The Perception & Action Podcast is going LIVE and I want you to be involved (or at least just watch). On Wednesday November 11, 2015 at 9AM AZ/8 AM PST I will host my first live discussion on the general topic of skill acquisition using blab.im . My co-host for this topic will be performance advisor and coach for the NFL, Shawn Myszka. Blab.im is a new platform which allows up to 4 people to video chat. The fun thing is that people can jump in an out for as long as they like and "fill the se...
Nov 05, 2015•4 min
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: ht...
Nov 03, 2015•1 hr 4 min
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 an...
Nov 02, 2015•9 min
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) ...
Oct 29, 2015•13 min
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 in...
Oct 27, 2015•24 min
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...
Oct 26, 2015•15 min
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.fitligh...
Oct 22, 2015•24 min
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.percep...
Oct 20, 2015•14 min
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...
Oct 19, 2015•7 min
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 reco...
Oct 13, 2015•25 min
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 List...
Oct 12, 2015•9 min
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 informa...
Oct 08, 2015•54 min
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 Podca...
Oct 06, 2015•12 min
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...
Oct 05, 2015•6 min
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 talkin...
Sep 29, 2015•23 min
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...
Sep 28, 2015•6 min
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...
Sep 22, 2015•9 min
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://perceptiona...
Sep 21, 2015•8 min
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 Player...
Sep 15, 2015•25 min
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/i...
Sep 14, 2015•7 min
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 Phar...
Sep 08, 2015•9 min
How do we know how well a new training program or piece of sports equipment is working? Is looking at how performance changes in practice (by plotting a "learning curve") really the best way to assess skill acquisition. No, no it isn’t. In this episode I make the case for going off the learning curve in favor of other ways of measuring skill learning in sport. Technically Challenged: Review of motion tracking system http://inertia-technology.com/promove-mini Links to articles discussed: Contextu...
Sep 01, 2015•32 min
News: Are coaches using too much sports technology to evaluate players? How do police officers handle the pressure of a high speed chase? Articles: Blaming Bill Gates AGAIN! Misuse, overuse and misunderstanding of performance data in sport Psychophysiological Assessment of Acute Stress Induced by High-Pressure Law-Enforcement Driving: A Pilot Study More information http://www.perceptionactionpodcast.libsyn.com/ My Research Gate Page (pdfs of my articles) My ASU Web page Podcast Facebook page (vi...
Aug 25, 2015•13 min
Legendary UCLA basketball coach John Wooden once said: “The importance of repetition until automaticity cannot be overstated”. Reaching a stage where some skills can be performed “automatically” is thought to be one of the main goals of sports training and one of the defining characteristics of being an expert. But what exactly does it mean for a sports skill to be “automatic” and how exactly is this desired state achieved through training? In this episode, I introduce the topic of skill acquisi...
Aug 18, 2015•21 min
News: Is listening to heavy metal music bad for you? Articles: Three Decades Later: The Life Experiences and Mid-Life Functioning of 1980s Heavy Metal Groupies, Musicians, and Fans 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: Insane Ride – Sound of Rock n Roll Jose O Salvador – For Those About to Rock Behold the Living Corp...
Aug 11, 2015•13 min
What should an athlete focus their attention on when performing their sport? Should you pay attention to how your body is moving, the crowd, your opponents, what you need to buy at the store after the game, or something else? Is it the same if you just learning the sport? In this episode I focus my attention of focusing attention. What Grinds My Gears: Does sports science get enough respect? Internal/external focus debate Links to articles discussed: When paying attention becomes counterproducti...
Aug 04, 2015•27 min
News: Are brain areas that produce movement involved in anticipating it? How can we reduce motion sickness? Articles: Alleviating Simulator Sickness with Galvanic Cutaneous Stimulation An action-incongruent secondary task modulates prediction accuracy in experienced performers: evidence for motor simulation 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 Ema...
Jul 28, 2015•8 min
Why do great athletes claim that on some nights baseballs look as big as a grapefruit, basketball hoops are like oceans and things move in slow motion? Are they just blowing a lot of hot air or is this really the way they see the world? In this episode, I explore embodied perception in sport…the idea that the way we see the world changes as a function of our action capabilities (e.g., whether we are an expert or novice, whether we are fresh or fatigued, etc). I also consider how we might take ad...
Jul 21, 2015•25 min
News: Can the threat of losing $50K on one putt make a pro golfer choke? Why is "back again" shorter than there? Articles: The impact of pressure on performance: Evidence from the PGA TOUR The Return Trip Is Felt Shorter Only Postdictively: A Psychophysiological Study of the Return Trip Effect 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@as...
Jul 14, 2015•7 min
How does an athlete get their glove, racquet, hand, or foot to the right place at the right time to hit, catch or strike a moving object? In this episode, I explore visual information that can be used to judge the time to contact and direction of motion of an approaching object and how it can be applied to the outfielder problem. Research Confessions: The time I nearly published completely artifactual results Links to articles discussed: The Black Cloud Lee’s 1976 paper Grasping tau Accuracy of ...
Jul 07, 2015•23 min
