In this blog post, we explore the effects and principles of neurofeedback training, cited as one reason the South Korean national archery team reached the world’s pinnacle.
In August 2016, an Olympic event kept Koreans awake at dawn for an entire month. It was a competition that had viewers gripping their seats, cheering or gasping with every shot fired by the Korean athletes. Ultimately, it delivered the remarkable result of sweeping every event for the first time in history. That sport was archery. Behind the success of the South Korean national archery team lay not only the athletes’ relentless practice and physical conditioning but also a special secret. Among these, ‘mental training’ played a crucial role in elevating the athletes’ mental fortitude to the highest level. Indeed, one of the most significant factors determining an archer’s score is their mental fortitude.
In archery, athletes must maintain intense focus and composure to hit a 122cm-diameter target from 70 meters away. At this moment, even minor disturbances—audience noise, irregular breathing caused by the athlete’s own tension, or slight bodily tremors—can significantly impact performance. For this reason, the Korea Archery Association has implemented concentration training that rivals the intensity of actual competition. Particularly noteworthy among these methods is the ‘neurofeedback system,’ which controls athletes’ brainwaves to maximize their abilities. Through this training method, athletes learn to monitor their own brainwave states and maintain an optimal mental condition.
Human thoughts, emotions, and actions are all the result of communication between neurons in the brain. The electrical signals generated during this communication process are brainwaves, whose frequencies are classified into delta, theta, alpha, beta, and gamma waves. For instance, delta waves are slow waveforms appearing during deep sleep, playing a crucial role in rest and recovery. Beta waves, on the other hand, are brainwaves frequently generated in situations requiring concentration, appearing when we are actively thinking and focusing our attention. Brainwaves are thus closely linked to our daily lives, and unstable brainwave patterns can lead to mental and neurological issues. For instance, unstable brainwave states can lead not only to reduced concentration but also increased stress. Therefore, training that actively utilizes brainwaves in sports settings is playing an increasingly important role.
Neurofeedback systems are a method that applies these brainwave characteristics to athlete training, particularly excelling in sports requiring high-level mental training. Athletes attach electrodes to their scalps and analyze their brainwave responses to specific situations while watching footage of their own performances. For instance, if unstable brainwaves appear during tense moments in a game, athletes analyze the situation to identify their weaknesses and learn corresponding coping strategies. Furthermore, through repeated training to maintain positive brainwaves despite external stimuli, they can enhance their confidence and concentration during competition. Neurofeedback training focuses not on simply suppressing emotions or thoughts, but on helping individuals find their own inner calm.
In fact, neurofeedback systems aren’t exclusively used in sports. This training method has evolved through scientific research and clinical trials for many years. In the 1960s, Dr. Sterman in the US researched brainwave training using cats. He repeatedly trained cats to enhance specific sensory-motor rhythms (SMR), confirming that changes in brain activity were possible. Later, NASA applied neurofeedback systems to astronaut training during preparations for lunar exploration missions. At the time, in experiments simulating biological damage caused by spacecraft fuel, ordinary cats experienced severe fatigue, hallucinations, and seizures. In contrast, cats that had undergone Dr. Sterman’s EEG training were relatively less affected by these impacts. This led NASA to adopt neurofeedback as a training method to enhance astronauts’ concentration and resilience, a tradition that continues to this day.
In modern times, neurofeedback systems have gained attention not only among athletes but also in diverse fields such as business and the military. This is because the system significantly aids in reducing stress and improving focus in work environments demanding high levels of concentration and composure. Recently, research into ADHD treatment using neurofeedback has also been actively pursued. It is gaining attention as a safe treatment method because it can improve symptoms through brainwave regulation training without medication. However, in cases of physical brain injury or psychological trauma, the training can sometimes cause side effects like headaches or dizziness. Research is underway to overcome these limitations, and it is anticipated that neurofeedback systems will contribute to solving various mental and neurological issues in the future.
The neurofeedback system that enabled the achievements of South Korean archery athletes is now also significantly impacting individual psychological stability and mental growth. It is worth anticipating what possibilities neurofeedback training, which maximizes the brain’s potential and strengthens psychological capabilities, will open up in the future.
