Even though from a heuristics [3] point of view it might at first make sense and be easier to group people into categories, for us as mental high performance coaches this can be one of the biggest pitfalls. We have to take into account that each athlete has unique experiences, motivations, and emotional responses. The additional different cultural backgrounds demand a professional and tailored interaction, training, and analysis.

A common misconception is believing to know exactly what the athlete was thinking and feeling in a pressure situation from watching them on TV. This can happen easily when watching sports on TV, as we try to relate to the athlete in these situations. This is a “normal” thing for the human brain to do, since it is evolutionarily programmed to search for an understanding of our world. We recommend being careful with your judgment until you have spoken to the athlete, as you might find it surprising what their take is on that pressure situation.

By analyzing achievements and failures, the brain learns to optimize its behavior. Which behaviors have helped or hindered you to reach a certain goal? At neuro11, we work together with you on developing clearly defined goals. These are continuously analyzed and updated together so that you are always fully motivated and aware of your individual goals. In addition, we work with you to optimize your way of thinking (growth-oriented mindset) [4] in order to learn the right lessons even from possible failures and still achieve long-term success. You are thus always able to find your optimum and do not simply chase your dreams in an uncontrolled manner.

However, instead of only seeing the negative aspects, practitioners should recognize and use the scientific literature to their advantage. An example: Since the scientific approach evaluates methods critically and statistically, it can improve the accuracy of risk assessments as to whether a method should be included in the daily training procedure or not. In order to make these assessments as accurate as possible, one must have completed years of scientific training, while additionally having a practical way of thinking and exchanging ideas with practitioners. It is precisely this combination that can ultimately lead to success, because one can profitably apply the latest scientific results in practice.

An example in the neuroscientific literature is a publication from 2018 on the training potential of cognitive training devices [5]. The study critically assessed the transfer of these cognitive training methods into competition. The authors concluded that such a transfer is unfortunately rather unrealistic for many cognitive training devices. Their main argument was that many training methods are not directly applicable on the pitch. It is precisely these studies that motivate us at neuro11 to carry out our training not in the laboratory but directly on the pitch. Through this practical way of thinking and application we increase the chance of transfer from training to competition. This is because we believe in training the athlete where he ultimately needs it most: Directly on the pitch.