Biofeedback Equipment: Thought Technology Ltd.

Thought Technology's Sports History

"Hi Lawrence,
Just to let you know my shooter (Abhinav Bindra) just won Olympic Gold.

He's got about 150 hours on my FlexComp Infiniti, so I guess that makes it a gold medal for Thought Technology."

From Feb 2008 onwards, I worked with Abhinav in South Africa, India, China, Germany and Italy, accumulating over 150 hours of training on my Thought Technology FlexComp Infiniti.

We used a range of forms of biofeedback, including EMG, skin conductivity, peripheral temperature, respiration rate and amplitude, BVP, EKG, HRV and neurofeedback. We feel that this level of interaction allows us to claim it as a gold for biofeedback. I am a psychologist.

It was a privilege to have the opportunity to formulate and carry out a plan that came together. I will be documenting this plan. I work with other athletes, but none who are gold medal contenders. However, many of them delight me just as much because of their determination and desire for progress.

Timothy Harkness
Counselling Psychologist
tharkness@mweb.co.za

Tim Harkness
Abhinav Bindra gave India its first gold medal at the Beijing Olympics when he won the 10 metres air rifle event on Monday morning. Bindra's historic feat makes him India's first individual gold medallist, bettering the silver medal feat of double trap shooter Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore in Athens 2004.

http://www.rediff.com/sports/2008/aug/11msg.htm

http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/000200808111656.htm

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Gold for Biofeedback: Abhinav Bindra wins India's first ever individual Olympic Gold Medal
Timothy Harkness
Sports Psychologist

I first mentioned the "G-word" to Abhinav after a training session at my house in South Africa in early July. I don't often talk about results to clients, but we had just completed an advanced respiration session (using a technique I had learnt from Bruno Demichelis from AC Milan) that demonstrated such a close link between control of heart-rate and shooting outcome, that I finally began to feel that we had cracked the code of shooting success, and a gold medal was a possibility...

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Chris Kaman Reveals Childhood Misdiagnosis on ESPN’s "Outside the Lines"

On Sunday, January 13th Clippers' center Chris Kaman revealed on ESPN's "Outside the Lines" that as a child he was misdiagnosed with Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).

Watch the Video

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Berlin, Germany ---- Holding their BFE Lifetime Achievement Awards for their contribution to the field of Biofeedback and Neurofeedback in Sport, in both Professional Football and the Olympics are Dr. Bruno Demichelis and Dr. Vietta 'Sue' Wilson. Their lectures opened the Biofeedback Foundation of Europe's 11th annual Meeting Scientific Program, in Berlin.

Dr. Bruno Demichelis gave a ninety minute lecture on AC Milan's use of the Mind Room and Sport Psychology /Sports Medicine. The MindRoom, which includes Thought Technology’s ProComp Infiniti/ BioGraph Infiniti, is considered their secret weapon that helped them defeat Manchester United 3-0 and win the Champions League Football final May 23rd, 2007 in Athens, Greece. Dr. Demichelis demonstrated the remarkable increase in Heart Rate Variability that the AC Milan athletes had achieved, and how important all the players now take this part of their training, as well as their successful use of Biofeedback and Neurofeedback to prepare for penalty kicks and ‘regenerate after a strenuous workout’. take this part of their training, as well as their successful use of Biofeedback and Neurofeedback to prepare for penalty kicks and ‘regenerate after a strenuous workout’.

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One of my greatest thrills was touring AC Milan's Milan Lab at Milanelo, seeing our FlexComp Infiniti™ being used to assess muscle fatigue by the best athletes in the world. Twice a month all players are measured, and their training is adapted depending on these results. Bruno Demichelis spent 8 hours, discussing in depth the most advanced application of Sports Science we have encountered. He showed me his copy of Mind Over Muscle in his office – and how far he has taken its applications using our ProComp Infiniti to individualize training with the team. As a North American I can only begin to appreciate the magnitude of the impact this will have on billions of ‘Football’ (soccer) fans around the world. He then visited us twice, for 10 days, to develop the most advanced Sports Science system on the globe.

Lawrence Klein
Vice President, Thought Technology Ltd.

Peak Performance with Telemetry Ad

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Dr. Vietta ‘Sue’ Wilson is a renowned sports Psychologist at the 2005 Association for the Advancement of Applied Sport Psychology (AAASP) which has emerged as the largest applied sport, exercise, and health psychology organization in the world. Vietta E. Wilson, Ph.D., has taught at York University, in Toronto, for over 30 years. She has worked since 1971 in sports (Olympic performers from archery to yachting), education (elementary to university), medicine and business. She has taught sport psychology, counseling and biofeedback assisted self-regulation courses at the graduate and undergraduate level. Her current research is psychophysiological profiling and EEG brain mapping of elite performers. She is a co-author of Learned Self Regulation, Owners Manual for the Brain and Body and the author of the "Optimal Health and Performance Suite" for BioGraph Infiniti.



Here is Milos training EEG. He is a Junior Davis cup player. After training EEG on screens, move to training EEG while thinking of receiving the serve (note the cast - brain training continues while he is recovering from a broken foot)

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Wes Sime

"With the telemetry I can now take the assessment and training to the court, field or gymnasium. Which is the last step in the link of training athletes in sport psychology."

The most exciting innovation in psychophysiology for sport is the wireless Infiniti Biofeedback System from Thought Technology. Combining EEG assessment of high level focus and concentration during pre-shot routines together with peripheral feedback of stress and tension throughout the body is going to be the wave of the future.

Tele-Infiniti
ProComp2

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Military Pentathlon Gold Medal Team

Norbert G. Laderoute, former athletic director of the Canadian Combat Arms Training Center at Gagetown, New Brunswick.

"In 1980-81, while a BPER (Base Physical Education Recreational Officer) for CFB Gagetown, I acted as the coach/psychologist for the Biathlon (cross country skiing & sharp shooting) in CFB Valcartier, Quebec."

"The team approached me as they heard of my success with the Canadian Military Pentathlon Team and Bisley Rifle Team and they wanted help in their training as 'they could not hit the side of the barn door' after their cross country skiing."

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Women's Canadian Olympic Downhill Ski Team

In 1982, Currie Chapmen, then coach of the Women's Canadian Olympic Downhill Ski Team, used a dozen Mind Over Muscle programs, with GSR2's, for the entire team. Major Nory Laderoute and Lawrence Klein had conceived of MIND OVER MUSCLE in answer to Mr. Klein's question; "Would racers be faster through the gates if they memorized the course in a state of relaxation with biofeedback as opposed to trying to do it in a normal waking state?" After their success with the Canadian Military Pentathalon team, Laderoute and Klein worked with the women's team to tone their visualization and mental training skills. Laurie Graham, Jerry Sorenson and Lisa Zavajarvi all won numerous world cup downhills.

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Dr. Erik Peper

In 1988 Dr. Erik Peper, past president of the Biofeedback Society of America and Director of Holistic Healing Studies at San Francisco State University was co-psychologist with Gold Medallist Andrea Schmidt who used Mind Over Muscle/GSR2 with the US Olympic Rhythmic Gymnastic team. His studies were published in SOMATICS Journal and led to several trips to Tokyo, Taipei, and Hong Kong, teaching hundreds of psychologists, coaches and athletes at their National Sports Institutes, and conducting numerous TV and newspaper interviews.

Peak Performance Training with Electrodermal Biofeedback

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Dr. Shane Murphy, psychologist for the US Olympic Ski Team

In 1984 Dr. Shane Murphy, psychologist for the US Olympic Ski Team, bought a dozen Mind Over Muscle/GSR2 for the Colorado center. Subsequently the US Olympic Center purchased Thought Technology's 8 channel ProComp multi-modality computerized system to evaluate and train the athletes.

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Coaching Association of Canada

In 1982 the Coaching Association of Canada began selling the Mind Over Muscle system to the coaches in over one hundred sports. That same year every Olympic Coach in Canada was given Mind Over Muscle/GSR 2 by the Coaching Association of Canada.

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Montreal Police Officers

In 1984, 15 Montreal Police Officers ran for a Guinness World book of record, 7500 km 'continuous marathon' to the Los Angeles Olympics. The 15 policemen used the Mind Over Muscle program to focus their minds and use energy more efficiently.

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C.J. Mueller, Speed Skier

While on his tri-annual ski coaches course, Lawrence Klein bumped into speed skier C.J. Mueller. I cleared off the wax bench to make way for his "sheath" of 240 cm skis. "How fast? Klein asked. "124.4 mph," was Mueller's reply. "Exciting" Mueller ventured, "Ah, its all hurry up and wait; wait for the wind to die down or the course to be repaired, the snow to stop." "Great time for visualization and biofeedback" said Klein. Mueller had never heard of either. They never ran that race, but Klein gave him a Mind Over Muscle/GSR2 program. On August 1, 1987 Mueller sent the following letter. "Dear Larry, ...You first showed me the GSR2 in 1985, and I began to use it at that time. In 1986 I finally broke the 200 km/hr barrier. I also won for the first time in an international event, taking 1st in New Zealand in September. Then in 1987, I won again, this time in Finland. And on April 17th, I became the first skier to break the 210km/h, 130-mph barrier, skiing 212.0 km or 131.74 mph. The GSR2 helped to make this achievement possible. Many, many thanks."

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Dr. Jean Louis Etienne

In 1986 Dr. Jean Louis Etienne became the first man to ski solo to the north pole. To quote from the Medical Tribune special edition that devoted an entire 36-page edition to his accomplishmen, beside a photo of the GSR/Temp 2X it summarized "....this article describes the role of biofeedback in helping Dr. Etienne prepare his North Pole expedition. Biofeedback was used to achieve cold weather adaptation and to control stress associated with the anticipated hazards of the trip. Cold adaptation facilitated by skin temperature biofeedback was practiced in a walk-in fridge in which he was able to raise his hand temperature 2.2 �C (5F). Additional psychophysiological training with GSR and a portable skin temperature device at home further increased the explorer's sense of self control..."

After reviewing the clinical use of biofeedback for conditions such as Raynaud's disease, this article describes the role of biofeedback in helping Dr. Etienne prepare his North Pole expedition. Biofeedback was used to achieve cold weather adaptation and to control stress associated with the anticipated hazards of the trip. Cold adaptation facilitated by skin temperature biofeedback, was practiced in a walk-in fridge in which he was able to raise his hand temperature 2,2�C. Additional psychophysiological training with GSR and a portable skin temperature device at home further increased the explorer's sense of self-control. Finally, the role of psychological variables such as self-control is discussed as a determinant of any expeditions success.

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Japanese Olympic Medallists

Over half the successful Olympic medallists in Seoul, from JAPAN, were trained on Mind Over Muscle/GSR2, in Japanese! Although the GSR2 was on the cover of SONY Magazine and sold in the giant Seibu-Parco department store it is still the Japanese elite athlete who is the main focus of our Japanese distributor - who coaches hundreds of Olympic athletes in psychological techniques.

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Grand Prix Racing Drivers

In 1991, Dr. Dan Marici, head of Sports Psychology at McGill University, also psychologist for the Canadian Olympic downhill ski team, used a dozen Mind Over Muscle/GSR2 with the entire men's Canadian Olympic Team. Soon after Ed Podivinski won bronze at Lillihammer. Dan was also psychologist for several Grand Prix racing drivers including Emerson Fittipaldi and the late world champion Ayerton Senna. GSR is only one modality used with athletes. Dan has two of Thought Technology's 16 channel multi modality Flexcomp computerized systems.

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European Academy of Sports Vision

Since 1992, Sports Vision, in partnership with Bausch & Lombs, has tested the visual acuity of thousands of Olympic athletes. Sports Vision has 5 centers in Italy and uses Procomp, along with a variety of other techniques, to teach visual acuity. Sports Vision told us that a great Italian ski champion used a MyoTrac in training. The EMG, attached to his chest, emits a warning signal if he breaths thoracically (in the upper chest) to encourage diaphragmatic breathing.

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Sylvain Guillon, Olympic Gold Medallist

The 1994 Olympic Nordic Combined Gold Medallist, Sylvain Guillon, practices his jumping with a MyoTrac2, strapped to his back, to measure the EMG timing of his thigh muscles during the 120 meter ski jump. Recording the firing of his quadricep muscles helps him analyze the amplitude and timing of his pushoff, to enhance the value of his practice jumps.

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Pat Hickey

Peak performance starts in the mind
By Pat Hickey

"If there is one point that is being amplified by the Dubin Inquiry, it was the fact that athletes are forever seeking an edge, that something extra that spells the difference between being an also-ran and a medallist."

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