Cognitive training has become increasingly popular in recent years as athletes and coaches alike look to improve mental performance. Whether you're an absolute beginner or have been training your brain for a while, this article will show you the quickest and easiest way to get started with a two-step process for cognitive training.
Step One: Identifying Cognitive Demands and Tasks
The first step in the process of cognitive training is to identify the cognitive demands and tasks that you wish to target. Some of the most common cognitive demands include attention, decision-making, response inhibition, and memory.
Once you have decided which cognitive demands you want to target, we recommend selecting no more than 9 tasks from those categories and selecting 3 tasks per session, completing 3 sessions per week. This way, you can gradually increase the intensity of each task over time.
Step Two: Creating a Cognitive Training Plan
The second step in the cognitive training process is to create a training plan from the selected tasks. The plan should be designed to gradually increase the intensity of each task over time, with a goal of creating more cognitive load on the brain each week.
For example, you could increase the intensity of each task by 10% each week, starting with 70% in week 1, 80% in week 2, 90% in week 3, and 100% in week 4. This approach is known as the principle of cognitive progressive overload.
Duration Guidelines
Session Duration
Off-Season
30-60 minutes.
Pre-Season
30-45 minutes.
In-Season
20-25 minutes.
Task Duration
Off-Season
10 min
20 min
30 min
Pre-Season
5 min
10 min
In-Season
3 min
5 minutes.
Training Frequency
3-5 sessions per week
A Sample Cognitive Training Plan
To help you get started, we have provided a sample training plan below. This plan is designed to last 30 minutes, 3 times a week. It includes several common cognitive tasks and shows how you can gradually increase the intensity of each task over time.
Session 1
Incongruent Flanker (10 min, 70%)
Numerical Inhibition (10 min, 70%)
Sustained Attention (10 min)
Session 2
Task Switching (10 min, 70%)
Flanker Compatibility (10 min, 70%)
Switched Attention (10 min)
Session 3
Audio Go No Go Test (10 min)
Simon Task (10 min, 70%)
Dots Task (10 min, 70%)
Session 4
Incongruent Flanker (10 min, 80%)
Numerical Inhibition (10 min, 80%)
Sustained Attention (10 min)
Session 5
Task Switching (10 min, 80%)
Flanker Compatibility (10 min, 80%)
Switched Attention (10 min)
Session 6
Audio Go No Go Test (10 min)
Simon Task (10 min, 80%)
Dots Task (10 min, 80%)
And so on, gradually increasing the intensity of each task until you reach 100% in week 4.
Conclusion
Cognitive training can be a valuable tool for athletes and coaches looking to improve mental performance. With the two-step process outlined in this article, you can get started quickly and easily, making it easier to reach your goals. Whether you're a beginner or have been training your brain for a while, this simple and effective approach will help you take your mental performance to the next level.
To Summarise
🧠 Cognitive training has become increasingly popular in recent years for improving mental performance.
📝 The two-step process for cognitive training involves identifying cognitive demands and tasks, and creating a cognitive training plan.
🎯 Common cognitive demands include attention, decision-making, response inhibition, and memory.
📅 It is recommended to select no more than 9 tasks from those categories and complete 3 sessions per week, gradually increasing the intensity of each task over time.
📈 The principle of cognitive progressive overload involves increasing the intensity of each task by 10% each week, with a goal of creating more cognitive load on the brain.
💪 A sample cognitive training plan is provided, which includes several common cognitive tasks and shows how to gradually increase their intensity over time.
💡 Cognitive training can be a valuable tool for athletes and coaches looking to improve mental performance.
Memory Tasks
Tachistoscope
Spatial Span
Task Switching
Task Switching – Voice
PASAT
PASAT - Voice
TLDB
2 Back
PVSAT
Colour Shape Task
4 Choice Flanker
Visual Digital Span
Attention
Visual Reaction Test
Audio Reaction Test
PVT
Anticipation
Time Perception
AX-CPT
RVIP
4 Choice Reaction
AX-CPT - Voice
0 Back
Attention Switching
PVT-B
Double Mackworth
Posner
Multi-Object Training
Eye Hand Coordination
Detailed Vision Zone – L
Detailed Vision Zone – R
Fusion
Dynamic Fusion
Box Breathing
Congruent Stroop Test
Congruent Stroop Test - Voice
Mackworth Clock
Response Inhibition
Go No Go Visual Test
Go No Go Audio Test
Stroop Test
Switched Attention Test
Visual Motor Go No Go – L
Visual Motor Go No Go – R
Audio Motor Go No Go – L
Audio Motor Go No Go – R
AV Motor Go No Go – L
AV Motor Go No Go – R
Dynamic Vision Trainer
Tactile Motor Go No Go – L
Tactile Motor Go No Go – R
Visual Stop Signal
Audio Stop Signal
Switched Stop Visual
Visual Inhibition
Sustained Attention
Audio Choice Go No Go
Visual Choice Go No Go
AV Choice Go No Go
Numerical Inhibition
Incongruent Flanker
MSIT
Go No Go Visual Test - Voice
Stroop Test - Voice
Switched Attention Test - Voice
Visual Choice Go No Go - Voice
Numerical Inhibition - Voice
MSIT - Voice
Incongruent Flanker - Voice
Flanker Compatibility
Simon Task
Dots Task
Spatial Stroop
cMSIT
Inverted Stroop Test
Inverted Stroop Test - Voice
Switched Stop Audio
Decision Making
Visual Choice Test
Audio Choice Test
AV Choice
Visual Search
Visual Choice Test - Voice
Audio Choice Test - Voice
AV Choice - Voice