Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Comment
. 2016 Dec;41(4):421-430.
doi: 10.1007/s10484-016-9344-y.

Increasing Performance of Professional Soccer Players and Elite Track and Field Athletes with Peak Performance Training and Biofeedback: A Pilot Study

Noortje H Rijken  1 , Remko Soer  2   3 , Ewold de Maar  4   5 , Hilco Prins  6 , Wouter B Teeuw  1 , Jan Peuscher  7 , Frits G J Oosterveld  8
Affiliations
Comment

Increasing Performance of Professional Soccer Players and Elite Track and Field Athletes with Peak Performance Training and Biofeedback: A Pilot Study

Noortje H Rijken et al. Appl Psychophysiol Biofeedback. 2016 Dec.

Abstract

The aim of this pilot study was to investigate the effects of an intervention consisting of mental coaching combined with either electro encephalogram (EEG) alpha power feedback or heart rate variability (HRV) feedback on HRV, EEG outcomes and self-reported factors related to stress, performance, recovery and sleep quality in elite athletes. A prospective pilot study was performed with two distinct cohorts. Soccer players were provided with four sessions of mental coaching combined with daily HRV biofeedback (Group A); track and field athletes were provided with four sessions of mental coaching in combination with daily neurofeedback (Group B). Measurements were performed at baseline, post intervention and at 5 weeks follow-up. Objective measures: EEG and ECG. Subjective measures: Numeric Rating Scale for performance, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, Rest and Stress Questionnaire and Sports Improvement-60. Group characteristics were too distinct to compare the interventions. Linear mixed models were used to analyze differences within groups over time. In Group A, significant changes over time were present in alpha power at 5 of 7 EEG locations (p < 0.01-0.03). LF/HF ratio significantly increased (p = 0.02) and the concentration (p = 0.02) and emotional scale (p = 0.03) of the SIM-60 increased significantly (p = 0.04). In Group B, the HRV low frequency power and recovery scale of the REST-Q significantly increased (p = 0.02 and <0.01 resp.). Other measures remained stable or improved non-significantly. A mental coaching program combined with either HRV or EEG alpha power feedback may increase HRV and alpha power and may lead to better performance-related outcomes and stress reduction. Further research is needed to elucidate the effects of either type of feedback and to compare effects with a control group.

Keywords: Alpha power training; Heart rate variability; Mental stress; Neurofeedback; Running; Soccer; Sports performance.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Noortje Rijken declares that she has no conflict of interest. Remko Soer declares that he has no conflict of interest. Wouter Teeuw, declares that he has no conflict of interest. Hilco Prins declares that he has no conflict of interest and Frits Oosterveld declares that he has no conflict of interest. Ewold de Maar is hired as trainer of Heartmath Benelux and owner of a private coaching center. Jan Peusscher is CTO of Twente Medical Systems International, Oldenzaal, The Netherlands. Informed Consent Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study for the use of their anonimized data. Ethical Approval All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Flow chart of the study
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Comment on

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. American College of Sports Medicine, American Academy of Family Physicians, American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, American Medical Society for Sports Medicine, American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine, & American Osteopathic Academy of Sports Medicine Psychological issues related to injury in athletes and the team physician: A consensus statement. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise. 2006;38(11):2030–2034. doi: 10.1249/mss.0b013e31802b37a6. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Bazanova OM, Balioz NV, Muravleva KB, Skoraia MV. Voluntary alpha-power increasing training impact on the heart rate variability. Fiziologiia Cheloveka. 2013;39(1):103–116. - PubMed
    1. Bazanova OM, Kondratenko AV, Kuz’minova OI, Muravleva KB, Petrova SE. EEG alpha indices in dependence on the menstrual cycle phase and salivary progesterone. Fiziologiia Cheloveka. 2014;40(2):31–40. - PubMed
    1. Buysse DJ, Reynolds CF, III, Monk TH, Berman SR, Kupfer DJ. The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index: A new instrument for psychiatric practice and research. Psychiatry Research. 1989;28(2):193–213. doi: 10.1016/0165-1781(89)90047-4. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Cahn BR, Polich J. Meditation states and traits: EEG, ERP, and neuroimaging studies. Psychological Bulletin. 2006;132(2):180–211. doi: 10.1037/0033-2909.132.2.180. - DOI - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources