Include the Brain ON PURPOSE
Your brain is always involved in everything, all the time.
We don’t breathe, blink, swallow, smile, read, walk or run without it. It’s the boss of all we do, and when we include it in training and rehab, we can enhance performance or accelerate recovery.
This loop represents the essence of what our brain does:
We receive INPUTs of information from
Our external environment (sight, smell, sound, touch, etc.)
Our physical body (where am I in space, how fast am I moving?)
Our internal systems (conscious and subconscious signals from our organs)
Our brain PROCESSES and INTERPRETS the inputs
Am I safe?
Have I seen this before?
What is the best response?
Then it makes a DECISION to generate an OUTPUT
Intentional movement
Protective reactions (startle, hold breath, tighten)
(These two things can be occurring simultaneously)
A very basic example of this at work is when we touch something that’s unexpectedly hot.
Input: Receptors in our skin pick up the sensation
Process + Interpretation: This is HOT, potentially dangerous and a threat to tissue
Output: Pull your hand away as fast as possible
In a brain-based athletic context, it could look like this:
Input: I do a vision drill that requires me to follow a moving target
Process + Interpretation: The cerebellum, which is responsible for accuracy, balance and coordination, is activated, increasing blood flow and electrical signals to that part of the brain.
Output: Better balance, midline stability and coordination, which together can contribute to greater speed and power
NOTE: For someone with a compromised cerebellum or visual skills, the input could be interpreted as a threat, and performance might suffer. This is it’s important to ASSESS & RE-ASSESS.
The goal for me as a coach is to help athletes find the inputs that yield the best outputs, whether that’s less pain, better flexibility, more power, or to feel 10% better during daily practice.
Curious to learn how you can apply this for yourself or for the athletes you coach?