Biofeedback has been used in sport for many years. Players of various sports disciplines use biofeedback methods. No wonder, biofeedback is a wonderful tool for working on the athlete's mentality, psychophysical abilities and the autonomic nervous system. It turns out that it is not muscles that guarantee sports success, but the above components!

Contents:

  1. Biofeedback - what is it?
  2. Biofeedback in sport - methods
  3. Biofeedback in sport - when to use biofeedback
  4. Biofeedback in sport - benefits
  5. Biofeedback in sport - are there any contraindications and side effects?

Biofeedback is the most effective way to strengthen mental work and increase physical abilities. For an athlete, a strong body is not everything - it is the psyche that controls it and determines what a given athlete can afford.

You can do more than your mind tells you - this saying turns out to be not just an empty and threadbare statement, but a scientifically proven fact. The body will do what the head tells it - in every aspect of life. That is why it is so important to support the psyche with the tools offered by biofeedback in sport.

There are no significant contraindications to using biofeedback, what's more, it also has no side effects - it is completely safe and available to everyone. All you need to do is choose the biofeedback method that suits you and go to therapy.

Biofeedback - what is it?

Biofeedback is, in other words, a biological feedback loop. Its mechanism is based on the feedback provided to man, which informs about changes in his physiological state. These changes are monitored thanks to professional devices designed to generate biofeedback responses in sport. Interestingly, this method is also used in medicine, psychology and business.

Thanks to the feedback ("feedback") about changes in the physiological state (hence the prefix "bio"), the patient can consciously modify functions that are not controlled by consciousness, but the subconscious, e.g. brain waves, muscle tension, resistance electric leather.

Information is provided in two forms: visual and acoustic.

  • The visual formconsists in observing the image data on the monitor screen and maximum concentration during this task. For example: we can see the flight of an airplane that starts to fall when we lose our attention or we have to control our emotions, which reflect the flight of the airplane.
  • The acoustic formis listening to sounds that have some emotional charge. For example: unpleasant sound when failing and pleasant sound when winning.

Our brain constantly emits four types of waves: alpha, beta, theta, and delta. Depending on our psychophysical state, a given type of waves prevails. The most beneficial waves for the brain are alpha waves - this is where we are most creative and concentrated. Such waves are created, for example, by listening to the music we like or by dancing.

Biofeedback works in such a way that it detects a given wave with the help of electrodes connected to the body, which is produced in response to a given stimulus. What is such a training performed? Not with muscle strength, but with thought, breath, imagination and the ability to tighten and relax individual muscle groups, that is everything that is controlled by the autonomic nervous system.

It turns out that it does not matter for the brain whether we really make a bungee jump or just think about it strongly, visualize it and imagine it - no matter if we are doing something or thinking that we are doing something, the same reactions take place in the brain!

Biofeedback in sport - methods

  • Biofeedback EMG(ElektroMioGrafia) - the device detects electrical signals from the muscles that indicate too much muscle tension and stress. Voltage is measured in microvolts. The muscles that are examined are usually the arm and skull muscles. The test result is always shown in a way that is understandable to the patient, e.g. an acoustic signal sounds when a given muscle strains.
  • Biofeedback EEG(neurofeedback) - uses the specificity of the brain in which our brain produces different ranges of electromagnetic waves that are characteristic of different types of activity. For example: alpha waves are produced in the state of relaxation, the middle band of beta waves in the state of intense mental effort, delta waves in the state of deep sleep, etc. The EEG device consists of a wave amplifier, which is supported by appropriate software. The electrodes are connected to the skin of the skull and ears - they collect data about the appearance of waves, and the software transforms this information into an image that is understandable for the patient. The patient's job is to control the activity of his own brain to get onfor example, the plane that he is viewing on the screen has not fallen. Neurofeedback improves concentration, memory, heals neurosis, reduces stress and improves creativity - that is why it is so often used in sports psychology.
  • Biofeedback HEG(Hemo-encephalo-graphy) - is a bioofedback that measures the temperature of the head thanks to an infrared thermometer placed on the patient's head. HEG also uses the infrared changes generated by blood flowing in the brain. For example, an intense red color means more oxygenation of the blood.
  • Biofeedback GSR(galvanic skin reaction) or EDR (Electro Dermal Response) - measures the electrical conductivity of the skin, which changes depending on the stimulation of the sympathetic nervous system. The electrodes of the device are mounted on the fingertips. This type of biofeedback detects the relationship between the somatic and mental state of a person (hence its use in lie detectors). Moreover, the GSR chart has the greatest reach and is the most sensitive measurement of all types of biofeedback. It is also used in medicine, where it treats hypertension, asthma and excessive sweating. It also improves concentration, emotional control and the ability to relax.
  • Biofeedback HRV- analyzes heart rate variability - detects, among others, arrhythmia.
  • Respiratory biofeedback- in this type of biofeedback, the results are shown by the audiovisual curve. The equipment consists of a cadence sensor and the length of exhalations. It is used in patients with epilepsy and respiratory and cardiovascular diseases.
  • Temperature biofeedback- as it turns out, human body temperature depends not only on external factors, but also on the human mental state. Temperature biofeedback explores these relationships. The built-in temperature sensor, i.e. the thermistor, is attached to the fingertip. The goal of training is to achieve a higher temperature than the patient's actual temperature. This type of biofeedback is used for relaxation training and in medicine - it treats limb ischemia, rheumatic diseases and asthma.
  • Biofeedback RSA- this method was invented in Russia in the 1980s by the physiologist Alexander Smetankin. It allows you to check or correct the state of disturbed vegetative functions. Training is carried out using a head that records the electrical activity of the heart, i.e. the EKG. This is done with the help of electrodes attached to the skin of the chest and a special program. Through hardware to the computerECG information arrives, and the program extracts the heart rhythm (HR) and reflects the results in a multimedia form on the computer in real time. RSA is used in the treatment of children with ADHD and to increase attention, creativity, memory, stress resistance, inhibit anxiety, increase self-confidence, reduce aggression, rehabilitate vision, and psychoemotional disorders. It is also used in the prevention of respiratory, cardiac and vascular diseases, as well as in the preparation of women for childbirth, treatment of hypertension, migraines, asthma and vegetative disorders.
  • Biofeedback SCP- these are free cortical potentials that recognize changes in the polarization of the cerebral cortex registered on the surface of the skull as free potentials. The device shows the degree of neuron polarization. Negative polarity means greater activity of neurons in the area of ​​the brain recorded by the device. SCP training takes place below 1-2 Hz.

Biofeedback in sport - when to use biofeedback

We should use biofeedback tools when we want to improve our sports performance and improve brain processes. Both efficient muscles and a well-functioning brain support our achievements in sports, and this method has a great effect on the nervous system that controls all of this.

But that's not all. Anyone whose work requires concentration and concentration can also successfully use biofeedback training - biofeedback has a positive effect on thought processes and improves the work of the brain in many aspects.

Biofeedback is a tool that can help athletes who suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder and are unable to play sports or exercise due to a strong stimulus.

Biofeedback will also work for people with injuries and contusions, because it can support the work of the nervous system and repair what standard physiotherapy or therapeutic training will not be able to improve. And finally - biofeedback in sport is also for completely he althy people who want to improve their sports results and achievements also in the private or professional sphere.

Read also: 5 ways to increase motivation to exercise

Biofeedback in sport - benefits

The benefits of biofeedback are abundant. When it comes to strictly sports benefits, we can mention such aspects as:

  • improvement of motor skills,
  • accelerated response time,
  • better physical performance,
  • greater self-confidence and faith in your own abilities.

All this in turn translates intomore effective sports achievements. Thanks to biofeedback tools, an athlete can also resolve internal conflicts and learn more about the causes and effects of reactions to external stimuli.

In other words, a player who always sees the guilt of others when losing may have a problem taking responsibility for his actions, and this in turn causes him to put less effort because deep inside he hides the belief that his life achievements do not depend on him.

Biofeedback builds, among others, five important pillars of an athlete:

  1. Stress control
  2. Concentration of attention
  3. The right attitude
  4. Self-confidence
  5. Self-awareness

Without these components, it is difficult to achieve good results in sport. Even if our body is perfectly built, we will not achieve the expected results.

Biofeedback in sport - are there any contraindications and side effects?

Biofeedback is a biological method, therefore it has no visible side effects and contraindications. It is completely safe and does not adversely affect our mental or physical he alth. Of course, people are different - that's why anyone who decides to use biofeedback methods should closely monitor their progress and reactions.

Athletes who have used biofeedback

American astronauts NASA were the first to use mental training. But our athletes also use the miraculous tools of biofeedback - his methods were used by, among others: Paweł Wojciechowski (world champion in pole vault), Adam Małysz and Kamil Stoch.

Interestingly, Tomasz Kurach, a sports psychologist and academic lecturer, reveals that Kamil Stoch was once recorded during a training session with the use of biofeedback, in which he only controlled the balloon on the computer screen with his thoughts and breathing. This example shows that … our thought has the greatest strength.

About the authorMałgorzata Kośla She is a qualified fitness instructor and certified personal trainer. Since childhood, her greatest passion was sport - she played football and basketball. Then a new love came - dance, especially dancehall. He likes to sweat at the gym and relaxes in yoga and meditation sessions. He is constantly expanding his knowledge about training and a he althy lifestyle. What besides sports? He runs a store with natural cosmetics and he althy food, writes his own blog (stylzyciadowolny.pl) and deals with copywriting.

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