COGNITIVE

CONDITIONING
PROGRAM
CAIRNS SPORTS PERFORMANCE CLINIC & PNG HIGH PERFORMANCE
WHY COGNITIVE CONDITIONING?

Sports are getting faster and more complex with more demands physically
Lapses in concentration can cost the team or athlete the match, game or fight
Overload of stimulus in the match results in poor execution or poor decisions
Majority of goals scored towards end of soccer half due to fatigue
Hand-eye coordination governed by the brains visual processing system
Sport science is close to pushing limits physically yet cognitive development still untapped
Solid evidence base after five years of peer review and implementation into sports area
Almost complete lack of standardised cognitive training programs at professional level
WHAT IS COGNITIVE CONDITIONING?

Any repetitious activity which engages an athletes attention, working memory, spatial
awareness or reaction time which yields improvements at task and transfers to sport.
Example: 3D multiple object tracking paradigm (3D-MOT); Neurotracker commercially
Measures visual tracking speed (VTS) threshold of individual athletes
Requires:
3D HDTV 50 70 or 3D projector 100: $500 - $1500
2m2 4m2 space for session
3D capable laptop or desktop computer: $500 - $1000
Neurotracker software ~$10,000 Microsoft Kinect: $250
3D-MOT DEMONSTRATION
WHO IS COGNITIVE CONDITIONING FOR?

Athletes in action sports: combat, tactical, invasion, racquet or racing

Demand for ability to process complex patterns in game play and opponent movements
Need for accurate spatial judgements in three dimensional space: tennis, soccer, racing
Late in game mental fatigue sets in: last few minutes of soccer match; final set of squash
Where language barriers exist: purely cognitive/spatial task so little language required
For judging direct opponent movements: processing opponents body movements
Athletes on the cusp of selection: sharper senses & attention required, i.e. 10% increase
WHAT DOES THE RESEARCH EVIDENCE SHOW?

Professional athletes perform better and adapt faster to 3D-MOT compared to

college/semi-elite athletes and non-athletes
VTS positively correlates with stats (assists, steals, assist/turnover ratio) in NBA sample
Increase in passing accuracy in semi-elite footballers after training
VTS significantly reduced in athletes with history of mBTI (concussion)
Enhances cognitive and brain function in healthy young adults (attention, working
memory, & inhibition. Reduced alpha/theta waves with increases in beta and gamma)
Reductions in VTS during physical fatigue and while performing dual tasks
Enhancement in most visual skills in Spanish water polo, taekwondo and tennis athletes
CAIRNS SPORTS PERFORMANCE CLINIC
- INDIVIDUAL CASE STUDIES
Normal distribution curves in elite basketballers, mountain bike and rugby league squads, (n=1)
0% reduction in VTS post 2 hour HIIT: 18yo, male, semi-professional, soccer, (n=70)
35% reduction in VTS post-St Paddies day: 30yo, male, state level, hockey, (n=50)
20% 35% reduction in VTS due to screen size: multiple clients, (n = 50 350)
50% 75% reduction in VTS during reactive agility task: multiple clients, (n = 30 100)
50% drop in VTS five days post-MCL injury: 21yo, male, (n = 2)
40% improvement points per game; 24yo, female, semi-pro basketball (n = 35)
100% improvement rebounds, points, assists; 23yo, male, semi-pro basketball (n = 11)
200% improvement points per game; male, 16yo, male, youth basketball (n = 150)
FUTURE & ONGOING RESEARCH

Detection, rehabilitation and reduction of mTBI harms (concussion)

VTS and resistance to fatigue
Progression based system
Impact on dietary habits, stress, post-match hydration
Correlation between recovery status and VTS
Training effects on sport specific statistics, athlete and coach subjective assessments