Prof. Dr. Peter Kačur: Neurocognitive and Motor-Cognitive Diagnostics Are Crucial in Sport
One of the plenary speakers at the upcoming scientific conference of the Montenegrin Sports Academy, which will be held in Budva from April 16 to 19, is Prof. Dr. Peter Kačur from the Faculty of Sports at the University of Prešov in Slovakia. He is a highly recognized scientist in the field of sports pedagogy. His academic and research work encompasses sports psychology, outdoor education, as well as cognition in sport and physical education, with a particular focus on neurocognitive and motor-cognitive diagnostics, as well as the transfer of brain-based training to performance in real-life conditions.
He will speak on the topic: “From Tests to Transfer – Neurocognitive Diagnostics as a Bridge in Applied Performance Environments.”
Neurocognitive diagnostics and training are increasingly being used in various applied performance environments, reflecting recent innovations, but at the same time creating interpretative challenges related to transfer. The aim of the paper is to present evidence-based methodological considerations that improve the interpretation of findings related to transfer and support a more transparent evaluation beyond trained tasks in sport, says Prof. Kačur, and continues:
Selected recent evidence, including review papers and representative controlled studies, has been synthesized to identify recurring issues in design and reporting that are relevant to transfer. The presentation primarily adopts a cross-sectional overview of the approach itself, including assessments under contrasting conditions where possible. Applied examples from sport and tactical contexts are used to illustrate profiling, monitoring, and the standardization of protocols in conditions relevant to the field. This is highly important in sports diagnostics.
Prof. Kačur emphasizes that key considerations include the selection of outcomes aligned with real task demands, ensuring the representativeness of tasks and perception–action requirements, as well as familiarization and measurement reliability. He also highlights the potential impact of fatigue, time pressure, and contextual constraints on assessment. Furthermore, selected approaches to neurocognitive training are discussed to illustrate how near and intermediate outcomes can be structured as a bridge toward performance measures, supporting a more realistic evaluation of generalization beyond the trained task in sport.
An evidence-based methodological framework can facilitate more consistent use of neurocognitive diagnostics and training in practice and inform the design of future longitudinal or experimental studies aimed at evaluating transfer with greater interpretability in sport.
