5 Ways Neurofeedback Helps With Peak Performance for Athletes
Spring sports are here!
Whether your athletes are new to sports or they’ve been at it for years – it’s common to experience some nervous energy surrounding performance.
As a sports coach, you know athletes need to sleep well, eat well, and train well to help keep their competitive edge during a game.
But sometimes, things happen.
Distractions, anxiousness, and getting tired throughout the game affect an athlete’s ability to play their best.
Do you notice your athletes….
- Miss the ball once and then are hesitant to keep going after it for the rest of the game?
- Get too distracted when the action isn’t directly in front of them?
- Struggles to keep their energy in the second half?
Sometimes, physical training just isn’t enough. Psychological management has been linked to advanced levels of performance from competitive athletes.
With NeurOptimal® neurofeedback, athletes will be able to knock each game out of the park. Pun intended.
Today, we’re going to talk about how NeurOptimal® Neurofeedback helps solidify peak performance by promoting relaxation, reducing performance anxiety, and enhancing cognitive performance.
Brief Background: Peak Performance
According to PhD(c), sports scientist and kinesiology educator Trevor P. Short, “Optimizing human performance requires a harmonious balance between training (stress) and recovery (adaptation) with careful consideration of performance-limiting factors.”1
It’s no question that athletes experience tension and performance anxiety during a game. That’s where the competitive nature lies. The ability to handle stress and adapt to the ever-changing conditions of the game can make or break an athlete’s ability to reach their potential.
Reducing Performance Anxiety
Uncontrolled performance anxiety interferes with athletic functioning during a match.
This can lead to:
-
- Low self-confidence
- Helplessness
- Loss of control2
Performance anxiety leads to disruptions in motor skills, making it one of the most prominent factors of poor athletic performance.
Optimal level theory states that athletic peak performance is only possible when psychological arousal (anxiety) is maintained, and not excessively high.2
NeurOptimal® fosters relaxation, minimizing performance anxiety and helping athletes function at their best.
Studies show that neurofeedback helps lessen performance anxiety in adolescents and increases self-efficacy.2 This leads to less stress and more confidence. It’s safe for even your youngest athletes to use and significantly increases their confidence to play the game.
Improving Focus and Concentration
Concentration in sports isn’t just about keeping your eye on the ball. Athletics require high levels of concentration to maintain awareness of all external stimuli while being mindful of one’s own body, placement, and movement.
The ability to stay focused allows your athletes to be aware of important cues like movement, technique, response, and selection.2 With this, they are not only prepared for the play, but can anticipate how the play will go. All of which contribute to peak performance.
Neurofeedback helps:
- Improve mental acuity
- Manage stress better
- People feel more confident and certain
When you address all of the above, it can promote focus and concentration leading to better performance and fewer distractions.
Enhancing Recovery
Athletic injuries are far from uncommon, and the game itself requires a lot of energetic exertion. Even fatigue from training can decrease your athletes’ ability to play well.1
Fatigue response is normal – it’s what allows your body to rest, recover and adapt. However, mental fatigue is just as common, yet it’s overlooked during recovery.
Mental fatigue affects competitive capability just as much as physical fatigue – reducing your athlete’s peak performance.
It causes lethargy, disinterest, and a decrease in motivation, which leads to poor cognitive abilities and motor control.1
NeurOptimal® can help athletes recover faster from injuries and fatigue by:
- Improving sleep quality
- Reducing stress
- Promoting relaxation
This means NeurOptimal® can help the mental and physical recovery process go more smoothly and efficiently, thus aiding in your athlete’s ability to get back to peak performance.
After brain training with NeurOptimal®, many athletes report that their level of relaxation is higher during and outside of performance. This is because neurofeedback promotes healthy sleep habits. And healthy sleep habits mean a speedy recovery.
With NeurOptimal®, athletes recover more efficiently and get back to training and competition much sooner.
Improving Mental Flexibility
NeurOptimal® Neurofeedback can help athletes improve mental flexibility and creativity in their approach to training and competition. This helps them develop new strategies, think outside the box, and quickly adapt to changing situations.
In sports, this is key for peak performance. If your athlete is able to anticipate the play, they can create multiple approaches to insert themselves in a strategic way.
Creativity and tactical thinking make a better individual and team player.
Neurofeedback helps kids become more flexible and resilient. When kids train with NeurOptimal®, their brain is given the opportunity to self-correct when the device detects turbulence in their brain patterns.
But don’t worry, nothing goes from the software to the brain.
The process goes like this: as the device detects turbulence, it pauses the music or video the child is listening to. This prompts the brain to come back to the present. The brain learns to self-correct in the present moment, which allows for more fluidity of pattern changing. This means increased adaptation and resilience.
Enhancing Cognitive Performance
NeurOptimal® can help any athlete train their brain for overall wellness. With the brain optimized, it’s easier to see a positive effect on cognitive performance, including memory, decision-making, and reaction time.
This can help them perform at their best in all aspects of their sport.
The brain works more efficiently with neurofeedback because it enhances learning capacity.
Researchers have established that psychological skills training is crucial to build willpower, positive self-awareness, reduced anxiety, and increased confidence2 in the realm of sports.
Athletes report experiencing what is called a “flow” state when they’ve reached peak performance. This is a meditative mental state that powers peak experiences, which enhances peak athletic performance.1
Neurofeedback improves brain plasticity so your athletes’ brain can reach their flow state.2 This increases their mental capacity to remember the rules of the game, anticipate plays, and respond appropriately – all while being calm, present, and confident.
Hey, Coach! Do you want your team to be better together?
Neurofeedback is highly recommended by experienced professionals to enhance athletes’ capabilities and performance2 and is used by coaches like you to brain train the whole team.
Because neurofeedback helps athletes reach peak performance, it only makes sense to get the whole team brain training. Solidifying one teammate’s competitive edge is great – helping the whole team reach their peak potential is even better.
NeurOptimal® is even used by the Dutch Olympic Rowing Team and the Oakland A’s!
See how NeurOptimal® helped the entire Sugar Beets Pro Women’s Cycling Team achieve increased calmness, confidence, and overall stronger performance by checking out this link here.
Do you want to get your team to the district finals, state, or even national championship?
Contact us today to see what NeurOptimal can do for YOUR team!
References
Disclaimer: This site contains information on general health and wellness topics. Please note that Neuroptimal® has been designated a general wellness product by the FDA. The information on this site or in any linked materials should not be construed as medical advice. The information in this article is not intended to replace any recommendations by your physician.