S4E17: The Performance Cortex: How Neuroscience Is Redefining Athletic Genius w/ Zach Schonbrun

Season 4, Episode 17

Dr. Marc Bubbs interviews journalist and author of The Performance Cortex: How Neuroscience Is Redefining Athletic Genius Zach Schonbrun to discuss mental peformance.


Summary of Episode

2:30 – Zach’s background in sports and business journalism

5:25 – Zach’s book The Performance Cortex: how the brain impacts performance in baseball

10:55 – The biggest surprises in touring neuroscience labs around the country

15:55 – When to swing; when not to swing.

20:05 – Pattern recognition versus reaction time

25:02 – Even elite experts struggle in a new context

28:15 – Information is information, does it always inform performance?

30:50 – Why do ‘batting practice’ at 60% game speed?

32:00 – Zach’s take home message from researching the brain in high performance.

36:05 – What makes a great writer?

39:00 – The power of story-telling


About Zach Schonbrun

Zach Schonbrun is a senior editor covering business and technology at The Week and has been a regular contributor to The New York Times since 2011. His work has also appeared in Bloomberg BusinessweekFast Company, ESPN the Magazine, SB Nation Longform, ViceThe Athletic, and Yahoo! Sports, among other publications.

Zach is the author of The Performance Cortex, which explores the neuroscience of motor skills, published by Dutton/Penguin Books in April 2018.  Zach has covered five Final Fours, the Super Bowl, the World Series, the NBA postseason, US Open tennis and championship golf -- among numerous other events -- for the Times, as well as regularly contributing coverage of New York's professional and college teams. He lives in New York City with his wife, Missy, their son, Jordan, and their dog, Luke.  

@zschonbrun

Links

https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/551546/the-performance-cortex-by-zach-schonbrun/

DeCervo.com

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