Neuro Performance Training:
The missing link in athlete development

What is it and what’s makes it so effective?

Neuro Performance Training is an approach that trains the systems that regulate movement and performance. It helps athletes move more efficiently, unlock new levels of strength and mobility, and accelerate the path to skill consistency, all through quick drills that can be integrated into practice.

Why focus on the brain? The decision and commands to our body to run, jump, or even feel pain originate in the brain. If we want to run faster, jump higher, feel better – we can accelerate change by going directly to the source.

The Key Difference

We have three systems that regulate movement and athletic capacity:

  • Proprioception

  • Visual System

  • Vestibular System

Conventional sports training depends heavily on proprioception and on high volumes of repetition to help gymnasts ‘feel’ the dynamics of a skill. Neuro Performance Training also includes the visual and vestibular systems; they’re the most influential drivers of athletic performance yet are rarely trained.

By intentionally integrating all three systems, athletes get more out of every rep, hour and week of training, accelerating the path to mastery.

Assessing depth judgement and visual suppression

The Benefits

  • Greater athletic capabilities - from flexibility to speed and power - without more effort

  • Faster progress with fewer reps

  • Simple and fast-acting drills that athletes can do daily and on their own to boost performance AND reduce pain

  • Addressing hidden imbalances that may be limiting performance

  • Change can happen very quickly ⇩

Straighter beam tumbling after 1 minute of visual and vestibular drills

Training ALL systems involved in movement

Again, great movement depends high-definition maps of every system involved in movement. The 3 key systems are:

  • Vision - Our vision is the most important sense we have for movement, and high-level athletes need high-level visual skills (not just seeing 20/20)

  • Vestibular System - Your balance system that needs to react instantaneously to changes in position and direction

  • Proprioception - Your brain’s sense of where you are in space

We need to assess and train all three. 

Profound and immediate change typically occurs once we train activate the visual and vestibular systems because of their enormous influence on movement. For example:

“My average range of motion has increased, response times have improved, and my air awareness and body orientation understanding have sharpened—all thanks to Yuka’s expertise. My work with her has had a transformative impact on my gymnastics in the last three years.”

Colt Walker, USA Gymnastics World & National Team Member, Stanford ‘25

What does a Neuro Performance Coach do?

As a Neuro Performance Coach, I assess the systems that create the brain’s 3D map of your body. Efficient, pain-free movement requires a high-definition map, so I’m looking for impairments in neural systems or brain-body connections that may be creating areas that are unclear.

For example, if you’ve sprained your ankle three times but never fully rehabbed it, there’s a chance that your brain’s map of your ankle is “blurry”. The nervous system’s response to this may be to restrict your mobility, which might then limit the amount of power you can generate. The great news is that when we clear things up — in this case it might be sensory work and exercises to refine control of your ankle, knee and hip — your brain will take the brakes off limitations in range of motion, speed, and power. 

Why haven’t I heard of it before?

Intentionally including the brain as part of training and rehab is an emerging discipline and gaining traction around the world. There are already many professional teams, world-class and Olympic athletes that integrate brain-based tools into their training and injury recovery. Some current and past athletes I’ve had the opportunity to work with include:

  • Colt Walker, USA Gymnastics National & World team member, Stanford University Gymnastics team member

  • Charlie Larson, USA Trampoline & Tumbling National & World Team member, University of Michigan Gymnastics team member

  • Emma Nedov, 2024 Australian Olympic Gymnastics Team Member

  • Maé-Bérénice Méité - 6-time French National Figure Skating Champion, 2014 & 2018 Olympian

  • Thea Lafond, 2024 Olympic Triple Jump Champion

  • Ciena Alipio, UCLA Gymnastics ‘26 and 4x USA Gymnastics National team member

  • Emily Lee, UCLA Gymnatics ‘25 and 3x USA Gymnastics National team member

You can read their testimonials below.

Around the world, athletes and organizations that incorporate neuro performance training include:

  • Pauline Schafer, German Gymnastics 2016, 2020, 2024 Olympic Gymnast

  • Alexander Zverev, 2020 Olympic Tennis Champion

  • DFB Akademie (German National Soccer Training Center)

  • Arsenal Academy

  • Coaches & Trainers in the NHL, NFL, MLB, WNBA, ATP, WTP

This is a transformative approach that taps into the immense speed and power of the brain to help athletes and coaches train smarter, not just harder. When integrated as a system, we can create change more quickly and unlock new levels of performance so athletes can achieve their goals without sacrificing their bodies.

WAYS TO WORK WITH ME

To learn more, visit the LevelUp Blog

Athlete Testimonials

  • Working with Yuka in the lead up to the Olympics was incredible for supporting my body and improving on areas in balance, flexibility and landings. I found that from working with Yuka I was able to feel more control in my body and realised that I didn't need to 'force' my body to do things, rather I could activate certain parts of the brain for the improvements I needed. I incorporated a lot of the work we did together in my warm up routine and pre apparatus prep to ensure that I was warm and ready, and that I ended up doing one of the drills on the competition floor before I competed. This also helped me with my self belief in competition to know I was physically prepped and ready.

    Emma Nedov, 2024 Australian Gymnastics Olympic Team Member

  • Working with Yuka was a key breakthrough in my comeback journey. When I first met with her, I had the figure skating equivalent of the twisties, and lost all type of awareness going on my triple jumps, despite mastering them for over 15 years. Yuka’s approach was methodical, costumed and really curated to my needs and feelings and one day, it clicked. We had been working for a few weeks, and as I was practicing off ice, my nervous system was responsive again, and the known feelings came back. This breakthrough moment taught me so much about muscle memory and the power of the brain on performance, and how high stress, and repetitive traumatic experiences can impact my body’s ability to perform. 
Today I understand how valuable neuroperformance work is, whether it is to learn and improve new skills, help with the recovery process after an injury, and help guide the body when you are stuck in strong emotional states such as fear or stress. 

I am forever grateful to Yuka. With her guidance, I was able to overcome the crumpling fear I felt doing something that always felt like second nature, and regain my awareness doing triples.

    Maé-Bérénice Méité, 6-time French National Figure Skating Champion, 2014 & 2018 Olympian

  • It’s no secret that attempting to reach the pinnacle of your sport takes everything that you have. Winning gold at the Paris Olympics took just that. I came to Yuka at LevelUp Neuroperformance looking for the last 1% of help to achieve Olympic success. Specifically I was looking for ways to build focus, aggression, and short term immediate flexibility. Yuka gave me a list of exercises to try out, and what really worked for me was the lunging hip tilt iso holds, the arabesque leg circles, and the red glasses. The glasses were my favorite because they were the easiest to use, made me more alert, results were nearly instant, and honestly…they just looked cool. I am super grateful for the help I received from Yuka in my pursuits of excellence.

    Thea LaFond, 2024 Olympic Triple Jump Champion

  • I highly recommend Yuka to anyone looking to elevate their athletic performance. Whether you are an amateur seeking a breakthrough to fast-track your progress or an elite athlete striving for that competitive edge, Yuka’s biomechanical knowledge and experience can make a profound difference. The vestibular drills and proprioception exercises she taught me have been key elements to my training and significantly optimized my performance. My average range of motion has increased, response times have improved, and my air awareness and body orientation understanding have sharpened—all thanks to Yuka’s expertise. My work with her has had a transformative impact on my gymnastics in the last three years.

    Colt Walker, USA Gymnastics National & World Team Member, Stanford '25

  • I looked forward to the work I did with Yuka to help my flexibility. It allowed me to stretch muscles I wouldn’t normally think to stretch and even stretch the muscles I stretched on a normal basis but in new ways. I always felt more mobile after working with Yuka. She also helped me fix slight inconsistencies with my training, giving me different suggestions to adjust body position, or tips on how to hold my balance, and she helped me reduce aches and pains which in turn helped my training. Yuka is so great to work with as she understands that we are more than just gymnasts and will get to know you on a personal level, which makes working with her extremely easy. She is always looking out for our best interests.

    Ciena Alipio, 4x USA Gymnastics National Team Member, UCLA ‘26

To learn how I work with coaches and groups, let’s talk! Contact me for a free 15-minute consultation.

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