Cognitive Performance in Combat Sports: CatchPad in Action with Eray Şamdan

In combat sports, physical strength, speed, or endurance alone is not enough. What truly makes the difference is how quickly an athlete can read their surroundings, how fast they can make the right decision, and how efficiently their brain performs under pressure. The combination of these abilities is known as cognitive performance.

Today, many elite athletes around the world leverage new technologies to enhance their cognitive performance. One of the most notable examples is Turkey’s pride—Olympic silver medalist and World Champion karateka Eray Şamdan, who actively incorporates CatchPad into his training sessions.

Why Is Cognitive Performance Critical in Combat Sports?

In disciplines such as karate, kickboxing, MMA, and taekwondo, even a fraction of a second can determine the outcome. The micro-moment between seeing an incoming strike and reacting to it reflects both an athlete’s motor skills and cognitive abilities.

Cognitive performance includes:
• Environmental awareness
• Reaction speed
• Decision-making time
• Movement planning
• Focus and attention
• The ability to respond correctly under pressure

Developing these skills directly impacts competition performance.

The Eray Şamdan Example: How a World-Class Champion Trains

Eray Şamdan’s dominance in the ring is not solely the result of physical training. What sets him apart from many athletes is his commitment to modern training technologies.

Eray uses CatchPad specifically to:
• Sense the opponent’s move and react instantly
• Improve fast footwork and coordination
• Increase response speed to visual and auditory stimuli
• Strengthen decision-making under pressure
• Create smooth transitions between combinations

By doing so, he trains his brain at match intensity, turning his reactions into automatic, high-level reflexes.

Data-Driven Training: Measurable Progress for Champions

One of the biggest advantages elite athletes like Eray benefit from is the ability to track their progress with millisecond precision.

The CatchPad app records key metrics such as:
• Reaction time
• Combination speed
• Error rate
• Focus duration

This provides coaches with clear insights into which cognitive areas need to be strengthened and how the athlete is progressing over time.

Conclusion: In Combat Sports, Victory Is No Longer Just About Physical Strength

The example of Eray Şamdan proves that in modern combat sports, cognitive performance has become a decisive factor. CatchPad helps athletes enhance not only their physical abilities but also their mental speed—bringing them closer to world-class performance.

Today, the real question every coach, club, and athlete should ask is:
“Is my brain ready for competition?”

With CatchPad, the answer is: YES!