Dr Sherylle Calder explains to KARLA DE BOD how she uses EyeGym, a practical digital tool, to train people’s eyes, brains and bodies to make faster and smarter decisions.
LAUNCHED IN 1996 by world-renowned visual performance specialist Dr Sherylle Calder, EyeGym is a Stellenbosch- based performance innovation that is grounded in more than 30 years of research. At its core, EyeGym is a web-based training programme that sharpens the ability to see, process, respond and decide – all critical skills for success in sport, learning, work and everyday life.
A Visionary in Visual Performance
After obtaining her BSc (Hons) in Human Movement Studies and her MSc in Sport Science from Stellenbosch University, Sherylle went on to study Exercise and Sports Medicine at the University of Cape Town and is now the only person in the world who has a formal PhD in Visual Performance Skills Training. She has been involved in visual fitness for more than 30 years, but her passion for the science developed long before her professional journey began.
Dr Sherylle Calder, renowned visual performance specialist and founder of EyeGym, a web-based training programme that sharpens the ability to see, process, respond and decide.
“As a really young kid, I was always intrigued by why you do what you do and what you can do to impact your performance,” Sherylle reminisces. “I used to create these games where I experimented with different activities. Through that, I created these skills for myself and it got to a point where I realised I was seeing differently.”
Sherylle has always believed that effective coaching and training must be grounded in research and evidence. This led her to pursue her PhD, for which she set out to prove that training the eyes, brain and body in an integrated way can significantly enhance performance.
In 2003, the critical skill of decision-making under pressure was integrated into her coaching and training while she was working with England Rugby. Since then, she has pioneered the development of visual intelligence in sport, business and education, and boasts a wide array of elite clients.
Sherylle’s work spans five continents and she’s trained athletes in more than 40 disciplines, from golf, rugby, hockey and cricket to sailing, skiing, NFL, polocrosse, ice hockey and Formula 1.
Beyond sport, she’s consulted for Discovery Insure, law firms, logistics companies and local schools, proving EyeGym’s wide-ranging visual decision-making benefits.
Whether used to help a student read, comprehend and focus better in class, an athlete intercept a pass or a driver avoid an accident, EyeGym is built on one simple principle: See better. Perform better.
See Better. Perform Better.
“You need your eyes to take in information that you can base a decision on, and you need your brain to comprehend the information and to give it back,” Sherylle explains.
“Sportsmen have to see, respond and make decisions. Kids have to do exactly the same. So we can make you learn better and we can make you play sport better.”
In working with schools like Rhenish Girls’ High School and Paul Roos Gymnasium, and the ACE learners at Stellenbosch Primary, Sherylle found that many students lacked foundational visual-cognitive skills. Fortunately, she also knew that these skills were entirely trainable.
Sherylle warms up with Bryan Habana ahead of a game.
“At EyeGym we teach that these skills – seeing, processing, responding, decision- making – are trainable skills. They’re not skills you’re born with or not born with,” she says. “We can improve students’ sporting ability, as well as their general awareness of what’s happening around them in their daily life.”
By training visual-cognitive skills, EyeGym helps students upgrade both their athletic performance and their academic ability, leading to better results across the board.
From Classrooms to World Cups
Now a fully web-based programme, EyeGym offers customised assessments, tailored training plans and real-time progress tracking, all with global accessibility.
With 80% of Sherylle’s clients based inter- nationally, EyeGym has become a convenient and adaptable tool for elite athletes, executives and schoolchildren alike.
The idea of creating an accessible online programme took shape during Sherylle’s time with the All Blacks in the early 2000s when she realised that, because of their demanding training and travel schedules, even elite athletes needed to be monitored consistently.
“Initially, we do an online assessment and see what their skills are and then we design a training programme for them. And you can do it anywhere in the world,” she explains. “I can send them programmes and assessments, design tailored programmes, monitor them and track whether they did or didn’t train.”
While EyeGym is now readily accessible online, Sherylle’s greatest career highlights came from working face to face with some of South Africa’s most renowned sportsmen, including the Springboks’ Bryan Habana and pro-golfer Ernie Els.
Famous for his intercepts during the 2007 Rugby World Cup, in which he was named Player of the Tournament, Bryan often credits Sherylle for his performance, having worked with her for three years in the lead-up to the event.
She smiles as she recalls Bryan’s words to her: “Thank you for making my eyes as quick as my feet.”
Fast-forward to 2012, when Ernie Els was competing in a golf tournament. Watching from the crowd, Sherylle noticed his putting wasn’t up to par and knew she could help change that. “Although I saw that Ernie was under pressure while putting, I could also see magic in his hands,” she recalls.
Later that day, Sherylle approached Ernie and assured him that with six months of training, she could help him win a major – and he went on to claim victory at the British Open that very year. “Ernie’s work ethic was amazing. He put in the work and got the results and I was absolutely privileged to go through those six months with him,” she says.
EyeGym in the Workplace
Beyond sport, EyeGym trains individuals working in office environments and on the road, with clients ranging from insurance providers and trucking companies to law firms and banks. “We train the same four components in the workplace as on the field: how you take in information, how you see, how you process and how you make decisions,” says Sherylle. “All things we do in life every day, but EyeGym trains you to do them more effectively.”
EyeGym’s ongoing work with trucking companies has delivered impressive results. By enhancing drivers’ awareness, judgement, responsiveness and decision-making skills under pressure, Discovery Insure, a former EyeGym client, recorded a significant reduction in accident-related claims.
While EyeGym aims to promote productivity and help clients achieve better results across all fields, it also seeks to reduce the effects of overuse of digital devices. “If your skills are deteriorating from excessive use of digital devices, you can’t expect to work effectively or think on your feet,” says Sherylle.
“At EyeGym, irrespective of your device usage, we can help you absorb information more effectively, comprehend better and make smarter decisions in your work environment.”
Antidote To Digital Overuse
It’s not just in the workplace that, according to Sherylle, too much time is spent on digital devices. Training your visual-cognitive skills helps reduce the negative effects of overusing digital devices, especially smartphones.
However, whether or not you train with EyeGym, she still recommends that people minimise their use of digital devices as much as possible.
“I recommend people take what I call digital timeouts,” she advises. “You should almost force yourself to not be on your smartphone all the time and be more aware of your surroundings.”
Impacting Lives And Performance
When she’s not on the sports field, in the office or heading out to meet a client, Sherylle is usually waiting for a call to do just that. And that’s exactly how she prefers it.
“I am pretty much on call 24/7,” she says with a smile. “But I love what I do. And I know I’m impacting people’s lives and performance, and changing lives for the better.”
As EyeGym continues to transform the lives of people across the board, from elite athletes, students and scholars to everyday people and working professionals, Sherylle remains driven by a simple belief: better vision gives you the edge. And with the science to back it, she’s expanding the reach of what is possible.
“I hope a lot more people will start to do EyeGym, because I know what a difference it will make in their lives.”