The Performance Cortex: How Neuroscience Is Redefining Athletic Genius

Athletic genius explained.

A groundbreaking new perspective on the science of elite sporting performance.

Why couldn't Michael Jordan, master athlete that he was, hit a baseball? Why can't modern robotics come close to replicating the dexterity of a five-year-old? Why do good quarterbacks always seem to know where their receivers are? In this deeply researched book, sports and business reporter Zach Schonbrun explores what actually drives human movement and its spectacular potential.

The groundbreaking work of two neuroscientists in Major League Baseball is only the beginning.

Schonbrun traces the fascinating history of motor research and details how new investigations in the brain are helping explain the extraordinary skills of talented performers like Stephen Curry, Tom Brady, Serena Williams, and Lionel Messi; as well as musical virtuosos, dancers, rock climbers, race-car drivers, and more.