Coach Noah Talks Noah Sachs, Ed.D., CMPC, PGA, CSCS

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* 1:06 - Academic and Professional Journey: Dr. Cooke discusses his background in sports science, performance psychology, and psychophysiology, including his current roles and research interests​​.
* 2:13 - Defining Psychophysiology: Dr. Cooke explains psychophysiology as the study of interactions between psychological and physiological processes, using tools like brainwave and cardiac activity measurements​​.
* 3:02 - Mechanisms Underpinning Performance: Dr. Cooke provides an example of how psychological feelings of pressure can manifest physiologically and impact performance​​.
* 4:08 - Causes of Performance Breakdown: Dr. Cooke outlines pathways such as overthinking, loss of attentional control, and appraisals, and how they affect performance​​.
* 6:00 - Attentional Pathways and Ironic Processes: Dr. Cooke discusses attentional pathways and the impact of fixating on specific threats during performance​​.
* 8:01 - Research on Pressure and Performance: Dr. Cooke introduces his study on isolated pressure conditions and their different psychophysiological and behavioral responses​​.
* 9:00 - Study on Isolated Pressure Conditions: Dr. Cooke details a study with novice golfers testing various isolated pressure conditions and measuring their psychophysiological responses​​.
* 13:20 - Key Findings on Pressure Conditions: Dr. Cooke shares that traditional pressure conditions generally improved performance, while demand-based pressures had adverse effects​​.
* 16:30 - Impact on High-Level Athletes: Dr. Cooke discusses how these findings might translate to higher-level golfers and the need to magnify pressure conditions for experts​​.
* 18:42 - Neurofeedback Training: Dr. Cooke explains neurofeedback as a technique to help individuals self-regulate brain activity and improve performance​​.
* 23:02 - Neurofeedback Study on Conscious Motor Control: Dr. Cooke describes a study on neurofeedback training to decrease conscious motor control and its implications for performance​​.
* 31:16 - State and Future of Neurofeedback: Dr. Cooke discusses the potential and challenges of neurofeedback in high-performance sports and the importance of individualized approaches​​.
* 34:32 - Unilateral Hand Contractions: Dr. Cooke explains unilateral hand contractions as a technique to influence brain hemisphere dominance and improve performance​​.
* 37:42 - Golf Putting Study on Hand Contractions: Dr. Cooke discusses a study on pre-performance unilateral hand contractions and their subtle impact on performance​​.
* 41:42 - Practical Implications for Golfers: Dr. Cooke emphasizes self-awareness and individualized strategies for athletes and coaches, suggesting various psychological techniques​​.
* 44:10 - Balancing Technical and Psychological Training: Dr. Cooke advises focusing on technical aspects alongside psychological strategies for both novice and expert golfers​​.
* 47:04 - Reflecting on Performance: Dr. Cooke highlights the importance of reflecting on performance to identify patterns and tailor strategies​​.
* 48:01 - Conclusion and Final Thoughts: Dr. Cooke reiterates the importance of self-awareness and tailored psychological strategies, expressing excitement for future research​​.
Resources
Book Recommendation #1: Skill Acquisition in Sport
Book Recommendation #2: Handbook of Sport Psychology
Book Recommendation #3: Methods in Social Neuroscience
Book Recommendation #4: Bounce: The Myth of Talent and the Power of Practice
Paper #1: Some pressures are more equal than others: Effects of isolated pressure on performance
Paper #2: Electroencephalographic neurofeedback training can decrease conscious motor control and increase single and dual-task psychomotor performance
Paper #3: The effects of pre-performance unilateral hand contraction protocols on cognitive verbal processes during a golf putting task
Dr. Andrew Cooke’s Google Scholar Page - Link
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* 1:00 - Background and Sports Journey: Dr. Altini shares his academic journey in computer science, engineering, and data science, alongside his personal transition into endurance sports​​.
* 3:31 - Defining HRV and How It Differs from Heart Rate: Understanding HRV as the variation in time between consecutive heartbeats, which reflects the autonomic nervous system's response to stress​​.
* 8:10 - Clarifying Common HRV Myths: Dr. Altini dispels misconceptions such as the importance of absolute HRV values and the notion that higher HRV is always better​​.
* 11:40 - Making the Case for HRV: Despite limitations, HRV provides unique insights into the body's stress response, which can inform training and lifestyle adjustments​​.
* 14:10 - HRV in Free-Living Analysis: Large-scale research reveals that HRV is a more sensitive marker of stress than resting heart rate, and different stressors elicit varying physiological responses​​.
* 18:45 - Validating Smartphone-Based HRV Measurement: Dr. Altini discusses how the HRV4Training app, using smartphone cameras, was proven to be as accurate as chest straps and ECGs​​.
* 21:55 - Practical HRV Monitoring with HRV4Training: The app helps athletes accurately measure HRV, providing actionable insights based solely on physiological data while allowing users to add context manually​​.
* 26:10 - Unique Features of HRV4Training: The app's focus on raw physiological data offers a clear distinction from competitors, who often combine behavioral data to produce composite scores​​.
* 32:50 - HRV in Night vs. Morning Measurements: Dr. Altini elaborates on the differences between night and morning measurements and how HRV trends vary due to circadian rhythms and sleep stages​​.
* 38:40 - HRV and Sleep Tracking Limitations: Despite advancements, wearable devices often lack accuracy in estimating sleep stages, emphasizing the importance of skepticism​​.
* 43:30 - Spot Check vs. Continuous Monitoring: Dr. Altini warns against overinterpreting continuous HRV monitoring due to potential misinterpretation of data, recommending periodic spot checks instead​​.
* 46:00 - HRV-Guided Training: Dr. Altini explains how to implement HRV-guided training by adjusting intensity based on daily HRV measurements relative to one's normal range​​.
* 51:00 - HRV for Individual Athletes and Golfers: Coaches and individual athletes can use HRV trends over multiple tournaments and travel periods to identify patterns and refine performance strategies​​.
* 55:20 - Advice for Golfers Considering HRV Monitoring: Golfers can use HRV to manage travel stress, tournament phases, and performance consistency by identifying patterns in their physiological responses​​.
* 58:00 - Current Projects and Future Directions: Dr. Altini aims to improve communication around HRV while working on refining personalized feedback loops to optimize health and performance​​.
* 1:03:00 - Book Recommendations and Influences: Dr. Altini recommends Suggestible You by Erik Vance, highlighting its insights into the placebo effect and psychological influences on performance​
Resources
Book Recommendation #1: Suggestible You: The Curious Science of Your Brain's Ability to Deceive, Transform, and Heal
Book Chapter: How Data Can Capture Recovery: The Case for Heart Rate Variability
Paper #1: What Is behind Changes in Resting Heart Rate and Heart Rate Variability? A Large-Scale Analysis of Longitudinal Measurements Acquired in Free-Living
Paper #2: Comparison of Heart-Rate-Variability Recording With Smartphone Photoplethysmography, Polar H7 Chest Strap, and Electrocardiography
Paper #3: State of the science and recommendations for using wearable technology in sleep and circadian research
HRV4Training: https://www.hrv4training.com/
Personal Substack: marcoaltini.substack.com
HRV4Training Substack: hrv4training.substack.com
Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/altini_marco
About Dr. Marco Altini
Dr. Ma

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* 0:35 - From the Court to Academia: Dr. Kegelaers shares his journey from basketball to sports psychology.
* 2:10 - Defining Resilience in High Performance: A closer look at what resilience means for athletes and performers.
* 3:00 - Resilience: A Dynamic Process: Exploring the shift in understanding resilience from a fixed trait to a dynamic process.
* 4:15 - Resilience vs. Grit and Toughness: Distinguishing resilience from similar concepts
* 8:15 - The Research Challenge: Discussing the limitations of current research methods in studying resilience.
* 11:10 - From Theory to Practice: How insights from resilience research can inform coaching and training strategies.
* 13:20 - Building Resilient Athletes: Practical approaches and the role of the environment in developing resilience.
* 19:20 - Three Pillars of Resilience in Golf: Delving into robust, rebound, and reintegration resilience and their applications in golf.
* 25:40 - Mastering Pressure Training: An in-depth look at pressure training and its benefits for athletes.
* 32:45 - Crafting Effective Pressure Training: Key considerations for designing pressure training sessions that are both effective and safe.
* 42:50 - The Future of Pressure Training: Exploring the potential of virtual reality and other technologies in training under pressure.
* 43:55 - Book Recommendations: Dr. Kegelaers shares impactful books that have influenced his work.
* 45:10 - Current Projects: Insight into Dr. Kegelaers’ current projects on mental health in sports and esports.
Resources
Book Recommendation #1: Black Box Thinking: Why Most People Never Learn from Their Mistakes - But Some Do
Paper #1: Are we really studying resilience in sport? A critical review of adopted methodologies
Book Chapter: Developing Resilience For Golf Performance
Paper #2: Pressure Makes Diamonds?: A Narrative Review on the Application of Pressure Training in High-Performance Sports
About Dr. Jolan Kegelaers



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1:17 - Michael Neff's journey from aspiring dentist to PGA professional and GEARS founder.
3:42 - Development of GEARS and its significance in combining club fitting with instruction, and the technology behind GEARS
14:17 - Challenges and Achievements with GEARS technology, its scalability, and the impact on golf instruction and fitting
19:22 - Comparison with Other Technologies like markerless motion capture and the accuracy of GEARS in capturing detailed club and body data
27:12 - The Importance of Accurate Data in golf instruction and how GEARS addresses this need
38:57 - Specific Metrics that Differentiate Elite Golfers from non-elite golfers, based on GEARS data analysis
44:52 - Case study: Enhancing Ricky Fowler's performance through GEARS adjustments.
1:09:07 - Advice for Players and Coaches: Emphasizing the importance of understanding club and swing interaction, and being open to technology and data for improvement
1:19:47 - How Michael Neff's perspective on swing models and golf instruction has evolved over time
Resources
GEARS Website - Link
About Michael Neff
Michael Neff is a PGA Professional and the founder of GEARS, a golf motion analysis and body tracking system. His contributions to the sport were recognized when he was awarded the 2021 Pacific Northwest PGA Teacher of the Year. Having worked with numerous PGA Tour players, Michael Neff has cemented his reputation as a leading figure in golf instruction and technology, continually pushing the boundaries to enhance the way golf is played and taught.


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1:26 — Professional Background
2:55 — Paper #1 Discussion - Neurofeedback Training
21:31 — Paper #2 Discussion - Neural Efficiency
27:44 — Pressure Training
39:43 — Trends and Limitations of Neurofeedback
43:42 — Paper #3 Discussion - Neurofeedback Training
47:13 — Paper #4 Discussion - Cognitive Workload & Neural Efficiency
49:25 — Recommendations For Coaches and Players
51:26 — What’s Something You’ve Changed Your Mind About Over Your Career?
53:56 — Book Recommendations
55:05 — Current Projects
Resources
Book Recommendation #1: Harry Potter
Book Recommendation #2: Human Performance
Book Recommendation #3: The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Book Recommendation #4: Projections: A Story of Human Emotions
Book Recommendation #5: Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art
Paper #1: Effect of a single session of sensorimotor rhythm neurofeedback training on the putting performance of professional golfers
Paper #2: The Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience of Superior Athletic Performance
Paper #3: The Effect of Left Temporal EEG Neurofeedback Training on Cerebral Cortical Activity and Precision Cognitive-Motor Performance
Paper #4: Effect of cognitive workload on momentum and neural efficiency in a golf putting task
About Kiersten Janjigian
Kiersten is a Certified Mental Performance Consultant and professor of Sport Psychology at George Washington University. While she works with both high-performance clients and students, she is also completing her doctorate at the University of Maryland College Park pursuing a degree in Kinesiology with a specialization in Cognitive Motor Neuroscience. Her research primarily focuses on the psychophysiological investigation of applied sport psychology, along with the study of diagnosis and treatment of sport-related concussion. She seeks to explore the neural correlates of mental imagery and other psychological skills training tools to implement in neurofeedback and hopes to create a unique neuroelectric assessment of stress en route to enhanced athletic performance. 


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Optimize Your Practice Environment
Elite players all want to be able to achieve their best. But often they don't have an environment that's conducive to allowing them to be successful.
Document Your Pre-Round Routine
Players don't document their pre-round routine enough. You want to refine the “recipe” to a point where it becomes perfect for you.
Why Do You Go To The Range?
Are you going to the range to get better or to feel better? If you truly want to get better, you generally will need to measure.
Planning Is Key To Optimizing Practice
It's amazing what happens when your measure of success is predetermined before you go out and practice.
Timestamp
1:12 — Professional Background
3:29 — What is Strokes Gained?
15:09 — What is Circles?
26:30 — Tournament Preparation
36:34 — Dispersion Patterns & Tournament Preparation
40:51 — The ‘Rule of Thirds’ During Practice
45:27 — Most Common Mistakes Golfers Make During Practice and Preparation
1:05:22 — Discussion Documents & The Importance of Reflection
1:13:09 — What Craig Does With Players During In-Person Leading Up To Tournaments
1:15:51 — Most Common Mistakes Aspiring Professionals & Mini-Tour Players Make
1:18:46 — What’s Something You’ve Changed Your Mind About Over Your Career?
1:21:18 — Book Recommendations
1:22:17 — Current Projects
Resources
Circles - Link
Book Recommendation #1: Bounce: The Myth of Talent and the Power of Practice
Book Recommendation #2: Letters from a Stoic
Book Recommendation #3: How to Win Friends & Influence People
About Craig Dixon
Craig Dixon is a visionary in the realm of golf performance optimization and data analysis. As a PGA member and a specialist in high-performance analytics, Craig has established himself as a trusted authority in the world of golf. With an unrivaled understanding of big data and its implications for athletic excellence, he has become a sought-after consultant for some of the most esteemed organizations and athletes in golf.
Craig's expertise extends across a vast array of domains, encompassing the PGA Tour, LPGA, LIV Golf, DP World Tour, JLPGA, Olympic athletes, national and NCAA teams, PGA Associations, and even the world's top-ranked players. His wealth of experience working with such esteemed entities has solidified his position as one of the leading figure in his field.
At the core of Craig's practice lies his passion for performance optimization. Through meticulous analysis and comprehensive evaluation of players' on-course performance, he dedicates himself to deriving invaluable insights that unlock the true potential of each athlete. His mission is to guide players on their journey toward achieving their goals, all while minimizing the time and effort required.
By leveraging the power of cutting-edge technology and sophisticated data analytics (Circles), Craig illuminates the path to peak performance, helping players design training regimens tailored to their unique strengths and weaknesses. With his guidance, athletes can optimize their preparation, ensuring they are primed to deliver their best performances when it matters most.
In a world where excellence is defined by fractions of a stroke or the smallest of margins, Craig Dixon stands as a beacon of knowledge and expertise. His unrivaled ability to identify areas for improvement, strategize training approaches, and streamline the path to success has made him an indispensable asset to golfers worldwide.


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