ENG – NEURO- Training and TECHFIT- Training

Today we have developed specific training programs within our Performance Center that include protocols aimed at improving neuro-visual (visual abilities), neuro-motor, neuro-auditory, neuro-cognitive abilities, such as attention, the speed of acquisition of stimuli on multiple simultaneous levels ( Fast Screening ), the speed of information processing, the various forms of memory such as instantaneous visual and instantaneous auditory memory, integrating them with physical training aimed at implementing mechanical structures and technique.

Through tools such as low-intensity resistances, today we are able to concretize, target and maximize the effort by translating hours into minutes with time/training/efficiency ratios that reach up to 1:150. In the fourth and final part of the article we will return to address in detail what Neuro Performance applied to firearm training is capable of doing today.

Based on the evidence that science, medicine and especially neuroscience provide us today, we have started working on training programs that cover all three speeds and no longer just V3, which is the one that develops most in the shooting range and I would also say the only one, which however is subordinate and essential to V1 and V2 which are the dominant, or at least they are outside the shooting range, in the real context.

If you want to better understand the concept of ” The 3 Speeds”, I invite you to read the article I wrote on the 3 Speeds that you can always find on this page.

BIOFEEDBACK AND NEUROFEEDBACK

Here we enter a level that is perhaps too complex and for this reason I will limit myself to touching on it to help you better understand the potential of the tools that we have in this field today. The use of biofeedback and neurofeedback is strategic in Neuro Performance because it allows the subject to monitor, collect data and modulate some fundamental indicators that allow us to parameterize each work phase and each response. Through machines and technologies, some of which are very sophisticated and expensive, others quite common, we are now able to monitor physiological and neurological signals in real time, such as heart rate, heart rate variability, level of oxigen, pressure or brain activity, having immediate feedback on how to improve one’s mental and physiological state during performance.

For example, if a person is too anxious in a performance situation, biofeedback can help modulate the response, promoting better emotional control in real time.

When we talk about NEUROFEEDBACK, unfortunately, we are talking about an extremely complex level of measurement that obviously has very high costs and therefore remains the prerogative of a few.

When we talk about BIOFEEDBACK, however, we are talking about a parameterization that is simpler to obtain and that requires the use of cutting-edge but absolutely common technology; the focal point in this case is how the data are collected, how they are interpreted and how the responses are then modulated.

The Multidisciplinary Approach and the combined integration of technology

Neuro Performance is often developed in collaboration with specialists from different fields, including psychologists, neuroscientists, coaches, and physiotherapists. The multidisciplinary approach allows you to customize training programs, considering both the mental and physical aspects of the individual, for a 360-degree improvement in performance. For example, all our Performance Programs have been created exactly following this type of approach.

Latest generation advanced technologies for the development and monitoring of Performance and above all their combination and integration in firearm training allows us to reach a level of penetration in the subject and consequent translation of effectiveness in the Training Application relationship not even remotely achievable in canonical training in the shooting range, which to be clear remains essential.

The use of technology is another central and strategic aspect: virtual reality devices, cameras for photomechanical analysis, optical instruments for neuro-visual training, devices for neuro-auditory training, machines for the development of adaptive and no longer just functional neuro-motor training, sensors, apps for monitoring and reading shooting mechanics, allow us to create simulations of real situations and conditions without the need to recreate a specific “real” scenario, which (with specific exceptions) is exactly one of the most counterproductive aspects that we can generate in training. Today we are able to measure responses in real time and modulate some indicators. Through these technologies, it is possible to train the brain and body to respond more effectively to certain stimuli, improving performance control in any type of environment or specifically in one, the benefits of which find the most effective translation into everyday life.

OXYGEN CYCLE AND STRESS MANAGEMENT

Neuro Performance also works on stress management and resilience, two key factors for success in extremely demanding contexts.

Real-time stress management and control techniques today are mainly based on two factors: oxygen cycle control and then breathing control and emotional control. Breathing is now becoming a fundamental parameter in performance, a structured and controlled breathing prevents problems due to often unconscious hypoxia and induced hyperoxia. The ability to perform breathing techniques such as “Bi-phasic Breathing”, “Tactical Breathing” or Quadri-phase Breathing make the difference in every single aspect not only of Performance, but of the speed of response and its quality. Breathing and mental training in emotional control depend heavily on one’s own oxygen cycle during the acute and critical phases of Performance and are essential to lower some parameters, modulate some indicators which translated means maintaining calm, lucidity and rationality as well as the physical and technical capacity necessary in critical situations subject to high stress loads. This reduces the negative impact of stress pressure on the 3 fundamental levels: psychological, physiological, behavioral, thus preventing stress shock (system overload) or cognitive overload (information/stimuli overload).

In short, Neuro Performance is an advanced discipline that combines neuroscience and cutting-edge technologies to improve the integrated functioning of mind and body, adapting to the needs of the individual and specific situations in which optimal performance is required, especially if the trade-off is our life or someone else’s.