How does a neurofeedback system improve archers’ performance?

To improve the performance of archers, neurofeedback systems are used, a training method that uses brain waves to maximize an athlete’s mental performance. The system helps to increase focus and calmness to maintain a stable performance during competition.

 

In the month of August 2016, there was one Olympic event that kept us awake at night. We were both frustrated and cheering for the South Korean athletes with every step they took. In the end, it was a great result: the first ever all-around victory. The sport is archery. In archery, the most important factor that determines an athlete’s score is their mentality, or mental strength. It takes a high level of concentration and composure to hit an arrow on a 122-centimeter target at a distance of 70 meters. This is because even the slightest movement of the body, such as the noise of spectators or irregular breathing, can have a huge impact on the athlete’s performance. Therefore, the Korean Archery Association has developed a training method that is comparable to the real thing: a neurofeedback system that controls brain waves to maximize the athlete’s performance.
Human thoughts, emotions, and behaviors are all the result of communication between neurons in the brain. Brain waves are generated by the electrical excitement generated simultaneously during the communication process between neurons, and are categorized into delta waves, theta waves, alpha waves, beta waves, and gamma waves according to their frequency. Brain waves are very closely related to our daily lives. When we”re tired, relaxed, or lazy, our brain waves slow down, and when they”re not stable, mental and neurological problems can occur. In other words, by recognizing brain waves, we can indirectly recognize a person”s mental state, and the direct application of this to mental training is the neurofeedback system. Athletes wear electrodes on their scalp and watch videos of their performances to analyze which situations produce stable brain waves that positively affect performance and which produce unstable brain waves. They can also analyze the factors surrounding the unstable brain waves to identify their weaknesses and take steps to prevent them from occurring in the face of external stimuli. In this way, neurofeedback systems allow you to train yourself to generate positive brain waves and improve your concentration.
In fact, neurofeedback systems have been around for a long time. In the 1960s, Dr. Sterman trained cats to change their brain activity by enhancing their sensorimotor rhythms (SMR). Years later, before sending astronauts to the moon, NASA conducted experiments on the biological effects of spacecraft fuel. Instead of humans, cats were used to test the effects of the fuel on humans, who suffered from fatigue, headaches, hallucinations, and in severe cases, seizures and death. But some cats were resistant, and these were the same cats that Dr. Sterman had trained years earlier to change their brain activity. As a result, NASA adopted the neurofeedback system as a way to train astronauts, a practice that continues to this day.
In modern times, neurofeedback is used to improve psychological skills such as focus and calmness in athletes and business people, and it’s also used therapeutically to help treat ADHD without medication. Of course, there are still limitations to neurofeedback therapy. If there is physical trauma to the brain or a history of trauma, side effects such as headaches and dizziness can occur during the treatment process. If research can reduce these side effects, neurofeedback systems could have a lot to offer in terms of mental and psychological well-being.