Think of the brain as a neural GPS unit and the receptors in your body as satellites that send signals back to your brain.  These satellites send millions of signals to your brain every second.  If the signals are incomplete or mixed up, the brain will not be able to do its job very well, which could result in frustration, movement difficulty, poor coordination, pain, injury, and underperformance. 

These satellites come in three primary forms:  visual signals, balance signals, and movement signals.  The brain takes these signals and filters them through a complicated process and then creates a constantly updating 3D map of your body in relation to your environment.  The more complex the movement demands of your sport, the greater will be the demands on the neural GPS to keep up.  The better the map, the better the performance.  Athletes need a high level of integration of these systems to reach excellence in sports performance. 

The good news is that these systems can be trained and the brain has an infinite capacity to change with the right training.  You need to shake off outdated thinking that the only athletes to reach the top levels are those that have natural talent.  Great athletes are created, not born.  The truth is that few athletes are taught to move well.  To be great you must focus on foundational skills that many athletes were never taught.  Your body can only create as much power and strength as its mobility and stability will allow.  Lifting more weights or practicing harder won’t help you if your mobility and stability are off, even slightly.  Mobility and stability are created in the body by proper body movement patterns, strong visual skills, and strong balance. 

Excellence as an athlete is in the ability to move fluently, which is rooted in joint mobility, vision, and balance.  Athletes must be able to see well, balance well, move well, think well, and integrate well.   Integration involves everything from motor, vision, and balance to thoughts and emotion.  This creates the foundation for strong fluid effortless movement like you see the pros doing.