Over the last year South Africa have scaled the dizzy heights of international netball to the point where the national side, the SPAR Proteas, has attained an auspicious six place world-ranking.
At the heart of that climb has been the world-renowned Sherylle Calder, a Cape Town-based doctor. Over the last year, the Proteas have been exposed to her unique work as a visual skills coach and proof of the team’s ever-improving performances was very much in evidence they recently whitewashed Scotland in a three-Test series.
Prior to their SA tour, Scotland earned the reputation as giant-killers after wins over three higher world-ranked countries.
Calder has already built up a reputation worldwide as a visual skills and performance specialist of note following the stellar achievements of her clients, who count among the crème de la crème of world sports; RWC winners England (2003) and South Africa (2007), elite (rugby) athletes such as Bryan Habana and Jonny Wilkinson, and golf Major winners Ernie Els and Retief Goosen, to name a few.
Wilkinson, the fly-half who scored the winning drop-goal in the 2003 World Cup final summed up the benefits of Calder’s work: “Visual performance training has added something extra to my game. By the time I receive the ball I have two or three options.”
“My work with the Proteas is geared to ensure that they will achieve maximum performance at next year’s World Cup (NWC) in Australia,” said Calder. “I have been working with them since last year.
“The objective is visual training to improve set skills which can be used on what the players see.”
Calder maintains that her unique training allows the body to perform at its best because of what the player sees.
Given the huge demand for her services worldwide – next week she’s off to work with Els ahead of next month’s Open at Royal Liverpool, Calder cannot be a spectator at all the Proteas’ matches and she relies on recordings to study their performances.
“The netballers have responded well to the training and the challenge is to take their skills to a higher level,” said Calder, adding that over time the visual training will enhance the development of high-level skills progressively.”
Netball players coming through the ranks in South Africa are not exposed to anything like Calder’s training and as a result, the development of their skills awareness and instinct is boosted.
Photo 1 caption: SPAR Proteas Captain Maryka Holtzhausen (left), Dr Sherylle Calder and SPAR Proteas vice-captain Bongiwe Msomi (right) during the press conference at the Southern Sun Cape Sun hotel in Cape Town, on Wednesday, 18 June 2014. Photo: Reg Caldecott
Photo 2 caption: Dr Sherylle Calder of Eyegym is pictured discussing the principles used to boost the SPAR Proteas’ world ranking ahead of the Netball World Cup in Australia 2015. Photo: Reg Caldecott
(With editing by gsport)
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