The Perception & Action Podcast - Sports Science & Psychology Talk

A discussion with Shawn Myszka, movement skills trainer for the National Football League. We discuss connecting research and practice, technique change, dealing with injury, choking under pressure and look at the constraints lead or dynamic systems approach to skill acquisition.    More information about my guest: https://footballbeyondthestats.wordpress.com/ http://www.optimizemovement.com/sq/35323-movement-mastery-intro https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCI0sfP6vEMuR-EyC673uplg   More information: http://perceptionaction.com/ My Research Gate Page (pdfs of my articles) My ASU Web page Podcast Facebook page (videos, pics, etc) Twitter: @Shakeywaits Email: robgray@asu.edu   Credits: The Flamin' Groovies - Shake Some Action Lo Fi is Hi Fi - I’m on a Talk Show Mark Lanegan - Saint Louis Elegy via freemusicarchive.org

The second installment of My Head Training Journey where I examine whether a smart phone app can improve sports performance. Does the luge game race to the finish or going flying off the track?  My first episode on this topic can be found here: http://perceptionaction.com/11d   Articles/Links: http://headtrainer.com/#/ As soon as the bat met the ball, I knew it was gone”: Outcome prediction, hindsight bias, and the representation and control of action in expert and novice baseball players Visual and skill effects on soccer passing performance, kinematics, and outcome estimations   More information: http://perceptionaction.com/ My Research Gate Page (pdfs of my articles) My ASU Web page Podcast Facebook page (videos, pics, etc) Twitter: @Shakeywaits Email: robgray@asu.edu   Credits: The Flamin' Groovies - Shake Some Action Mark Lanegan - Saint Louis Elegy via freemusicarchive.org  

How prevalent are superstitious rituals in sports e.g., always wearing the same socks, eating the same meal or listening to the same music on game day? Do they serve actually serve a purpose?   Articles: Superstitious behavior in sport: Levels of effectiveness and determinants of use in three collegiate sports Superstitious Behavior Among American and Japanese Professional Baseball Players   More information: http://www.perceptionactionpodcast.libsyn.com/ My Research Gate Page (pdfs of my articles) My ASU Web page Podcast Facebook page (videos, pics, etc) Twitter: @Shakeywaits Email: robgray@asu.edu   Credits: Port City Music – Night Terrors Out of Orion – Horror House Little Debbie – Halloween Instrumental Aritus –Path of Witches Shrink - Fearworks Blik – Halloween Rendezvous Nightfall-Psicodreams Lullaby for the Darkness - Psicodreams Monk Turner –Halloween Night     via freemusicarchive.org 

Recovering from an injury can be one of the most difficult challenges an athlete can face.  In this episode I discuss two topics related to this issue. First, I look at the growing epidemic that is sport related concussions  and consider issues related to detection, assessment, multiple concussion syndrome, and when an athlete can return to play.  Second, I discuss the role of attention in recovery from knee and elbow injuries and how we might get an athlete to stop being overly focused on their injury.   Technically Challenged: A few podcast recommendations   Links to articles discussed: Sport-related concussions: a review of epidemiology, challenges in diagnosis, and potential risk factors Neuropsychological testing for sports-related concussion: how athletes can sandbag their baseline testing without detection Perceptual relearning of complex visual motion after V1 damage in humans The effects of attentional focus on jump performance and knee joint kinematics in patients after ACL reconstruction   Other po

Dynavision is a visual training device that has been marketed for improving sports performance and has been around for roughly 25 years.  It has received a lot of anecdotal support from athlete but what does the research say about its effectiveness.  Surely, in 25 years there must be a ton of studies that have evaluated it? What can we learn from this case study of visual training in sport?   Articles: High-Performance Vision Training Improves Batting Statistics for University of Cincinnati Baseball Players An Exploratory Study of the Potential Effects of Vision Training on Concussion Incidence in Football The impact of a sports vision training program in youth field hockey players The influence of sport goggles on visual target detection in female intercollegiate athletes L-alanyl-L-glutamine ingestion maintains performance during a competitive basketball game   More information: http://perceptionaction.com/ My Research Gate Page (pdfs of my articles) My ASU Web page Podcast Facebook page (videos, pics, etc)

A discussion with Alana D’Andrade, Director of Business Development for Fitlight Sport Corporation whose main product is the Fitlight Trainer, a system designed to improve an athlete’s reaction time, speed, agility and awareness. Along with exploring the Fitlight Trainer in detail, we also discuss the value of research validation for products like this and what it’s like to be a part of the rapidly expanding sports technology industry.   More information about product discussed: http://www.fitlighttraining.com/ https://twitter.com/fitlighttrainer   More information: http://perceptionaction.com/ My Research Gate Page (pdfs of my articles) My ASU Web page Podcast Facebook page (videos, pics, etc) Twitter: @Shakeywaits Email: robgray@asu.edu   Credits: The Flamin' Groovies - Shake Some Action Lo Fi is Hi Fi - I’m on a Talk Show Mark Lanegan - Saint Louis Elegy via freemusicarchive.org  

News: Do sports help protect against the effects of ageing? Can observing the performance of a novice hurt the actions of an expert?  Articles: Sports can protect dynamic visual acuity from aging: A study with young and older judo and karate martial arts athletes Watching novice action degrades expert motor performance: Causation between action production and outcome prediction of observed actions by humans Hitting is contagious: experience and action induction   More information: http://www.perceptionactionpodcast.libsyn.com/ My Research Gate Page (pdfs of my articles) My ASU Web page Podcast Facebook page (videos, pics, etc) Twitter: @Shakeywaits Email: robgray@asu.edu Credits: Bored With Four – Kung Fu JC Brooks & The Uptown Sound – Bad News Learning Music - Contagious  via freemusicarchive.org     

Does making an athlete wait longer to perform a high pressure action (e.g., icing the kicker in football) increase the chance of them choking?  If so, why does it occur?   Articles: Haste does not always make waste: Expertise, direction of attention, and speed versus accuracy in performing sensorimotor skills Pressure Kicks in the NFL: An Archival Exploration into the Deployment of Timeouts and Other Environmental Correlates   More information: http://perceptionaction.com/ My Research Gate Page (pdfs of my articles) My ASU Web page Podcast Facebook page (videos, pics, etc) Twitter: @Shakeywaits Email: robgray@asu.edu   Credits: The Flamin' Groovies - Shake Some Action Mark Lanegan - Saint Louis Elegy via freemusicarchive.org    

I tackle what has been one of the most interesting and contentious issues in sports psychology: hot and cold streaks in performance. Does the hot hand exist? What is the best way to get out a slump?  Is an athlete’s ability to perform under pressure influenced by the streak they are on?   What Grinds My Gears: Interviewing fails   Links to articles discussed: The Hot Hand In Basketball: On the Misperception of Random Sequences Twenty years of ‘hot hand’ research: Review and critique The hot hand reconsidered: A meta-analytic approach The Hot and Cold Hand in Volleyball: Individual Expertise Differences in a Video-Based Playmaker Decision Test Interactions between performance pressure, performance streaks, and attentional focus   More information: http://www.perceptionactionpodcast.libsyn.com/ My Research Gate Page (pdfs of my articles) My ASU Web page Podcast Facebook page (videos, pics, etc) Twitter: @Shakeywaits Email: robgray@asu.edu   Credits: The Flamin' Groovies - Shake Some Action The Agrarians – We Ru

Can training with the new HeadTrainer app make you a better athlete?  The beginning of my “head training journey” (http://perceptionactionpodcast.libsyn.com/join-me-on-my-head-training-journey) where I dig into the science behind this first game in this app.   Links to articles discussed: http://headtrainer.com/#/ Reaction times and anticipatory skills of karate athletes Perceptual-cognitive skill training and its transfer to expert performance in the field: Future research directions   How to Listen & Subscribe to The Perception Action Podcast: http://perceptionactionpodcast.libsyn.com/podcast/how-to-listen-and-subscribe-to-the-perception-action-podcast-0   More information: http://www.perceptionactionpodcast.libsyn.com/ My Research Gate Page (pdfs of my articles) My ASU Web page Podcast Facebook page (videos, pics, etc) Twitter: @Shakeywaits Email: robgray@asu.edu   Credits: The Flamin' Groovies - Shake Some Action Mark Lanegan - Saint Louis Elegy via freemusicarchive.org    

A discussion with Robert Gronbeck, owner and coach at Cairns Sport Performance Clinic in Australia. Covering topics including: being an entrepreneur in sports psychology, perceptual-cognitive training using multiple object tracking, evaluating concussions, and the relationship (and often lack thereof) between basic research and practice in sports.    More information about my guest: http://www.cairnssportsperformanceclinic.com.au/ https://www.linkedin.com/pub/robert-gronbeck/6a/245/844 More information about products discussed: http://neurotracker.net/   How to Listen & Subscribe to The Perception Action Podcast: http://perceptionactionpodcast.libsyn.com/podcast/how-to-listen-and-subscribe-to-the-perception-action-podcast-0   More information: http://www.perceptionactionpodcast.libsyn.com/ My Research Gate Page (pdfs of my articles) My ASU Web page Podcast Facebook page (videos, pics, etc) Twitter: @Shakeywaits Email: robgray@asu.edu   Credits: The Flamin' Groovies - Shake Some Action Lo Fi is Hi Fi - I’m

News: Do good endurance athlete have superior perceptual and cognitive skills? Why do we sometimes do exactly the thing we are trying to avoid under pressure?  Articles: It’s a Matter of Mind! Cognitive Functioning Predicts the Athletic Performance in Ultra-Marathon Runners Don’t Miss, Don’t Miss, D’oh! Performance When Anxious Suffers Specifically Where Least Desired   More information: http://www.perceptionactionpodcast.libsyn.com/ My Research Gate Page (pdfs of my articles) My ASU Web page Podcast Facebook page (videos, pics, etc) Twitter: @Shakeywaits Email: robgray@asu.edu   Credits: JC Brooks & The Uptown Sound – Bad News  via freemusicarchive.org     

Is it better to play and home or on the road in a sudden death playoff game?  Is the “home choke” real?   Links to articles discussed: Paradoxical effects of supportive audiences on performance under pressure Disputing the effects of championship pressures and home audiences The home disadvantage in championship competitions: team sports The “Home Advantage” in Athletic Competitions   How to Listen & Subscribe to The Perception Action Podcast: http://perceptionactionpodcast.libsyn.com/podcast/how-to-listen-and-subscribe-to-the-perception-action-podcast-0   More information: http://www.perceptionactionpodcast.libsyn.com/ My Research Gate Page (pdfs of my articles) My ASU Web page Podcast Facebook page (videos, pics, etc) Twitter: @Shakeywaits Email: robgray@asu.edu   Credits: The Flamin' Groovies - Shake Some Action Mark Lanegan - Saint Louis Elegy via freemusicarchive.org  

We have all seen it.  A great athlete has a chance to win a championship.  All that is required for them to do something they have done hundreds of times before…sink a 3 foot putt, make a free throw, kick a 20 year field goal. And they miss!  In this episode I explore the fascinating topic of choking under pressure. Why do some athletes excel in these situations while others fail?  What causes choking and want can an athlete do to prevent it? Research confessions: Choking under pressure while talking about choking under pressure    Links to articles discussed: Test anxiety and direction of attention Choking under pressure: self-consciousness and paradoxical effects of incentives on skillful performance Paradoxical effects of supportive audiences on performance under pressure: The home field disadvantage in sports championships Thoughts and attention of athletes under pressure: skill-focus or performance worries? Attending to the Execution of a Complex Sensorimotor Skill: Expertise Differences, Choking, and Sl

This past Friday one of my personal favorite sporting events kicked off…the Rugby World Cup.  The NFL Football season is also of course now in full swing.  So, which sport has the bigger hits: football or rugby?   Links to articles discussed: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W7tGY-VDx3o http://www.sportingnews.com/nfl/story/2015-09-11/jarryd-hayne-49ers-nfl-rugby-league-running-back-position-cut-san-francisco-monday-night-football http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/3423412/jarryd-hayne Perceiving and acting upon spaces in a VR rugby task: expertise effects in affordance detection and task achievement.   How to Listen & Subscribe to The Perception Action Podcast: http://perceptionactionpodcast.libsyn.com/podcast/how-to-listen-and-subscribe-to-the-perception-action-podcast-0   More information: http://www.perceptionactionpodcast.libsyn.com/ My Research Gate Page (pdfs of my articles) My ASU Web page Podcast Facebook page (videos, pics, etc) Twitter: @Shakeywaits Email: robgray@asu.edu   Credits: The Flamin'

News: Do NBA All Stars run further and faster? Do in-car technologies make drivers complacent?  Articles: Exploring Game Performance in the National Basketball Association Using Player Tracking Data How does a collision warning system shape driver's brake response time? The influence of expectancy and automation complacency on real-life emergency braking Google car accident data   More information: http://www.perceptionactionpodcast.libsyn.com/ My Research Gate Page (pdfs of my articles) My ASU Web page Podcast Facebook page (videos, pics, etc) Twitter: @Shakeywaits Email: robgray@asu.edu   Credits: JC Brooks & The Uptown Sound – Bad News John Welsey Coleman – Ooh Basketball  via freemusicarchive.org  

Is the claim that visual training can “improve vision” deceptive and worthy of a $150K fine from the FTC?  Can we say that the benefits of visual training will transfer to sports performance?   Links to articles discussed: https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/press-releases/2015/09/ftc-charges-marketers-vision-improvement-app-deceptive-claims Improved Vision and On Field Performance in Baseball through Perceptual Learning   How to Listen & Subscribe to The Perception Action Podcast: http://perceptionactionpodcast.libsyn.com/podcast/how-to-listen-and-subscribe-to-the-perception-action-podcast-0   More information: http://www.perceptionactionpodcast.libsyn.com/ My Research Gate Page (pdfs of my articles) My ASU Web page Podcast Facebook page (videos, pics, etc) Twitter: @Shakeywaits Email: robgray@asu.edu   Credits: The Flamin' Groovies - Shake Some Action Mark Lanegan - Saint Louis Elegy via freemusicarchive.org    

How long do athletes retain the sports skills they learn: 5 years, 10 years, forever?  If they do lose something, what is it?  How easy is it to transfer from one sport to another?  What factors determine whether or not transfer will be successful?  This episode explores the topic of retention and transfer of sports skills. Links to articles discussed: Long-term effects of type of practice on the learning and transfer of a complex motor skill Retention of Quiet Eye in Older Skilled Basketball Players Do pattern recognition skills transfer across sports? A preliminary analysis The cycling physiology of Miguel Indurain 14 years after retirement Transfer of motor and perceptual skills from basketball to darts Virtual realities as optimal learning environments in sport – A transfer study of virtual and real dart throwing   More information: http://www.perceptionactionpodcast.libsyn.com/ My Research Gate Page (pdfs of my articles) My ASU Web page Podcast Facebook page (videos, pics, etc) Twitter: @Shakeywaits Emai

Did Serena Williams choke under pressure in her historical US Open loss?  Is virtual reality training going to revolutionize quarterback play? It certainly doesn't seem to be working for Auburn's Jeremy Johnson.      Links to Articles Discussed: http://espn.go.com/tennis/usopen15/story/_/id/13618884/us-open-numbers-explain-why-serena-williams-queen-clutch http://espn.go.com/tennis/usopen15/story/_/id/13632981/us-open-statistically-nerves-factored-serena-williams-loss http://www.al.com/auburnfootball/index.ssf/2015/08/vr_troopers_auburn_institutes.html   How to Listen & Subscribe to The Perception Action Podcast: http://perceptionactionpodcast.libsyn.com/podcast/how-to-listen-and-subscribe-to-the-perception-action-podcast-0   More information: http://www.perceptionactionpodcast.libsyn.com/ My Research Gate Page (pdfs of my articles) My ASU Web page Podcast Facebook page (videos, pics, etc) Twitter: @Shakeywaits Email: robgray@asu.edu   Credits: Shake Some Action by The Flamin' Groovies via freemusicarchive

News: Can surfers really detect a perfect wave? Are smart phone notifications distracting us?  Articles: Eddie would(n’t) go! Perceptual-cognitive expertise in surfing The Attentional Cost of Receiving a Cell Phone Notification   More information: http://www.perceptionactionpodcast.libsyn.com/ My Research Gate Page (pdfs of my articles) My ASU Web page Podcast Facebook page (videos, pics, etc) Twitter: @Shakeywaits Email: robgray@asu.edu   Credits: JC Brooks & The Uptown Sound – Bad News The Pharoas – Mission Bucharest   Pirato Ketchup – Speed Surfer