Although the opening ceremony will mark the official start of the Paris Olympic Games tomorrow evening, some athletes have already begun competing. Archers, for instance, are competing today. Dutch archers prepared themselves for these Games by mastering the control of the brain’s alpha waves. In a pilot conducted with alphabeats technology, 75% of the participants increased their ability to produce alpha waves at will.
Alphabeats developed brain training to control alpha waves, a medium-frequency pattern of brain activity connected to meditative and restful states. Alpha waves alternate with other waves, such as the beta ones, linked to anxiety and waking states. The start-up developed an innovative electroencephalogram (EEG) headband to enhance athletic performance through music-induced flow states. Their technology, which monitors alpha brain waves, aims to push the boundaries of mental training in sports and focus on holistic wellness.
At the end of last year, the Dutch Olympics team (TeamNL) archery team launched a pilot with alphabets to understand how to improve sports performance. 11 athletes were involved and wore the headband both during and outside their shooting sessions. Each session lasts about ten minutes and consists of the user listening to music and playing cognitive games.
Mental game
Most archers’ increased capability to cope with alpha waves is the first insight that emerged after the study. “Archers’ mental game is the highest. Their sport is all about focus, so it was very challenging to increase the mental performance of people already on such a high level. This pilot proved that the technology works for a large group of people. An average medicine works on average on 50 to 60% of people,” told IO Han Dirkx, CEO of alphabeats.
Alphabeats training program assists athletes before, during, and after their competition, boosting focus during performance and recovery right after. In the upcoming months, alphabeats will analyze how its training impacted archers’ performance. “Interestingly, we also measured their brain activity while shooting,” adds Dirkx.
Engaging activity
Listening to one’s favorite music engages the athlete much more than a yoga or meditation session. That also partly explains why three-quarters of the archers increased their capability of producing alpha waves. “If you don’t like doing a specific training, then you won’t do your best to complete it. Some athletes are not motivated because they are already happy about how they handle their mental performance, so they produce fewer alpha waves,” Dirkx explains.
The first pilot is only the beginning. As the full assessment is completed, TeamNL and alpahabeats will explore the effectiveness and possibilities of including brain training in the routines of other sportsmen. The Eindhoven-founded company is currently collaborating also with the American triathlon team and with a cohort of Major League Baseball players who are testing the technology.
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