Biofeedback Training: Enhancing Athletic Performance
During the last three decades, mental skills training of athletes has become widely accepted as an important factor in sport and a vital component of successful performance of top athletes. Biofeedback training (BFT) is a key element/tool of a complex multifaceted treatment/training program aimed at enhancing athletic performance. The main purpose of this conceptual paper is to illustrate the successful integration of the Wingate 5-Step Approach to training programs that are based on a periodization principle. This integration is targeted at the development of both physical and mental skills to optimize and enhance the effectiveness of the mental training process. Examples derived from our experiences are illustrated and discussed.

General scheme of the mental training process.

Schematic representation of the Wingate 5-Step Approach for mental training incorporating biofeedback and video clips (VC). SRT = self-regulation test, BF = biofeedback, BFT = biofeedback training, SRT/VC = self-regulation test/video clips.

Elements of the biofeedback and VCR systems (“double” biofeedback version).

The three major phases of training periodization and the Wingate 5-Step Approach.


Contributor Notes