5 Sports Performance Leaders Talk NeuroTracker

NeuroTracker is routinely put to use in over 700 performance centers around the world.  Here we’ll hear 5 topflight coaches and sports practitioners tell us what NeuroTracker means to them.

1. Mick Clegg

Mick Clegg was the first coach to discover and use NeuroTracker, implementing in Manchester United F.C. while he was their power development and strength and conditioning coach.  Mick runs Elite Lab, a high-performance training center using the latest technologies to train world-class athletes.

"At Manchester United, it became clear that abilities between the ears made the difference between top players and truly great ones. So I traveled to the University of Montreal to investigate NeuroTracker. I certainly haven’t looked back – it’s part of all the coaching I do.”

“To become great, players need to evolve through progressively advanced combinations of training exercises that integrate cognitive challenges. Training needs to condition mental focus at each athlete’s processing speed threshold…to keep on top of the action when it matters most. NeuroTracker is a great example of how this can be done. This is why I’ve now coached over 15,000 NeuroTracker sessions. When you’re always matching training with the neurophysical limits of performance, the learning curve is potentially endless.”

2. Leonard Zaichkowsky

Dr. Zaichkowsky is a widely known sport and performance scientist whose specialty is the psychophysiology of human performance. He has published 6 books and more than 100 scientific papers on sport psychology, sport science, biofeedback, and research methods and made more than 300 presentations worldwide.  As Director of Sports Science with the Vancouver Canucks, he implemented NeuroTracker into the team’s performance training.

“Elite athletes leverage huge advantages from their mental prowess on the field, and so finding a way to condition performance cognitively has always been a major challenge for sport science. I think NeuroTracker is a genuine breakthrough here. It’s a proven science technology that trains fundamental mental skills with rapid gains, and the results unlock a wealth of new performance data. Athletes can now develop important skills such as multiple object tracking, concentration/focus skills, skills to cope with distractions, visual processing speed, and high-speed decision making.”

“The (Canucks) players or coaches would ask, ‘What is the transferability of the work we’re doing (NeuroTracker) with what’s going to happen on the ice?’  In a matter of months, I could show them the data, the people who trained the most were the best decision-makers on the ice.  There was almost a one-to-one correspondence.  You can’t provide better evidence than that.”

3. Donald Teig

Dr. Teig O.D., F.A.A.O. is Executive Director of “The A Team – High Performance Vision Associates”. He leads a national group of sports trained eye care professionals on projects, individual practice growth, and research directed to providing High Performance Vision for people who participate in visually demanding sports and careers.

“The new technology that’s out there is really exemplified beautifully by NeuroTracker.  This is a piece of equipment that stimulates a variety of sensory items all at once.  There is decision-making demand that’s there. Think of a quarterback for example…he needs to be able to adjust appropriately and make the correct decision to hit the receiver that he’s trying to hit.  Rapid decision-making.  And that’s what NeuroTracker does so well.”  

''We love it.  We use it in all of the testing we need to do where this type of behavior is important.  Let’s face it, that’s true in almost every sport you can think of, if not life alone - driving a car, military, police work – it’s relevant, and through repetition, you get better and better at it.  And that’s the beauty of what NeuroTracker’s all about.”

4. Kate Allgood

Kate Allgood was recognized as one of the best female ice hockey players in Canada. With a double Masters degree specializing in sport psychology, Kate set up Quantum Performance – a high-performance coaching firm specializing in mental training. Kate is also the author of 2 books on mental conditioning for sports performance.

“There are a lot of technologies out there, but after extensive research, I find the best overall fit for my performance coaching is NeuroTracker.  I use NeuroTracker because it is a very effective tool for training all types of attention, and it also uses a visual pivot.  Through a scientific conditioning process, NeuroTracker builds up the raw tools for maintaining awareness and attention even in the highest pressure game situations.”

”There are several ways NeuroTracker training will help you develop your athletic abilities. Firstly, to make better decisions under pressure. Secondly, to anticipate actions earlier, and more accurately. Thirdly, to identify and focus on key opportunities more easily, improving your situational awareness.  And finally, to stay mentally sharp throughout a long season. With over 20 years of research behind it, NeuroTracker is one of the most advanced systems of its kind in the world.”

5. Keith Smithson

Dr. Smithson specializes in sports vision at Northern Virginia Doctors of Optometry.  He is the Director of Visual Performance for the Washington Nationals, the team Optometrist for the Washington Wizards, Spirit, Mystics and D.C. United, and Sports Vision Consultant for the Washington Redskins and Washington Capitals.

“The sports performance role for NeuroTracker was already well-known, and applying it for training NBA, NFL, MLS, and MLB athletes we made great strides. Once these athletes see the difference NeuroTracker is making on the field, they become completely devoted. It’s the biggest testimonial for a training tool when your clients say ‘Look, I can’t live without this’. NeuroTracker has quickly become a must-have tool in our practice.”

Look out for our follow-up blog where we will hear a range of elite athletes give their 2 cents on NeuroTracker.