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New tool trains athlete brains to react 53 percent faster
November 19, 2008All great athletes know that in order to perform well, they can't just depend on their physical capabilities. Speed and efficiency in decision-making are just as essential. Two researchers from the School of Optometry of the Université de Montréal have discovered how to train the brain of athletes to improve their overall athletic performance.
Professor Jocelyn Faubert and postdoctoral student David Tinjust, put a dozen soccer, tennis and hockey players through multiple object-tracking exercises. The athletes' capacity to absorb a lot of information simultaneously and manage it efficiently increased on average by 53 percent.
In one of these exercises, subjects in the automatic virtual environment cave were asked to follow the increasingly rapid movements of a series of balls and identify those that quickly changed colour. After each training session, which lasted about an hour, results were recorded and athletes could note their progress. "It's like physical training, but for the brain," says Faubert.
The approach has already gained great popularity among athletes, from star goalie Kim St-Pierre to North American boxing champion Anthonin Décarie.
"In their normal workouts, athletes regularly evaluate their physical performance, but until now there has been no tool that could rate their cognitive performance," says Faubert. "If an athlete feels both physically and mentally ready, that can only have a positive influence on his or her performance."
Originally, the tool was used to see how elderly people or those with vision problems would behave in a virtual environment. For example, how could subjects work their way through a crowd, traffic or get on an escalator? The researchers then decided to adapt the process to top athletes and transfer the scientific knowledge to virtual training tools.
Athletes could wear a virtual helmet that would allow them to train anywhere. They could also wear cybernetic gloves and glasses and, while viewing superimposed images, they could practise complex movements with a fictitious opponent. Every movement of the hand, foot and head would be recorded with sensors.
University of Montreal
The approach has already gained great popularity among athletes, from star goalie Kim St-Pierre to North American boxing champion Anthonin Décarie.
"In their normal workouts, athletes regularly evaluate their physical performance, but until now there has been no tool that could rate their cognitive performance," says Faubert. "If an athlete feels both physically and mentally ready, that can only have a positive influence on his or her performance."
Originally, the tool was used to see how elderly people or those with vision problems would behave in a virtual environment. For example, how could subjects work their way through a crowd, traffic or get on an escalator? The researchers then decided to adapt the process to top athletes and transfer the scientific knowledge to virtual training tools.
Athletes could wear a virtual helmet that would allow them to train anywhere. They could also wear cybernetic gloves and glasses and, while viewing superimposed images, they could practise complex movements with a fictitious opponent. Every movement of the hand, foot and head would be recorded with sensors.
University of Montreal
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Black Swan by Athlete 2009 release, the fourth album from the successful London indie band, the follow-up to 2007's Beyond The Neighbourhood and their debut for the Fiction label. A poppier, more immediate album than anything they have ever done before, Black Swan comes from a desire for "getting the songs across as much as we could" and the band seem to have succeeded. A distinct '80s influence is also prevalent, with a heavy use of synths. Includes the single 'Superhuman Touch'. Polydor. |
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Superhuman Touch Athlete (Primary Contributor) |
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Sports Illustrated: Athlete by Walter Iooss (Author) After 47 years behind the camera Walter Iooss Jr. can't quite put a number on the countless sports subjects he has photographed throughout his career. But whoever the portrait, whatever the setting, a common theme runs through his personal archive: All are athletes lured into the joy of sport. In a 256-page panoramic collection, Iooss handpicks more than 150 of his classic images--dozens never before published--to create a cinematic compilation of his work. For Iooss--whose efforts have graced the cover of Sports Illustrated nearly 300 times--every picture really does tell a story. Here he highlights his favorites with behind-the-scenes anecdotes. For the famous "Blue Dunk" overhead shot of Michael Jordan taken in 1987, Iooss personally painted the parking lot, stationed himself in... |
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Beyond the Neighbourhood by Athlete 2007 Release of the Band's Third Album, Produced and Recorded by the Band Themselves at their Own Studio in South East London. "Beyond the Neighbourhood" is a Record of True Progression and Real Quality. Its Songs Are Built around the Same Effortless Hooks and Snagging Melodies that have Been Athlete's Trademark Since their Debut Single, "Westside", was Released in March 2002. But the Album Glows with a Newfound Musical Confidence, Showing Big Leaps in Terms of Ambition, Scope and Creativity. |
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The Getaway EP Athlete (Primary Contributor) |
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The Getaway Athlete (Primary Contributor) |
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