1 (Continuously Updated 2026)
Ann Appl Sport Sci 2026, 14(1): 0-0 |
Back to browse issues page
Download citation:
BibTeX | RIS | EndNote | Medlars | ProCite | Reference Manager | RefWorks
Send citation to:
BibTeX | RIS | EndNote | Medlars | ProCite | Reference Manager | RefWorks
Send citation to:
Mohlakoana M R, Millard L, Breukelman G. A Systematic Review of Visual Hardware and Software Skills in Combat Sports: Evidence and Gaps. Ann Appl Sport Sci 2026; 14 (1)
URL: http://aassjournal.com/article-1-1675-en.html
URL: http://aassjournal.com/article-1-1675-en.html
1- Department of Human Movement Science, University of Zululand, KwaDlangezwa 3886, South Africa , mohlakoana.keke@gmail.com
2- Department of Human Movement Science, University of Zululand, KwaDlangezwa 3886, South Africa
2- Department of Human Movement Science, University of Zululand, KwaDlangezwa 3886, South Africa
Abstract: (12 Views)
Background. Combat sports place demands on athletes’ visual systems due to the need for rapid perception, anticipation, and decision-making under conditions of temporal pressure and physical threat. Visual hardware and software skills are, therefore, considered critical contributors to performance.
Objectives. The objective was to systematically synthesize existing research on these skills in combat sports, identify their relevance to performance, and highlight methodological strengths, limitations, and gaps within the current evidence base.
Methods. Studies were obtained from various databases, including PubMed, ScienceDirect, Google Scholar, and SPORTDiscus. The search focused on systematic reviews, meta-analyses, and empirical studies published between 1990 and 2025.
Results. A total of 21 articles were included in the review after the removal of duplicates and the full-text review process. The reviewed literature demonstrates that combat sport athletes generally show superior performance in several visual domains, including reaction time, anticipation accuracy, visual attention, depth perception, and hand–eye coordination, compared with non-athletes or less skilled counterparts. Both visual hardware and software skills were consistently associated with sport-specific performance indicators. However, findings were limited by small sample sizes, male-dominated cohorts, cross-sectional designs, laboratory-based tasks with limited ecological validity, and inconsistent reporting of effect sizes and protocols.
Conclusion. The evidence supports the central role of visual skills in successful performance in combat sports. While current findings justify the integration of visual assessment and training into combat sport preparation, stronger causal evidence is required. Future research should prioritize longitudinal and intervention-based designs, standardized and sport-specific visual assessments, and more experimental studies on diverse combat sport athletes.
Objectives. The objective was to systematically synthesize existing research on these skills in combat sports, identify their relevance to performance, and highlight methodological strengths, limitations, and gaps within the current evidence base.
Methods. Studies were obtained from various databases, including PubMed, ScienceDirect, Google Scholar, and SPORTDiscus. The search focused on systematic reviews, meta-analyses, and empirical studies published between 1990 and 2025.
Results. A total of 21 articles were included in the review after the removal of duplicates and the full-text review process. The reviewed literature demonstrates that combat sport athletes generally show superior performance in several visual domains, including reaction time, anticipation accuracy, visual attention, depth perception, and hand–eye coordination, compared with non-athletes or less skilled counterparts. Both visual hardware and software skills were consistently associated with sport-specific performance indicators. However, findings were limited by small sample sizes, male-dominated cohorts, cross-sectional designs, laboratory-based tasks with limited ecological validity, and inconsistent reporting of effect sizes and protocols.
Conclusion. The evidence supports the central role of visual skills in successful performance in combat sports. While current findings justify the integration of visual assessment and training into combat sport preparation, stronger causal evidence is required. Future research should prioritize longitudinal and intervention-based designs, standardized and sport-specific visual assessments, and more experimental studies on diverse combat sport athletes.
Keywords: Visual Skills, Combat Sport, Reaction Time, Visual Hardware Skills, Visual Software Skills
Full-Text [PDF 563 kb]
(6 Downloads)
APPLICABLE REMARKS
APPLICABLE REMARKS
- This review offers the importance of visual hardware and software skills for combat sport performance. There is a consistent body of cross-sectional, comparative, and controlled experimental studies across multiple combat sports. While findings converge on the performance relevance of reaction time, anticipation, visual attention, depth perception, and hand–eye coordination, the predominance of non-randomized and cross-sectional designs limits causal inference.
- Vision is a trainable and performance-relevant capacity. Intervention and perceptual–cognitive training studies provide evidence that selected visual and perceptual skills can be enhanced and transferred to sport-specific performance. However, variability in training protocols and limited randomized controlled trials prevent classification as high-level evidence.
- Rationale for integrating sport-specific visual assessment and training into athlete development. The recommendation is supported by converging empirical findings and applied training studies demonstrating associations between visual skill proficiency and performance. While direct cause–and–effect relationships are not uniformly established, the applied relevance is justified within current sport science practice.
Type of Study: Review Article |
Subject:
Sport Physiology and its related branches
Received: 2025/10/28 | Accepted: 2026/01/20
Received: 2025/10/28 | Accepted: 2026/01/20
Send email to the article author
| Rights and permissions | |
 |
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. |
