I have one question for the OP, what is the difference? A leak is something that you do that is sub-optimal. Isn't improving our A game minimizing and eventually eliminating all sub-optimal actions? Not quite sure what the question is here.
Leak management has to do w/ improving A-game, as well as non A-game.
Plugging the "I'm pissed at my wife, but still playing" leak is non A-game.
Plugging the "I'm going to take all my poker winnings, and try to double-up on the
blackjack table" leak is non A-game.
Plugging the "Playing on 2 hrs. sleep" leak is non A-game.
Plugging the "Throw the mouse across the room after bad beat" leak is non A-game.
Plugging the "Quitting too early, or quitting too late" leak is non A-game.
Improving the above leaks will naturally help us play our A-game more consistently, though.
The "A-game" isn't about playing the best we've ever played...
it's about playing the best we know how to play now. Your A-game is different than mine. There are definitely leaks in one's A-game that should be plugged, but focusing on the non A-game leaks will help bring the two together, more consistently.
-Dayne