In an earlier blog I spoke about the benefits of Futsal as a development tool for young footballers. In that blog, I briefly mentioned Daniel Coyles’ The Talent Code, the idea of ‘deep practice’ and the effect hours of constant repetition have on the neurological development of an athlete. Coyle describes the process whereby one can actually grow an insulation called myelin around the neurons in the brain to make them fire faster. This is achieved through constant repetition of a skill. The right kind of practice means more myelin to transport signals around the brain faster. Neurologist Dr Jack Kruse states, “If we provide the brain with the proper substrates for optimal health and maintenance we can allow our genes to retool the brain while we sleep with the process of autophagy. This is the process by which a healthy brain can change to better cope with the environment it finds itself in now. As we fire a specific pathway repeatedly over time, it becomes more and more efficient. This is how we learn. During sleep these pathways become hardwired.” In other words, the thicker the myelin, the more talented the athlete.
This week, thanks to Matthew O’Neil, I came across some information regarding omega-3 fatty acids (fish oil) and myelin. I’ve long been a fan of fish oil supplementation and personally consume regular servings of fatty fish due to its benefits to one’s general health. What I now know is that myelin (the talent-creating insulation in our brain) can only be repaired or created in the presence of DHA (a component of fish oil called docosahexaenoic acid). I’d urge every parent to listen to the podcast I’ve linked to.
Dr George Bartzokis Podcast (Podcast released on the 12/5/13)
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