The Amygdala Hijack in Sports

This podcast introduces the concept of the amygdala, a brain structure vital for emotion and fight-or-flight responses, and explains its role in visual perception and decision-making, sometimes bypassing conscious thought. It describes the phenomenon of an "amygdala hijack," where this emotional part of the brain overrides rational behavior, citing examples of this in sports like biting, headbutting, and striking opponents. The podcast then suggests techniques like focused breathing, the six-second rule, and eye movement as potential methods to manage and deactivate this emotional response to regain conscious control and improve performance.