About Me

Yuka Sugiura

I’m a Neuroperformance Coach, and I believe in transformation.

After a long career in the software industry, I switched lanes (switched highways, really) and became an Orthopedic Pilates and Massage Therapist and at about the same time began coaching gymnastics. 

In my quest to find new approaches and tools, I discovered that a key piece to creating more profound shifts in the body was to put the brain and nervous system first.  A brain-based approach is helping me answer the questions that drive me as a coach and therapist:

  • How can I help athletes build the resilience and injury resistance that allows them to remain healthy, in the gym or on the field, in the game as much as possible and for as long as possible? 

  • How can I help them trust their bodies and move from feeling stuck to feeling unstoppable?

  • What if every turn required 3% less effort and created 3% less impact on bones, tendons and ligaments? What if training just felt easier?

I want to help the athletes I work with do and feel those things so they progress and thrive on their path towards big dreams.

The Optional Team at West Valley Gymnastics in Campbell, CA. They’re my inspiration. They’re a huge part of why I do what I do now.

I’ve been fortunate to support young competitive athletes and dancers as well as world-ranked athletes and Olympians, helping them get an extra edge or resolve pain or limitations that were keeping them from performing fully.

And when this approach is integrated into training, it can remove obstacles to higher levels of performance and contribute to longer careers with fewer injuries.

This is ultimately why I do what I do.

Education & Certification

  • Z-Health Performance, Master Practitioner Certification: Applied neuroscience training covering mobility restoration, neuromuscular re-education; vision & balance training; neuromechanics, neural threat modulation; and vision training for sport.

  • Certified Hendrickson Method® Orthopedic Massage and Manual Therapy Practitioner

  • Certified Orthopedic Pilates Therapist

  • Certificate in Dance Rehabilitation: Dance medicine training led by the Physical Therapists for the New York City Ballet and School of American Ballet.

  • Certified Bikram Yoga Instructor

  • B.A. Brown University

Speaking & Presenting

  • Stanford University Sports Medicine

  • USA Gymnastics National Congress

  • USA Gymnastics Region 1 Congress

AS HEARD ON…

Gymnastics Growth Show
with Nick Ruddock

Conditioned to Win
with Lisa Mitzel

Perform Happy
with Rebecca Smith

To learn how I work with individual athletes, coaches and groups, lets talk! Contact me for a complimentary 20-minute consultation.