Why to set Key Performance Indicators for cognitive training.

sswitch
sswitch
Nov 5 · 4 min read

A Key Performance Indicator is commonly understood as a quantifiable measure that is used to determine how well a particular goal is being met.

In sport, it is very much the same thing. When it comes to Brain Endurance Training (BET), KPI’s are vital for two reasons,

1- KPI’s provide simplicity and give you straight-line goals to move towards.

2- KPI’s provide insight into how well your programming is working for your athletes.

You must decide on your athletes/teams KPI’s prior to programming BET and setting the baseline. With this in mind, Neurally Based KPI’s are the foundation of progress in BET.

Neurally Based KPI’s are the method for measuring an athletes success in their BET program. They can consist of a range of values to be met, or they can be very specific and attached to a set number. The KPI can be value-based or value & time based, depending on the goal itself and on the sport.

When deciding upon the KPI’s for your sport,

  • List the highest mental demands your athletes are exposed to.
  • Narrow the list down to the most frequent mental demands. What demands are your athletes exposed to every time they engage in their sport?
  • Decide what cognitive drills apply to these mental demands.

This list is the start of your Neurally Based KPI’s for that sport.

Why this is so important

  • This gives clarification for each mesocycle.
  • Athletes know exactly what they are moving towards in each mesocycle.
  • You are able to tell if they are hitting the right stepping stones in the process. If your athlete is under or overachieving, you are alerted to this quickly and can make adaptations if necessary.
  • This eliminates the need to do any guesswork between baselines.

This has the same application as a mesocycle for weight training. If an athlete had an ultimate strength KPI set for the off-season, and you noticed that targets for that mesocycle were not being hit in week 3, you can find out why and adapt accordingly. You do not want to wait until the end of the mesocycle or worse, the end of off-season training to find out that they are nowhere near the set goal. Consistency is key and to get consistency from athletes you need to consistently monitor their data. Knowledge is power.

Example — Value-Based only KPI

Inverted Stroop

  • 550ms

Example — Value & Time Based KPI

Inverted Stroop

  • 550ms
  • 30 mins
  • 10% Variation

Deciding on Neurally Based KPI’s is simple when you have sound knowledge in the mental demands that are placed on your athletes.

How to select the best cognitive tasks for your sport.

Deciding what cognitive tasks are best for your sport and/or your athletes can take some thought. We have developed a simple framework to ensure simplicity and success.

What are cognitive demands?

Cognitive demands are best described as the mental load associated with your sport. The brains decisions, reactions, processing of information and the related thought process associated with these are all cognitive and require mental capacity to carry out.

Why you must set Brain Endurance Training KPI’s for each season.

Setting KPI’s for each season will ensure that each mesocycle moves towards the goal of that season. Putting seasonal KPI’s in place will make sure you do not deviate to much from the plan unless adjustments are needed.

Why you must set Brain Endurance Training KPI’s for each mesocycle.

Setting KPI’s for each mesocycle will keep your athlete focused on their seasonal KPI’s that was discussed in “Why you must set Brain Endurance Training KPI’s for each season”.

Email us to get started or check out our online educational courses.

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sswitch

Limits can be manipulated and trained

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sswitch

LIMITS CAN BE MANIPULATED

sswitch

sswitch

Limits can be manipulated and trained

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