by Arlene Marom
Originally designed as a simulator for Israeli fighter pilots, IntelliGym (http://www.intelligym.com) – a patented computer software training tool – is raising the scores of basketball and hockey players by 20-40%! Until now, it was believed that players either had an innate sense of the game – game intelligence, court vision, reading plays – or they didn’t. But, thanks to this ultra-sophisticated program – a ‘brain gym’ for competitive sportsmen – it’s becoming clear that everyone can significantly improve his game.
The Stars Behind the System
According to Dr. Jacob Greenshpan – who is considered ‘the brains behind Intelligym’ – training basketball and hockey players in the same way that Israeli fighter pilots are trained not only increases their scores, but also helps protect them from injury.
Dr. Greenshpan studied under the Technion’s legendary cognitive psychologist, Prof. Daniel Gopher, who – years ago – developed a top-secret simulation program developed for Israeli Air Force pilots and funded by the US agency, DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency). The program resulted in pilots being able to instinctively anticipate even the most complex flight challenges, and thus, not surprisingly, it became the standard training program for a number of air forces around the world.
Cognitive Fidelity
According to Prof. Gopher, “What we have discovered is that a key factor for an effective transfer from training environment to reality is that the training program ensures ‘Cognitive Fidelity’; that is, it should faithfully represent the mental demands that happen in the real world. Traditional approaches focus instead on physical fidelity, which may seem more intuitive, but less effective and harder to achieve.”
Some of the researchers who had worked on the DARPA project suggested that the same techniques that they had used for training pilots could be applied to sports. They began to build programs for basketball, football, and hockey – with the goal of shortening the time between the moment when the player’s eyes see something and when the brain begins processing the visual images.
They discovered some striking similarities along the way. Both pilots and sportsmen must process information at very high speeds … and, in order to make accurate split-second decisions, they need full situational awareness. Both flying and sports involve planning and sequencing, focusing attention, selecting between environmental aspects, switching and dividing attention between actions, etc. For sportsmen, this means developing a sense of where their teammates are located on the field at any given time, and from which direction the members of the opposing team are coming. Following years of research into each sport, the cognitive skills identified in the task analysis became part of the computerized game.
According to Danny Dankner, CEO of Applied Cognitive Engineering (ACE) – the company that makes Intelligym – “Our state-of-the-art program tests and improves the brain’s ‘executive functions’ – reflexes, surprises, challenges, and instincts – and closes the gap between eye and brain. The system trains players in multiple cognitive skills – in a unified, comprehensive task environment .”
The Training
The program is installed by each player on his own computer – either a PC or Mac – and is tailored to his individual strengths and weaknesses. Tracking each player’s progress as the game becomes faster and more difficult – Intelligym sends the players’ scores to the team’s coaches and to the Intelligym analysts. Based only on this information, the team at ACE – made up of cognitive psychologists, computer engineers, and game theorists – can determine how each player is processing information, which allows their coaches to work on specific skills as well as on a player’s ability to focus.
The Bottom Line
Incredibly, with only half an hour, twice a week, most players will see a 30% improvement in just 8-10 sessions. And, no less important, the player’s quicker responses and improved spatial awareness reduces injuries by at least 15%.
According to Dankner, “Results have been spectacular. Since adoption of the program, four IntelliGym-trained National hockey teams have participated in 21 international tournaments, including 3 world championships, out of which they have won an unprecedented 17 gold medals.” And, based on the company’s extremely successful cooperation with USA Hockey, Intelligym won the 2010 Sharp Brains Innovation Award.
Dankner believes that brain gyms will soon become a standard tool for training competitive athletes – an integral part of any training program – just as physical gyms are today.