| Here are some excerpts from a letter by Dr. Wes Sime, a University of Nebraska sport psychologist with Olympic certification, on how the Trainer can be used with athletes.
"I used that unit (Peak Achievement Trainer®) with every athlete who showed any interest during the past 3-4 months. To my amazement, I found that athletes were able to discover very quickly how the EEG wave pattern related to their fluctuations in attentiveness and concentration to a task. Let me give you some brief examples of the typical athlete reaction to this new training tool.
EXAMPLES:
1) An injured diver (cracked vertebra) was frustrated by his inability to practice and seriously considered quitting. During the first session of training he was able to visualize his dives (in place of physical practice) with such precision and clarity that he came back for several additional sessions until his back healed enough to dive again...His coach has been raving about the outcome. It seems that the diver is now performing better in competition after the layoff from practice than he did before the injury. He said "The young man has become a better diver, with more patience and awareness of his kinesthetic feeling of control in the air." He also says that he has changed from just doing dives to being "a diver". He has since placed first in the Big 12 championship meet. The diver tells me, "A comeback like that is unheard of in Big 12 competition...It kept me in touch with what I should've been doing at the time mentally, even though I wasn't physically able to do it. When I got back in (the pool), I didn't really miss that much because my brain was trained for it. It was just a matter of getting my muscles to respond again. It's done wonders for me...I'm able to relax a lot more than I use to by knowing how to focus and get into it...I've been really relaxed and low key and just been a much happier person in general."
2) Two baseball players who were eager to gain an advantage with their off season training tried the unit in a laboratory session and liked it so well they insisted that I bring it to the batting cage for their hitting coach to see. While one player was in the cage hitting, I had the other one on the Peak Achievement Trainer®. We could see clearly when the player was "zoned in" versus when he was distracted by sounds or by anticipatory thoughts. Both players reported they could see the ball better and could stay focused on the hitting coach's instruction more intensely.
3) The Rifle Coach (this is a new sport at Nebraska) found the instrument relevant enough during one session on the Trainer in her own shooting practice to buy the unit for her athletes in preparation for the national championships in March. We will be using the research unit (two channel EEG feedback) to obtain simultaneous assessment of heart rate to assess the effects of the training on the shooting range. This coach has a masters degree in sport psychology and has a history of experience with other EEG equipment, but chose the Peak Achievement Trainer® based on ease of operation and meaningfulness of the feedback signal.
What appears to be new and exciting is the fact that EEG Neurofeedback (especially the Peak Achievement Trainer®) is a procedure that has unique relevance for training athletes (or students, or executives) to maintain an intense level of attention or concentration upon a given task. The feedback signal is so candid (like watching yourself in a mirror) that the subject can monitor his/her own ability to stay focused on a task, thus learning how to modulate distractions. The distractions we have monitored include crowd noise, bat-to-ball contact in baseball, and the rebounding sound of a diving board. Even more interesting is the fact that the athlete can review his/her performance over a 1-2 minute visualization period and point out specifically where the attention waned and exactly what the internal thought or feeling was (e.g., "I started to worry about the coach's criticism" or "I got excited about my highest score ever") right at this particular point in the EEG trace. In all performance issues, the effect of distraction, either external (crowd noise) or internal (worry, fear, excitement, etc.) is profound in causing athletes to try too hard and often to choke.
Using the Peak Achievement Trainer® I cannot measure what the athlete is thinking, but when the brainwave signal goes "off the chart" the athlete instantly knows that he/she "spaced off" and can make an independent valuation of what thoughts intruded upon the mental rehearsal of the performance. That is the beauty of EEG biofeedback. The Peak Achievement Trainer® makes this self-discovery process about attention and concentration very realistic and user-friendly."
FOCUSING TO OVERCOME PAIN
I saved the best part of my personal experience until last. One of the reasons I began working in biofeedback was that I had a lot of back pain from old injuries, strain working at a desk, etc. While the regular biofeedback helped me relax generally, it didn't provide carry over benefit from day to day. Thus, it was a very pleasant surprise to me that within short while of becoming absorbed in the Peak Achievement (neurofeedback) signal, I didn't have the usual back pain sensations. In addition, the effects of the pain relief lasted much longer than expected (well into the next day or two). I am still experimenting with the training, but I must concur with other professionals who report that the neurofeedback seems to get to a higher level of central control in the brain for absolution of pain impulses. What a joy!
In addition, I do find that my own ability to stay focused on writing and reading tasks seems to be improved in the last few months since I began using this unit. Ironically, I only train on it for a few minutes at a time, while checking the unit initially and alternating with a client who I am training.
This EEG neurofeedback is very interesting. I had avoided messing with it for many years, but the preponderance of evidence I discovered in the last year is showing me that we, as professionals in this field, cannot ignore this technology any longer. If you want my advice regarding your specific performance applications (in combination with other consulting methods) feel free to call (402- 472-1161) or e-mail (wsime@unl.edu) me directly. I will be happy to share my experiences with you further."
Wes Sime, Ph.D. Professor, Health and Human Performance, University of Nebraska
THE TRAINER AT A GLANCE
Using the patented Peak Achievement Trainer® can produce rapid, long-lasting improvements in focusing, learning, visualization, behavior (impulsivity/hyperactivity), and relaxation. This complete, turnkey training package includes a brainwave biofeedback (also known as neurofeedback or EEG biofeedback) training program that attaches to your personal computer. It detects and analyzes your brainwaves and shows you when you are focusing and when you are not by changing the sounds from the computer and several displays on the screen. You focus on a moving line on the computer screen and you will keep the line above a certain level for as long as you can sustain your focus.
The Trainer is extremely easy to use. The package includes everything you need except the PC and Windows. The videotape that is included shows you how to setup the Trainer and do the first session, and the detailed manual takes over from there. Connections to the scalp are simple and quick, and don't require messy electrode paste.
Although we will be putting more emphasis on athletes here, the Trainer can also help students, executives, employees, and almost anyone who wishes to improve their focus.
FOCUS FOR SUCCESS
Now individual athletes, coaches, and sport psychologists can use the patented Peak Achievement Trainer® to help themselves or their athletes and teams pursue their dreams by learning to use the mind more effectively. The Trainer provides the first clearly accurate interface between the human brain and a personal computer. Users usually understand the Trainer's feedback within the first three minutes.
The Peak Achievement Trainer® has a patented protocol that improves focusing, relaxation, visualization, and performance, and shows the user precisely how they are doing. The Trainer also teaches athletes the flexibility to shift between intense focus and taking short mental breaks (microbreaks). You can customize this sequence for their particular sport.
It is based on NASA and U.S. Air Force sponsored studies on the psychophysiology of peak performers, B2 bomber pilots, who cycle between focusing and taking brief relaxing microbreaks. The Trainer enhances the intensity of focus and the flexibility of attention that is necessary for finding and staying in "The Zone".
While the mental aspect of athletic performance is now viewed as a key focus for success, the ability to provide accurate and measurable indicators of these important mental functions has been limited. None of the equipment available in the marketplace matches the Peak Achievement Trainer® in its ability to provide, through the patented In All protocol, a clear understanding and improvement of the focus/relaxation cycle discovered through the NASA research to be critical to peak performance.
Peak Achievement Training® provides very clear information about the one-pointedness of the user's focus from moment to moment, so that specific applications to athletic training are accurate and effective. The athlete and their coach can easily recognize just when he/she lost focus and take steps to correct it.
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