The Perception & Action Podcast
Exploration of how psychological research can be applied to improving performance, accelerating skill acquisition and designing new technologies in sports and other high performance domains. Hosted by Rob Gray, professor of Human Systems Engineering at Arizona State University, the podcast will review basic concepts and discuss the latest research in these areas.
Coach Education & Development in Racquet Sports, Isaac McBroom
I am joined by Isaac McBroom from the Professional Tennis Registry (PTR) to discuss his work as director of coach education.
Links
https://www.mcbroomcoachconsulting.com/
https://ptrtennis.org/en/
My Research Gate Page (pdfs of my articles)
My ASU Web page
Podcast Facebook page (videos, pics, etc)
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Cross-Scale Interactions in Sports Skills, David Farrokh
I am joined by David Farrokh to discuss the topic of scale of analysis in sports skills. Are the different scales independent of each other, as assumed in the traditional approach? Also. a brief intro to fractals and multifractal analysis.
Links
Multifractality in Antagonistic Couplings: Cross-Scale Interactions in 1v1 Futsal Dyads
https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidfarrokh/
My Research Gate Page (pdfs of my articles)
My ASU Web page
Podcast Facebook page (videos, pics, etc)
Gibson, The Ecological Approach to Visual Perception, Chap 13– Locomotion & Manipulation
Join Andrew, Marianne, and me as we review Chapter 13 of An Ecological Approach to Visual Perception.
My Research Gate Page (pdfs of my articles)
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590 – Nonlinear Effects of Constraints Manipulations
A look at research investigating nonlinear effect of constraints manipulations in soccer goalkeeping coaching.
Articles:
https://www.termedia.pl/The-influence-of-task-constraints-on-football-players-performance-non-linear-trends-during-goalkeeper-training,78,58395,0,1.html
http://perceptionaction.com/
My Research Gate Page (pdfs of my articles)
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Podcast Facebook page (videos, pics, etc)
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589 – Gibson, The Ecological Approach to Visual Perception, Chap 12– Looking with the Head and Eyes
Join Andrew, Marianne, and me as we review Chapter 12 of An Ecological Approach to Visual Perception.
My Research Gate Page (pdfs of my articles)
My ASU Web page
Podcast Facebook page (videos, pics, etc)
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Using Sports Analytics to Inform Practice Design
A look at ways we can use analytics data to inform practice design, including: manipulating constraints, identifying areas of poor adaptability, evaluating the representativeness of practice, and promoting functional variability.
Articles:
From data to decisions: Artificial intelligence in football guided by Ecological Dynamics
Perspectives on sports analytics to inform constraint manipulation, representative learning and functional variability in practice design
http://perceptionaction.com/
My Research Gate Page (pdfs of my articles)
My ASU Web page
Podcast Facebook page (videos, pics, etc)
587 – The CLA: Why do we Constrain Revisited
Revisiting the question of how constraints change movement behavior. Afford vs Potentiate? Preclude vs Promote? Push vs Pull?
Articles:
https://www.theconstraintscollective.com/
https://www.amazon.com/Inside-Box-Constraints-Make-Better/dp/0593715713/
http://perceptionaction.com/
My Research Gate Page (pdfs of my articles)
My ASU Web page
Podcast Facebook page (videos, pics, etc)
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586 – Common Misconceptions about Ecological Dynamics, a discussion with Steve Whelan
Steve Whelan, from mytenniscoaching.com, and I discuss his journey as a tennis coach and coach educator and some of the biggest, persisting misconceptions about Ecological Dynamics.
Links:
https://mytenniscoaching.com/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/steve-whelan-02b220198/
http://perceptionaction.com/
My Research Gate Page (pdfs of my articles)
My ASU Web page
Podcast Facebook page (videos, pics, etc)
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585 - An Ecological Dynamics Approach to Golf Practice-Upcoming Webinar, Will Stubbs, Zen Golf
A discussion with Will Stubbs from Zen Golf about applying Ecological Dynamics to golf and our upcoming webinar.
Links:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/will-stubbs-zengolf/
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/ecological-dynamics-approach-to-golf-coaching-with-rob-gray-will-stubbs-tickets-1991784468964?aff=oddtdtcreator
http://perceptionaction.com/
My Research Gate Page (pdfs of my articles)
My ASU Web page
Podcast Facebook page (videos, pics, etc)
The Talent Thief. What if the way we train young athletes is stealing the very talent we are trying to develop? Ted Kroeten
A discussion with Ted Kroeten, from Joy of the People, about his new book -The Talent Thief: Underloading, the Language of Movement, and the Search for the Perfect Game
Links:
https://www.joyofthepeople.org/
https://www.amazon.com/Talent-Thief-Underloading-Language-Movement/dp/1962834794/
My Research Gate Page (pdfs of my articles)
My ASU Web page
Podcast Facebook page (videos, pics, etc)
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583 – Applying Dynamical Systems Theory in Coaching, New Course Announcement
A look at a couple of articles that emphasize the value of applying Dynamical Systems Theory in coaching. And an exciting announcement about a new course I am offering, in which I will teach how to apply it in your particular sport.
Articles:
Movement Variability and the Use of Nonlinear Tools: Principles to Guide Physical Therapist Practice
Sprint Running Coordination: A Dynamical Systems Perspective
Course Link:
https://perceptionaction.com/courses/
http://perceptionaction.com/
My Research Gate Page (pdfs of my articles)
My ASU Web page<...
Gibson, The Ecological Approach to Visual Perception, Chap 11 – The Discovery of the Occluding Edge and Invalidation of Perception-Memory Distinction
Join Andrew, Marianne, and me as we review Chapter 11 of An Ecological Approach to Visual Perception, the discovery of the occluding edge, and how it completely changes the distinction between perception and memory.
My Research Gate Page (pdfs of my articles)
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581 – My NEW book: Emergent Cognition
A preview of my latest book: "Emergent Cognition: Rethinking the Role of Thinking and Memory in Sports & the Neuroscience of Skill"
Links:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0H7QLCJNL
http://perceptionaction.com/
My Research Gate Page (pdfs of my articles)
My ASU Web page
Podcast Facebook page (videos, pics, etc)
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580 – The Ways of Knowing – The 4P Model w. Pete Blair
I am joined by Pete Blair from Texas State University to discuss the 4P Model of Knowing. What are the different ways we can know our environment, and how are they best developed?
Articles:
The Four Ways of Knowing: Revising the 4P Model of Knowing Through a Non-dual and Reflexive Perspective
http://perceptionaction.com/
My Research Gate Page (pdfs of my articles)
My ASU Web page
Podcast Facebook page (videos, pics, etc)
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...
Gibson, The Ecological Approach to Visual Perception, Chap 10 – Motion in the World and Movement of the Self (JC 65)
Marco Perazzo, New Jersey Martial Arts (NJMA)
Marco and I talk about his experiences applying Ecological Dynamics in martial arts coaching and his experience with the MSc in Skill Acquisition for Sport program from Munster Technological University, which he recently completed.
https://www.mtu.ie/courses/crbsafs9/
http://perceptionaction.com/
My Research Gate Page (pdfs of my articles)
My ASU Web page
Podcast Facebook page (videos, pics, etc)
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Support the podcast and receive bonus content
577 – Enskilled Knowledge & Education of Attention, Carl Woods
Carl Woods from the University of Queensland and I discuss the concept of "enskilled knowledge" and the critical difference between educating attention (showing someone where to look) and the knowledge that comes from doing a thing in a place. Carl gives a ton of wonderful examples from wine tasting and surfing to handing down family recipes and navigating boats across an open ocean!
Links:
https://hmns.uq.edu.au/profile/9322/carl-woods
http://perceptionaction.com/
My Research Gate Page (pdfs of my articles)
My ASU Web page
...
Gibson, The Ecological Approach to Visual Perception, Chaps 9 – Evidence for Direct Perception (JC 64)
Join Andrew, Marianne, and me as we discuss evidence in support of direct perception. A review of Chapter 9 of An Ecological Approach to Visual Perception.
http://perceptionaction.com/
My Research Gate Page (pdfs of my articles)
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On Water Bags and Adapting to Variability, Load, and Pain
A few revelations I have had from doing PT and S&C workshops with water bags. Why is adapting to increased variability typically better than adapting to increased load or pain?
http://perceptionaction.com/
My Research Gate Page (pdfs of my articles)
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574 – Reflections from the Road: Questions to Ask When Trying to Design a Good Constraint
http://perceptionaction.com/
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Reflections from the Road: The Critical Importance of Having Movements that are Information Driven in Practice
A few thoughts from the the road about what I am now calling the "second lowest hanging fruit" in improving practice: keeping movement information driven.
http://perceptionaction.com/
My Research Gate Page (pdfs of my articles)
My ASU Web page
Podcast Facebook page (videos, pics, etc)
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Support the podcast and receive bonus content
572 – An Emergent Discussion with Martial Arts Coach Adam Singer
I am joined by Adam Singer, martial arts instructor at SBG Athens for an emergent discussion on applying ecological dynamics. What are some of the weaknesses with the theory we still need to address?
Links:
https://www.instagram.com/stories/adamsingersbg/
http://perceptionaction.com/
My Research Gate Page (pdfs of my articles)
My ASU Web page
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571 – My Coach Education Workshops & New Book
A preview of the coach education workshops I have been developing. Some of the resources I have found helpful, the lessons I have learned, and how to schedule one for your group. Also, a brief plug for the new book I am working on.
Articles:
The Workshop Survival Guide
Kickass Presentations: Wow Audiences with PowerPoint Slides That Click, Humor that's Quick, and Messages That Stick
http://perceptionaction.com/
My Research Gate Page (pdfs of my articles)
My ASU Web page
Podcast Facebook page (videos, pics, etc)<...
Gibson, The Ecological Approach to Visual Perception, Chaps 8 - Affordances (JC 63)
Join Andrew, Marianne, and me as we discuss one of Gibson's most important contributions: the concept of affordances! A review of Chapter 8 of An Ecological Approach to Visual Perception.
Links:
The Ecological Approach to Visual Perception
http://perceptionaction.com/
My Research Gate Page (pdfs of my articles)
My ASU Web page
Podcast Facebook page (videos, pics, etc)
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569 – Gibson, The Ecological Approach to Visual Perception, Chaps 6-7 (JC 62)
Join Andrew, Marianne, and me as we look at Chapters 6 and 7 from Gibson's
"1979 book": The Ecological Approach to Visual Perception
Links:
The Ecological Approach to Visual Perception
http://perceptionaction.com/
My Research Gate Page (pdfs of my articles)
My ASU Web page
Podcast Facebook page (videos, pics, etc)
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568 – Representations with Andrew Wilson
A discussion with Andrew Wilson about representations? What are they exactly? Why do people propose we need them? Can we really have a non-representational theory of behavior?
Articles:
Ecological representations
http://perceptionaction.com/
My Research Gate Page (pdfs of my articles)
My ASU Web page
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567 – An Ecological Account of Previewing and Using Advance Information
How can we understand the cognition involved in route previewing (for example, as is commonly used in rock climbing and alpine skiing) and using advance information (for example, about an opponent's tendencies) from an ecological dynamics perspective?
Articles:
Action preferences and the anticipation of action outcomes
Role of route previewing strategies on climbing fluency and exploratory movements
The Moneyball problem: what is the best way to present situational statistics to an athlete?
Efficacy of pre-ascent climbing route visual inspection in indoor sport climbing
"You Look at an Ocean; I See the Rips...
566 – Gibson, The Ecological Approach to Visual Perception, Chaps 5 (JC 61)
Join Andrew, Marianne, and me as we discuss Chapter 5 from Gibson's "1979 book": The Ecological Approach to Visual Perception. What is the ambient optic array?
Links:
The Ecological Approach to Visual Perception
http://perceptionaction.com/
My Research Gate Page (pdfs of my articles)
My ASU Web page
Podcast Facebook page (videos, pics, etc)
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565 – Gibson, The Ecological Approach to Visual Perception, Chaps 3-4 (JC 60)
Looking at Chapters 3 and 4 from Gibson's "1979 book": The Ecological Approach to Visual Perception
Links:
The Ecological Approach to Visual Perception
http://perceptionaction.com/
My Research Gate Page (pdfs of my articles)
My ASU Web page
Podcast Facebook page (videos, pics, etc)
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564 – Ecological Cognition IV: Decision Making
Looking at decision-making from an ecological perspective. From a mental event that follows perception and precedes action to a phenomenon that emerges from the performer-environment interaction.
Links:
Ecological cognition: expert decision-making behaviour in sport
http://perceptionaction.com/
My Research Gate Page (pdfs of my articles)
My ASU Web page
Podcast Facebook page (videos, pics, etc)
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563 – Gibson, The Ecological Approach to Visual Perception (JC 59)
Join Andrew, Marianne, and me as we start a new book. Looking at Chapters 1 and 2 from Gibson's
"1979 book": The Ecological Approach to Visual Perception
Links:
The Ecological Approach to Visual Perception
http://perceptionaction.com/
My Research Gate Page (pdfs of my articles)
My ASU Web page
Podcast Facebook page (videos, pics, etc)
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562 – Ecological Cognition III: Radical Embodied Cognitive Science (part 1)
Continuing the journey in understanding the Ecological approach to cognition by looking at Tony Chemero's book: Radical Embodied Cognitive Science. Conceptualizing cognition in terms of agent-environment dynamics instead of computation and representation. What is RECS, and where did these ideas come from?
Links:
Radical Embodied Cognitive Science
A non‐representational approach to imagined action
The dynamics of active categorical perception in an evolved model agent
http://perceptionaction.com/
My Research Gate Page (pdfs of my articles)
561 – An Ecological Dynamics Account of Flow in Sport
Looking at an ecological dynamics account of the experience of flow as a way to illustrate some of the key concepts in understanding the ecological view of cognition.
Links:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0001691825000782
http://perceptionaction.com/
My Research Gate Page (pdfs of my articles)
My ASU Web page
Podcast Facebook page (videos, pics, etc)
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Subscribe
560 – Ecological Cognition II: Resonance
What the heck does the brain do in Ecological Dynamics, if it isn't computing, processing, or representing? An introduction to the concept of Resonance.
Articles:
A Theory of Resonance: Towards an Ecological Cognitive Architecture
From metaphor to theory: the role of resonance in perceptual learning
http://perceptionaction.com/
My Research Gate Page (pdfs of my articles)
My ASU Web page
Podcast Facebook page (videos, pics, etc)
559 – Turvey, Lectures on Perception: An Ecological Perspective, Chapter 26 (JC58)
On another edition of the Perception-Action journal club, I am joined by Andrew Wilson and Marianne Davies to discuss chapter 26 from Michael Turvey's book "Lectures on Perception: An Ecological Perspective"
Links:
https://www.amazon.com/Lectures-Perception-Perspective-Michael-Turvey/dp/1138335266
http://perceptionaction.com/
My Research Gate Page (pdfs of my articles)
My ASU Web page
Podcast Facebook page (videos, pics, etc)
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558 – The Ecological Approach to Cognition: An Introduction
Is it true that there is no cognition in the ecological approach to skill? No, of course not. In this episode, I want to start a series of episodes to explain how we can understand cognition (e.g., problem solving, memory, intention, agency, anticipation, decision making, etc) from an ecological viewpoint.
Articles:
The ecological dynamics of cognizant action in sport
http://perceptionaction.com/
My Research Gate Page (pdfs of my articles)
My ASU Web page
Podcast Facebook page (videos, pics, etc)
Subscribe in i...
557 – Turvey, Lectures on Perception: An Ecological Perspective, Chapters 24-25 (JC57)
On another edition of the Perception-Action journal club, I am joined by Andrew Wilson and Marianne Davies to discuss chapters 24 and 25 from Michael Turvey's book "Lectures on Perception: An Ecological Perspective"
Links:
https://www.amazon.com/Lectures-Perception-Perspective-Michael-Turvey/dp/1138335266
http://perceptionaction.com/
My Research Gate Page (pdfs of my articles)
My ASU Web page
Podcast Facebook page (videos, pics, etc)
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556 – State of the Podcast
556 – State of the Podcast
An update on the future of the podcast moving into 2026.
http://perceptionaction.com/
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Support the podcast and receive bonus content
555 – Turvey, Lectures on Perception: An Ecological Perspective, Chapters 22-23 (JC56)
On another edition of the Perception-Action journal club, I am joined by Andrew Wilson and Marianne Davies to discuss chapters 22 and 23 from Michael Turvey's book "Lectures on Perception: An Ecological Perspective"
Links:
https://www.amazon.com/Lectures-Perception-Perspective-Michael-Turvey/dp/1138335266
http://perceptionaction.com/
My Research Gate Page (pdfs of my articles)
My ASU Web page
Podcast Facebook page (videos, pics, etc)
Subscribe in iOS/Apple
Turvey, Lectures on Perception: An Ecological Perspective, Chapters 20-21 (JC55)
On another edition of the Perception-Action journal club, I am joined by Andrew Wilson and Marianne Davies to discuss chapters 20 and 21 from Michael Turvey's book "Lectures on Perception: An Ecological Perspective"
Links:
https://www.amazon.com/Lectures-Perception-Perspective-Michael-Turvey/dp/1138335266
http://perceptionaction.com/
My Research Gate Page (pdfs of my articles)
My ASU Web page
Podcast Facebook page (videos, pics, etc)
Subscribe in iOS/Apple
