Neuro Athletic Training
For Gymnastics
What is Neuro Athletic Training?
Neuro athletic training (synonymous with neuro performance training) is an approach to sports performance and rehabilitation that puts a brain-first lens on the body as opposed to only considering or addressing the musculoskeletal system.
What does that mean, exactly? We know through decades of neuroscience research that the commands to the body to run, jump and flip (as well as swallow, breathe, or smile) are coming from the brain. And we know that there are areas in the brain that are responsible for reaction time, for coordinating our visual skills, for balance, posture, and muscle tone. By activating these specific parts of the brain, then, we can improve all of these attributes that are critical for gymnastics.
We’ve learned what these areas do through fancy imaging and lesion studies. For example, when there’s a lesion (damaged tissue) in a specific part of the brain, and the patient can no longer move their hands in a coordinated way, we know, that that part of the brain (called the lateral cerebellum) is responsible for good, coordinated movement of their hands.
And then, if you’re a gymnast and need to have great precision and coordination with your hands and fingers (like catch a bar, or place your hands precisely on the beam), activating that part of the brain can facilitate these actions. As a neuroperformance coach, I teach gymnasts drills that will activate and optimize this part of the brain.
One of the great benefits of neuro athletic training is how quickly change can happen. Because the drills are designed to activate and optimize the command center, a quick 20 second drill can help a gymnast’s flexibility, speed or balance.
(A note on terminology… While I call myself a Neuroperformance Coach, I’m going to use neuro athletic training as it’s a slightly more commonly used term. I chose Neuroperformance because of the emphasis on performance.)
Neuro Athletic Training - Who’s Doing It?
Intentionally including the brain as part of training and rehab has been around for over 20 years, but is still an emerging discipline. (And just by reading this article, you’re one of a small number of people who have been exposed to it). That said, there are already many professional teams, world-class and Olympic athletes that have integrated brain-based tools into their training and injury recovery, including:
Colt Walker, USA Gymnastics National & World team member
Emma Nedov, Australian Gymnastics 2024 Olympic team member
Pauline Schafer, German Gymnastics 2016, 2020, 2024 Olympic Gymnast (photo above)
Alexander Zverev, 2020 Olympic Tennis Champion
DFB Akademie (German National Soccer Training Center)
Arsenal Academy
MLB: Diamondbacks, Mariners, Angels
NFL: Seahawks, Cardinals
Coaches & Trainers from the NHL, WNBA, ATP, WTP
In the US, we don’t hear about it much because it can give athletes an advantage; and in particular the pro athletes and teams that work with a neuro athletic coach don’t want to give away their secrets.
What neuro athletic training for gymnastics looks like in practice
FLEXIBILITY
Because the brain regulates muscle tone (yes, you read that correctly), by activating specific structures or areas, gymnasts can discover greater range of motion after doing a 10-second neuro drill.
For example, below is the before & after comparison of a gymnast who simply pushed her tongue into her cheek for 10 seconds (5 seconds on the left, 5 seconds on the right). The change happened because voluntary tongue movement stimulates a part of the brainstem that helps with flexion (arms overhead).
SPEED & POWER
In order for our limbs to generate maximum power efficiently, we need a stable midline (I don’t use ‘core’ because that term can often be misused). Imagine trying to shoot a cannon off of a canoe - the ‘base’ structure is unstable, so the cannon isn’t going to be very powerful. If you put the cannon on a sturdy ship, you’ll get much better results.
The cerebellum and vestibular system work hand-in-hand to give us good postural reflexes and stability, so activating those areas before a gymnast vaults, for example, could help her generate more speed in her run, and more power off the table.
The two drills below helped this gymnast get over the table with more speed.
1) Ankle circles - make smooth circles without moving the rest of your leg. She did 5 in each direction on each foot.
2) Visual ‘Smooth Pursuit’ - She’s tracking a letter on a carpenter’s pencil. Eyes follow up and down without moving her head. 10 laps.
COORDINATED, PRECISE MOVEMENT
I mentioned the cerebellum above - it’s the ‘mini-brain’ - and it’s responsible for accuracy of movement, balance and coordination. All things gymnasts need a lot of, right? And particularly for beam, where good balance reflexes and refined awareness of what our hands are doing are essential, we can do a drill like the one below that can help with both of those things. It looks like it’s just a way to move your hands, but the intention behind it - to stimulate the cerebellum - is what makes it a neuro athletic training drill.
By intentionally including the brain in gymnastics training, rehab and recovery, we can create changes in the body more quickly, often when other approaches haven’t been effective, and with easy-to-do drills.
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I work with gymnasts & other athletes locally in Los Gatos (San Jose, CA area) and all over the world. If you’re intrigued and are curious about individual or group coaching, or a clinic would look like, there are few ways to keep learning or to work with me.
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