Episode 167: Leonard Zaichkowsky and Daniel Peterson, The Playmaker’s Advantage

Guest: Leonard Zaichkowsky, Professor and Consultant at Boston University and Daniel Peterson, Writer and ConsultantIn this week's coaching conversation, authors and sport researchers Leonard Zaichkowsky and Daniel Peterson join us to discuss their recent books The Playmaker's Advantage and The Playmaker's Decisions. The Playmaker's Advantagehttps://www.amazon.com/Playmakers-Advantage-Raise-Mental-Level/dp/1501181866 The Playmaker's Advantage is a groundbreaking book that will educate developing, young athletes, along with their parents and coaches, about this essential creative capability in an accessible, easy-to-understand method. The Playmaker's Decisionshttps://www.amazon.com/Playmakers-Decisions-Science-Mistakes-Cognition/dp/1736144812 The Playmaker's Decisions book focuses on the split-second decision-making process that produces both clutch plays and mental mistakes. More info at: http://www.80percentmental.com/read-the-books Leonard ZaichkowskyLeonard Zaichkowsky, a professor, researcher, and consultant for almost four decades at Boston University, pioneered sports psychology by bringing cognitive neuroscience and sports performance together as an interdisciplinary science. His academic textbooks and research publications demonstrated the importance of an athlete’s remarkable brain in anticipating and acting on opportunities during competition. He has consulted with teams in the NBA, NHL, NFL, MLB, Australian Rules Football, the Spanish men’s national soccer team, and Olympic sports organizations around the world. Len is a former president and a fellow of the Association for Applied Sport Psychology, a member of the editorial board of the Journal of Applied Sport Psychology, and currently section editor on psychology for the International Journal of Health, Sport and Science. Recently, the American Psychological Association honored Len with the “Distinguished Service to the Profession” award. Today, Len is a cofounder and senior consultant at 80 Percent Mental Consulting, advising coaches, teams, and sports organizations on developing athlete cognition. After too many Boston winters, he and his wife now live in Fort Myers, Florida. Daniel PetersonDaniel Peterson is a writer and consultant specializing at the intersection of neuroscience and sports performance. He combined twenty-five years of technology management experience with his second life as a sports dad and coach to explore how athletes make decisions. Now, ten years later, as cofounder and director of 80 Percent Mental Consulting, he works with coaches, trainers, and teams to understand and improve their cognitive game. Dan and his wife live outside of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, patiently waiting for the next generation of Peterson playmakers. Breakdown1:00 - Introduction2:30 - Decision Making5:00 - Importance of Cognitive Components9:00 - Focus on Practicing Skills15:00 - Concept of Perceptual Cognitive Advantage17:00 - Playmaker22:00 - Model27:00 - Connecting Skills and Decisions31:00 - Correcting the Mistake34:00 - Train Through Watching Videos39:00 - Outcome42:00 - Concept of Active Patients44:30 - Search, Decide and Execute47:00 - Occlusion51:00 - Basketball Practice53:30 - Physical Training57:00 - Making Mistakes1:03:00 - Improving Decision Making1:08:00 - Concept of Mind Body1:10:00 - ConclusionLeonard Zaichkowsky and Daniel Peterson’s Bio:Leonard ZaichkowskyBio: https://www.simonandschuster.com/authors/Leonard-Zaichkowsky/2142121464Daniel PetersonBio:...