Athletes who perform well in training sometimes cannot do so at the decisive moment. The cause is not always technique: pressure can change attention and motor preparation. We combine athletes' accounts, coaches' observations and EEG, train regulation with neurofeedback, and test whether the effect carries into competition.
The same athlete. A different preparation.
Remove the feedback, then test it in competition.
01
Choking under pressure means performing clearly below one's usual level at an important moment. Some athletes are pulled away by the outcome or by an error; others start to control a movement they normally perform automatically. Both look like choking from the outside, but the situation and the response behind them may differ.
02
EEG records changes in brain activity before the movement, and heart rate variability adds information about how the body is regulating itself. We read them together with the athlete's description, the coach's observations and the movement itself. EEG cannot read thoughts, and no single curve identifies why an athlete broke down.
03
In neurofeedback, athletes see a task-relevant EEG marker in real time and practise adjusting it. We then remove the feedback and ask whether the effect remains, and whether performance changes in the actual movement under pressure. Responses differ between athletes.
See the BMX assessment →Athlete feedback
After a miss, I can leave the last shot where it was and return to the shot in front of me.
We compare pre-shot EEG and heart rate variability with the movement itself and the coach's observations. Working with the Taiwan Sports Training Center, we identify which preparation signals are worth tracking.
See athlete application →State which movement and which situation changes, then choose suitable measures and a research design together with academic and technical partners.
Inspect funded projects →Articles, podcasts and talks on attention and stress, starting from questions in competition and practice.
Explore Brainfield →As neuro11’s Co-founder & Head of Science, I led the development of its brain-training (EEG neurofeedback) methods. During the company's EXIST-funded founding phase in Germany, I designed early methods combining EEG neurofeedback, attentional control and football practice. Later applications by neuro11 include work with Liverpool FC, adidas athletes and the US Men's National Team.
Education, research and professional exchange connect universities in Taiwan, Germany and the United States.
An Asian Games BMX athlete describes his EEG assessment and personalised report.
EEG combined with athlete and coach interviews to describe attentional focus and a personal routine.
Practising regulation of the preparation state, then checking whether the state holds once the feedback is removed.
Tell us which movement, at what point in the competition it begins to feel different, and what the coach has seen. We will first define the problem, then discuss suitable measurements and practice. Parents are welcome to write too.
