What processes occur during the times when an athlete is not on the field or court, that is there off-time between practices and competitions.  How important are these rest periods for learning sports skills?  Does it matter what an athlete does during these periods?  Could doing something like playing video games possibly interfere with the gains made during practice?  
Links to articles discussed:
Leg muscle recruitment during cycling is less developed in triathletes than cyclists despite matched cycling training loads
Practice With Sleep Makes Perfect: Sleep-Dependent Motor Skill Learning
The restorative effect of naps on perceptual deterioration
Experience-dependent changes in cerebral activation during human REM sleep
Watch and Learn: Seeing Is Better than Doing when Acquiring Consecutive Motor Tasks
Do action video games improve perception and cognition?
Action-Video-Game Experience Alters the Spatial Resolution of Vision
 
More information:
http://www.perceptionactionpodcast.libsyn.com/
My Research Gate Page (pdfs of my articles)
My ASU Web page
Podcast Facebook page (videos, pics, etc)
Email: robgray@asu.edu
Twitter: @ShakeyWaits
 
Credits:
The Flamin' Groovies - Shake Some Action
Thomas Allen – Rest Until I Die
Grumsling – Down Time
Silence is Sexy – The Science of Sleep
Auto Bonfire – I Sleep Fine
Screaming Mirror – The Observer
Saucy Jack – Beat You at Your Own Game
 
via freemusicarchive.org and jamendo.com