Read more: 鈥�Olympic extremes: The winning formulas for London 2012鈥�
COOL, calm, collected and, above all, focused. Getting into the right state of mind is a vital part of sporting success. To get into 鈥渢he zone鈥�, some sportspeople are turning to ways of controlling their brain waves.
One technique, neurofeedback, involves placing electrodes on a person鈥檚 head to measure their brain鈥檚 electrical activity. The information is displayed on a computer screen, so the individual can watch it in real time and learn through practice how to alter it. 鈥淵ou can enhance skills themselves or you can enhance states of mind,鈥� says at Goldsmiths, University of London, who points out that the technique has already proved successful in improving the skills of actors and musicians.
Advertisement
In sport, neurofeedback could be used to help athletes learn how to consciously get their brain into a state associated with improved attention, focus and aim. It could also improve hand-eye coordination, says Gruzelier. He has found that had improved control over their movement and could perform more efficiently in the operating theatre.
So far there has been little published research on the success of neurofeedback in sports training. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a technology in its infancy,鈥� says Phil Glasgow at the Sports Institute of Northern Ireland. 鈥淏ut that doesn鈥檛 mean that someone hasn鈥檛 come up with something amazing and for obvious reasons they鈥檙e just not sharing it.鈥�
