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The unsung 'cognitive expertise' needed to excel in elite sports

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"Look for the gap!" "Move into space!" "Who's free?"

Sound familiar?

From the sidelines to the field, court or pitch, no matter the team sport, looking for relevant information in the playing environment can be as important as any other skill if you want to score… and hopefully win the Game.

Think Lionel Messi, Scott Pendlebury, or Natalie Medhurst, coolly assessing all the options before making pivotal decisions.

How do these elite athletes become so great? As well as their physical attributes, their brain power is an obvious asset.

Related: Will Olympic athletes ever stop breaking records?

Cognitive power in sport

Regardless of whether an athlete is playing under-5's soccer, backyard cricket or Olympic basketball, their playing environment holds important information that must be found, interpreted and then acted on.

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