In this blog post, we will look at the effects and principles of neurofeedback training, which is considered to be one of the reasons why the Korean archery team has been able to reach the top of the world.
In August 2016, there was an Olympic event that kept us awake all night. It was a game that made us hold our breath as we watched Korean athletes step forward, step back, and then step forward again. In the end, the Korean team won all the events in archery for the first time in history. In addition to the athletes’ consistent practice and physical fitness management, there was a special secret behind the success of the Korean archery team, and among them, “mental training” played an important role in raising the athletes’ mental strength to the highest level. In fact, one of the biggest factors that determines the score of athletes in archery competitions is their mental strength, or mental toughness.
In archery, athletes must maintain a high level of concentration and composure to hit a target 122cm in diameter from a distance of 70m. At this moment, the noise of the spectators, the athlete’s own nervousness, and even the slight tremor of the body can have a significant impact. For this reason, the Korean Archery Association has been conducting training that is as intense as actual competition. Of particular note is the “neurofeedback system,” which controls the brain waves of athletes to maximize their abilities. Through this training method, athletes learn how to monitor their brain wave states and maintain an optimal mental state.
Human thoughts, emotions, and actions are all the result of communication between neurons in the brain. Electrical signals that occur during communication between neurons are brain waves, and the frequency of these brain waves is divided into delta waves, theta waves, alpha waves, beta waves, and gamma waves. For example, delta waves are slow waveforms that appear during deep sleep and play an important role in rest and recovery, while beta waves are brain waves that occur frequently in situations that require concentration and appear when we are actively thinking and paying attention. Brain waves are closely connected to our daily lives in this way, and if they are not stable, they can lead to mental and neurological problems. For example, an unstable brain wave state can lead to not only a decrease in concentration but also an increase in stress. Therefore, training that actively utilizes brain waves in sports is playing an increasingly important role.
The neurofeedback system is a method of using these brainwave characteristics for athlete training, which is especially effective in sports that require advanced mental training. Athletes attach electrodes to their scalp and analyze their brainwave responses in response to situations while watching their own game footage. For example, if an athlete has unstable brainwaves during a tense moment in a game, they analyze the situation to identify their weaknesses and learn how to deal with them. In addition, by repeatedly training to maintain positive brain waves despite external stimuli, you can increase your confidence and concentration in competition. Neurofeedback training is not just about suppressing emotions or thoughts, but focuses on helping you find your own sense of calm.
In fact, the neurofeedback system is not only used in the sports field. This training method has been developed through scientific research and clinical trials for a long time. In the 1960s, Dr. Sterman of the United States studied brainwave training in cats. He repeatedly trained cats to improve specific sensory motor rhythms (SMRs), and confirmed that changes in brain activity were possible. NASA later applied the neurofeedback system to astronaut training in preparation for the lunar exploration mission. At the time, while ordinary cats experienced severe fatigue, hallucinations, and seizures in experiments on biological damage caused by spacecraft fuel, cats that had undergone Dr. Sterman’s brainwave training experienced relatively less of these effects. This led NASA to introduce neurofeedback as a training method to improve astronauts’ concentration and resilience, and the tradition continues to this day.
Nowadays, neurofeedback systems are attracting attention not only from athletes but also from business people, soldiers, and others in various fields. This is because this system can greatly help reduce stress and improve concentration in work environments that require a high degree of concentration and calmness. Recently, ADHD treatment using neurofeedback has also been actively studied. It is attracting attention as a safe treatment method because it can improve symptoms through brainwave control training without medication. However, if there is physical trauma to the brain or psychological trauma, training may cause side effects such as headaches or dizziness. Research is being conducted to overcome these limitations, and it is expected that neurofeedback systems will contribute to the resolution of various mental and neurological problems in the future.
The neurofeedback system that has enabled the performance of Korean archery athletes is now having a significant impact on the psychological stability and mental growth of individuals. It is worth looking forward to what possibilities neurofeedback training, which maximizes the potential of the brain and strengthens psychological capabilities, will open up in the future.
