{"id":12519,"date":"2024-11-27T02:09:29","date_gmt":"2024-11-26T19:09:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/?p=12519"},"modified":"2024-11-27T02:09:29","modified_gmt":"2024-11-26T19:09:29","slug":"why-light-based-training-is-supercharging-athletic-performance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/?p=12519","title":{"rendered":"Why Light-Based Training is Supercharging Athletic Performance"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p>OKKULO, the team behind new methods of improving athlete performance via exposure to specialized lighting conditions, has demonstrated a 72% improvement in anticipation times, and an 18.8% reduction in sensory reaction times in soccer players. But what is light-based training, and what does it mean for the future of other sports? M&amp;F takes a look.<\/p>\n<p>As part of the <a href=\"https:\/\/onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/doi\/10.1111\/opo.13423\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">study OKKULO worked with elite soccer players<\/a> from Sunderland AFC in the UK exposing them to a unique range of light sequences from blue to near-black, all in a bid to \u201crecalibrate the brain\u2019s visual processing pathways.\u201d The researchers hoped that by manipulating light exposure while the players tried to save goals or make accurate strikes on the ball, the new technology would challenge athletes to perceive and process visual information more swiftly. The study involved 24 professional football players from Sunderland AFC\u2019s U18 and U23 men\u2019s teams, as well as the women\u2019s first team.<\/p>\n<p>Players were divided into two groups: an intervention group that trained twice weekly with OKKULO\u2019s technology, and a control group that worked under regular lighting.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"How To Maintain Your Edge | Training In The Dark at Okkulo\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/hNCA5Ddwqxs?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h2>Light Based Training Provides \u2018Extra Time\u2019 for Athletes<\/h2>\n<p>Upon returning to normal lighting, it could be demonstrated that the soccer players had gained a sense of \u201cextra time,\u201d enabling faster decision-making in high-stakes moments. Since improving anticipation and reactions is essential to all athletes, the key findings make for a glowing review of light-based training:<\/p>\n<p><strong>Dynamic Visual Acuity:<\/strong> Enhanced by 8.4%, improving players\u2019 ability to track fast-moving objects with precision.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Peripheral Identification:<\/strong> Accuracy increased by 10% and speed by 20%, allowing athletes to better monitor their surroundings.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Sensory Reaction Time:<\/strong> Reduced by 18.8%, the speed of sensory processing between eye and brain.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Recognition Time:<\/strong> Increased by 59.9%, facilitating quicker identification of critical game cues.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Depth Perception:<\/strong> Boosted by 45.6%, essential for accurate distance and timing judgments.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Anticipation Time:<\/strong> Improved by an impressive 72%, sharpening players\u2019 ability to predict opponent movements.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Motor Reaction Time:<\/strong> Increased by 36.3%, optimising physical response capabilities.<\/p>\n<p>With 50% of our brain\u2019s activity dedicated to vision, OKKULO says it\u2019s light-based training optimises neural pathways between the eye and brain, driving breakthroughs in both visual and motor efficiency that redefine human performance. Looking beyond sports, OKKULO aims to extend its transformative impact into everyday life, enhancing cognitive and mental health and unlocking human potential in unprecedented ways. But how do the lighting conditions during training have such an effect on performance?<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe have developed four different ambient light levels that create a stepping stone from easy to hard, but also each level has a direct impact on different areas in the visual system,\u201d Mel O\u2019Connor, the founder and CEO of OKKULO tells <em>M&amp;F<\/em>. \u201cThere is method in the madness, so to speak! Each level has a slightly different delay on the perception of the athlete that allows us to speed and up and slow down their world. We recalibrate the visual system: the brain, to allow more information to pass more quickly, essentially giving the athlete more time to perform their sport.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>So, how might success hungry athletes and coaches be able to apply light-based training? \u201cIt is simple, says O\u2019Connor. \u201cWe have a roadmap of the four different light levels and the coaches use each light level dependent on what they want to get out of each session. Blue creates focus, Green works on peripheral vision, Red works on depth perception and Purple is the hardest level. The athlete has to train as normal, we just change the lights!\u201d<\/p>\n<p>With the results that light-based training has already brought, major sporting teams are keen to get involved and get hold of the new system. \u201cAt the moment we are B2B (business to business) but will migrate quickly as direct to consumer with systems already in the planning,\u201d says Mel O\u2019Connor. \u201cOKKULO uses athletes as the doorway but we could be in every house and home in the future. It is not just athletic performance that we work on, but human performance. For example, we have seen many instances of people with ADHD and brain trauma who feel significantly better post OKKULO. It\u2019s fascinating.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>See light-based training in action with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=hNCA5Ddwqxs%20(embed)%20For%20more%20information%20on%20OKKULO%C2%AE.%20visit:%20https:\/\/www.okkulo.com\/\">Sunderland AFC\u2019s Luke O\u2019Nien\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.muscleandfitness.com\/features\/feature-news\/why-light-based-training-is-supercharging-athletic-performance\/\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>OKKULO, the team behind new methods of improving athlete performance via exposure to specialized lighting conditions, has demonstrated a 72% improvement in anticipation times, and an 18.8% reduction in sensory reaction times in soccer players. But what is light-based training, and what does it mean for the future of other sports? M&amp;F takes a look. &hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12519","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-fitness"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12519","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=12519"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12519\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=12519"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=12519"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=12519"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}