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How the task works
Each item has three phases. Phase one: marking. A number of balls appear, and a few of them light up with a pulsing yellow ring for about two seconds. These are the targets you need to follow. Phase two: movement. All the balls start moving, bouncing off the edges and off each other. The rings on the targets fade until they are barely visible, so you have to keep following them with your eyes and attention. Phase three: response. When the balls stop, tap each ball you believe is a target. A wrong tap flashes red and that item is marked as a mistake.
Your points depend on how quickly you tap out the targets after the balls stop. More targets and faster taps earn more points, and every correct item has a minimum score. Accuracy always matters more than speed.
How the six levels change
- Level 1: three balls, one target, slower speed. Use it to learn the rules.
- Level 2: four balls, two targets. From here you need to follow several targets at once.
- Level 3: five balls, two targets, with more distractors.
- Level 4: six balls, three targets, a clear step up in difficulty.
- Level 5: seven balls, three targets, faster movement.
- Level 6: eight balls, four targets, high speed throughout.
Each level adds more targets, more distractors or more speed. Because these combine, the upper levels can feel like a big jump.
What it trains
In psychology this kind of task is often called multiple object tracking, and researchers use it to study how people keep track of several objects in a moving scene. It differs from the Schulte grid. Schulte is about finding things in a still picture; ball tracking is about not losing things in a moving one.
Everyday life has many similar situations: watching several cars while crossing a road, keeping track of teammates in a game, keeping an eye on a few children in a crowd. Of course, a practice game is very different from real situations, and we do not suggest treating your score as a measure of those abilities.
Practical tracking strategies
- Look at the centre of the target group. Do not jump your eyes from one target to the next; that makes it easy to lose one while checking another. Many people find it steadier to rest their gaze roughly between the targets and track the group with peripheral vision.
- Imagine the targets as a shape. Two targets form a line; three form a triangle. The shape will stretch and twist, but it is easier to follow than three separate dots.
- Collisions are the danger zone. The moment two balls bump and bounce apart is when mix-ups happen most. When a target comes close to a distractor, pay extra attention to which way each one goes.
- Do not close your eyes for long. The movement phase lasts only a few seconds, and a moment of relaxed attention can cost you a target. Blink a few times and settle your posture before you start.
What to do when you lose a target
Losing one target is very common. When responding, tap the targets you are sure of first, then make your best judgement about the uncertain one. Do not give up on the whole item because you lost one, and do not tap randomly, because wrong taps count as mistakes.
If you lose targets often at a certain level, the difficulty is a little too high for now. Step back one level and practise until tracking feels more automatic, then move up again.
Reading your results
Accuracy is the main measure for ball tracking: did you tap all the targets correctly on each item? Once accuracy is steady, start paying attention to points. Rising points usually mean you are more decisive in the response phase.
As with other tasks, a single result is affected by your state on the day. Compare your overall performance on one level across a week rather than judging one session.
When to practise
Ball tracking makes concentrated demands on visual attention. After one round, many people feel that their eyes and attention have "warmed up". It suits the time before work that requires watching a screen closely, and it rotates well with Schulte so you are not practising the same thing every day. Afterwards, rest your eyes by looking at something far away.
Frequently asked questions
Why do the target rings fade? That is deliberate. If the targets stayed clearly marked, you would only need to look for a colour, not actually track anything. Once the rings fade, you have to rely on sustained attention to tell targets from distractors, which is the whole point of the exercise.
My phone screen is small and I keep losing targets. What can I do? Try landscape mode, or use a tablet or computer. The bigger the screen, the easier it is to tell balls apart. Also hold the phone at a comfortable distance rather than very close to your face.
How many rounds a day? One or two is enough. Ball tracking is visually demanding, and if you play many rounds in a row the later ones often suffer from fatigue, which makes the feedback less useful.
Is ball tracking or Schulte better as a warm-up? If you simply want to get into focus quickly, Schulte has simpler rules and a lower barrier. If your next task involves watching changing visuals for a long time, such as editing video or reading charts, ball tracking is a good choice. You can also alternate them day by day.
Is a higher level always better? Not necessarily. The right level is the one that demands focus while you still get most items right. Chasing a high level with frequent mistakes gives you less useful practice.
Summary
Ball tracking asks you to keep a few targets in mind while everything moves. Learn the rules on the easy levels, use the group-centre and shape strategies, and pay extra attention when balls collide. Judge yourself by accuracy first and by points later, and keep sessions short so fatigue does not distort your feedback.