There are players who show amazing moves.
They break down the opponent's defense with passes that no one expects.
He reacts to the ball's movement that changes instantly and hits the ball hard, and he also reads his opponent's movements to freely throw uppercuts and hooks.
As if he knew it would happen.
But even the player himself doesn't know why he chose that move.
The fantastic play they display is an art that blossoms in ignorance.
Even the pressure of a full house becomes an energy that brings out their potential.
We usually call these players 'geniuses' and envy their 'natural talent'.
But Dr. Rob Gray says:
If we properly understand human movement and change our perspective on practice, we will see more geniuses on the field.

How can a defender in a football game make a powerful tackle on an opposing offense? How does an outfielder in a baseball game know if he's running in the right direction to catch a fly ball? How does he know if, at his current speed, he can catch the ball before it hits the ground?

I observed eye movements from two infielders.
One is data from a shortstop on a college baseball team, and the other is data from a shortstop who played in the major leagues for more than five years.
If you look at the picture, you can easily see the difference.


Often times, when we move our gaze to the right object, our body movements are naturally controlled.
At this point, it feels like the body is just following the gaze.
Think about the moment when you turn a curve while driving a bicycle or car.


“Watch the ball! Don’t move your head!” This is a mantra coaches in many sports give to their athletes.
Let's consider whether this is sound advice.
I doubt if that's even possible.


Attention is an amazing resource given to humans.
It is also a resource that must be used wisely.
Attention can make or break your performance.
If you focus your attention in the wrong place, your top performance can quickly deteriorate to mediocrity.
Simply shifting your attention to the 'right object' can have many positive effects.


Is it really necessary for the brain to perform all the calculations and predictions necessary to catch a Frisbee? It seems like it would require an incredibly powerful supercomputer to do all of this.
Many people believe that the human brain plays that role.
So how do we explain the fact that dogs are much better at catching Frisbees than humans?

There are several things to check to find out why your bat speed is slow.
There may be a problem with the way you view the ball's trajectory.
Or maybe the problem is your swing mechanics.
You may be a weak hitter who needs to focus on strength training.
While these things may be the cause, the batter's muscle slack may also be a significant reason why bat speed is not generated.
When there is muscle slack, it takes longer for the batter to generate power.
If muscle slack is the root cause, coaching focused on pitch recognition, swing mechanics, or strength training likely won't work.


Considering the economy of movement also changes the way coaches design exercises.
This is related to a concept called 'overlearning' in motor learning.
Overrunning refers to a state in which an athlete's performance remains stagnant but technical progress is being made.
Even though practice continues, the athlete's movements do not become faster or more accurate.
You can't hit the ball harder or send it farther.
But the player continues to develop something.
The more an athlete practices, the less energy is used to create the same movement solution.
It creates a movement solution that reduces muscle contraction and oxygen consumption.
Movement becomes increasingly economical.


A 'quick' decision isn't always a 'good' decision.
Quick reaction times and the ability to make quick decisions have long been considered signs of good skill and expertise.
But we would bring the best athletes into the lab and be shocked to find that their reaction times were average or below average.

The pressure of practice doesn't have to be exactly the same as the pressure of a game.
In fact, it is impossible to replicate the pressure of a match in practice.
For example, just because a player is afraid of playing in front of a large crowd, there is no need to practice in a place with a large crowd.
Just making it clear that someone is watching, like filming a video, can help.

Players may also prefer a more prescriptive approach to teaching, where coaches repeat fixed drills or explicitly tell players what to do.
Such practice can also help you gain more confidence.
However, many studies clearly show that this type of practice is not the best condition for actual learning and transfer to competition.
If so, the coach's task is clear.
In practice, you need to find the challenge point where functional difficulty is optimal.
It's not just about the players' good performance that matters.
Learning must happen through practice.


Contrary to what many coaches believe, it is not beneficial for athletes to be inconsistent in their movements and not move with 'perfect form' every time.
Coaches have been trying to protect players from injury by emphasizing correct movements and perfect form.
But these studies contradict the common belief among coaches.
They say that forcing athletes to move in a variety of conditions while intentionally disrupting correct movement or perfect form can actually reduce the risk of injury and build anti-fragility.


It is important for coaches to take a cold look at what they are 'doing'.
In many cases, there is a big difference between what we can do and what we actually do.

--- From the text