Review - Brain Domination by Jon Doyle and Todd Herman

Home Training Product Reviews Brain Domination

…like the quarterback with natural talent coming out of every orifice who can't seem to hit a critical pass to save his life in a real game. …like the pitcher who can throw a 103 mph fastball but always beans batters when the bases are loaded. …like the weightlifter who trains with loads 30 pounds heavier in practice but can never nail it competition.

We always look at these athletes and think "Wow, what great talent. Too bad he can't get his head in the game."

What if there was an AUTOMATIC way to TRAIN your head into the game?

THAT is where the "Brain Domination" audio from Jon Doyle and Todd Herman comes in.

"Brain Domination" is basically a method...an AUTOMATIC method...designed to train your brain for success in sport. ANY sport.

And I have to say, this product is unlike anything we've reviewed here before (and probably EVER will review here!). It's NOT a how-to manual. It's not a book or a training program. It's not even a motivational seminar or anything like that!

Here's a short excerpt from the website to help explain where it's coming from:

"This audio CD uses 21st century technology to place your mind into a deep restful state. Not a sleeping state, but just restful enough so that your conscious mind - the part of your mind that is always chattering in your head - is shut down. This allows the hypnotically-designed commentary on the CD to re-program your beliefs about what you're able to accomplish at the subconscious level. This is the part of your mind that controls your performance."

It is, without a doubt, a compelling hypothesis. Is it truly possible to use audio to put your mind into this "superlearning" state where you can turn off that little voice in your head that tells you that you're not good enough or that you'll never be able to do something?

This is also known as the "flow" state…where performance is automatic and efficient and the "higher" functions of the brain don't interfere with that performance. Most athletes have experienced this state at some point in their career - you're in the zone and everything just clicks.

So CAN you use audio to train for that flow state?

To answer that question (short of anecdotal evidence/testimonials from past users), you have to turn to the research.

And there IS research available to support the "superlearning" state AND the use of auditory (and visual) stimuli to evoke this state:

This study is a good example (full reference at the end of this review [1]):

--> http://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S1388245707001927

With a quick read-through of the highlights of the study, you'll see the authors determined that:

"Identification of the EEG state of sporting experts prior to their performance provides a plausible rationale for the modulation of alpha rhythms to enhance sporting performance in athletes and sensorimotor performance in patients to be rehabilitated."

So, in English, that means you CAN use audio to get into the "alpha" state AND that state has the potential to enhance sporting performance.

And here is another BIG point…

As you listen to the intro of the "Brain Domination" audio, you'll learn the advantages of becoming process-orientated, not outcome orientated. THAT is a critical aspect of the "flow" state that this audio strives to embed in you.

When you're process-orientated, you're focusing on WHAT you're doing, not the outcome (e.g. when you're in the middle of a squat (or a snatch or a power clean), you're focusing on performing the mechanics of the movement properly rather than the end goal of getting the bar up any way you can).

When you're focused on the outcome, THAT is when everything tends to fall apart. Like the quarterback who can only see the need for the touchdown (outcome), this outcome-orientation leads to sub-par performance. He'll wing that ball out the back of the end zone (and then look at the receiver like it was HIS fault he's not 9 feet tall and couldn't grab that horribly-thrown ball!).

So, a focus on PERFORMANCE, not outcome…I hope that sounds familiar! That's what we're all about here at Staley Training Systems. An athlete's mindset is all about performance!

YEAH, BUT DOES THIS AUDIO PROGRAM WORK?

That's the million dollar question! In order for this audio to be effective it has to elicit that alpha state in the brain.

Can the alpha brain state enhance performance? Absolutely. The research has shown this to be true.

Does this audio help you achieve that? Short of an actual EEG (brainwave) study on THIS particular audio, I can't fully answer that question.

But when you look at the BASIS for this audio and understand that it's scientifically valid, AND you read the anecdotal evidence to support it's effectiveness (the results that other athletes have achieved using this audio), it's apparent to me that there IS something going on here above and beyond somebody simply getting a better night's sleep.

Also (and this is a very good thing), Jon's going to give you 3 months to try it for yourself and see if it DOES make a difference in your performance. If you don't notice results in your performance, you can get all your money back.

When you get to the site, you'll notice it's totally baseball-specific. Don't let that stop you. If you're participating in ANY sort of athletics (even weight training counts!) or know somebody who IS, this product is definitely worth checking out and learning more about.

Mental conditioning is not just limited to baseball and the audio itself is NOT baseball-specific.

Here's the link to the site to get more information about the "Brain Domination" audio (available as instant download as well as CD):

--> http://www.staleytraining.com/goto/brain-domination.htm

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REFERENCES:

[1] Pre-stimulus alpha rhythms are correlated with post-stimulus sensorimotor performance in athletes and non-athletes: A high-resolution EEG study . Clinical Neurophysiology , Volume 118 , Issue 8 , Pages 1711 - 1720 C . Del Percio , N . Marzano , S . Tilgher , A . Fiore , E . Di Ciolo , P . Aschieri , A . Lino , G . Toràn , C . Babiloni , F . Eusebi

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Other Related Resources

Andreassi, J.L. (2000). Psychophysiology; Human Behavior and Psysiological Response, (4th ed). Mahwah, New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

Boutros, N., Fraenkel, L., & Feingold, A. (2005) A four-step approach for developing diagnostic tests in psychiatry: EEG in ADHD as a test case. Journal of Neuropsychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience. Vol 17(4), 455-64.

Cripe, C.T. "Brain Waves and EEG." Crossroads Institute, Phoenix, Arizona. Retrieved October, 28, 2005 from http://www.crossroadsinstitute.org

Csikszentmihalyi, M.. (1999). "If we are so rich, why aren't we happy?" American Psychologist. Vol 54(10), 821-827.

Csikszentmihalyi, M., Abuhamdeh, S., & Nakamura, J. "Flow" Elliot, Andrew J (Ed); Dweck, Carol S (Ed). (2005). Handbook of competence and motivation. (pp. 598-608). xvi, 704 pp. New York, NY, US: Guilford Publications, Inc.

Gladwin, T., Lindsen, J., & de Jong, R. (2006). "Pre-stimulus EEG effects related to response speed, task switching and upcoming response hand." Biological Psychology, Vol 72(1), 15-34

Hatfield, B.D., Landers, D.M., & Ray, W.J. (1982) "Cognitive processes during self-paced motor performance: An electroencephalographic profile of skilled marksmen." Journal of Sport Psychology. Vol 6(1), 42-59.

Jackson, S.A. and Marsh, H. (1996) "Development and validation of a scale to measure optimal experience: The Flow State Scale." Journal of Sport & Exercise Psychology. Vol 18(1), 17-35.

Kerick, S.E., Douglass, L.W., & Hatfield, B.D. (2004) "Cerebral Cortical Adaptations Associated with Visuomotor Practice." Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise. Vol 36(1), 118-129

D. Kramer / IUJCS 2 (2007) 13 Kraus, B.N. (2003) "Musicians in flow: Optimal experience in the wind ensemble rehearsal." Dissertation Abstracts International Section A: Humanities and Social Sciences. Vol 64(3-A), pp. 839.

Landers, D. M., M. Han, W. Salazar, S. J. Petruzzello, K. A. Kubitz, & T. L. Gannon. (1994) "Effects of learning on electroencephalographic and electrocardiographic patterns in novice archers." International Journal of Sport Psychology 25: 313-330

Lawton, G.W., Hung, T.M., Saarela, P.I., & Hatfield, B.D. (1998) "Electroencephalography and mental states associated with elite performance." Journal of Sport & Exercise Psychology. Vol 20(1), 35-53.

Legrand, F. and LeScanff, C. (2003) "Tension-stress, effort-stress and mood profiling with an elite javelin performer." Psychology of Sport and Exercise. Vol 4(4), 429-436.

Lindsay, P., Maynard, I., & Thomas, O. (2005) "Effects of Hypnosis on Flow States and Cycling Performance." Sport Psychologist. Vol 19(2), 164-177.

Saarela, P.I. (2000) "The effects of mental stress on cerebral hemispheric asymmetry and psychomotor performance in skilled marksmen." Dissertation Abstracts International: Section B: The Sciences and Engineering. Vol 61(1-B), pp. 580.

Salazar,W., Landers, D.M., Petruzzello, S. J., Myungwoo, H., Crews, D.J., & Kubitz, K.A. (1990). "Hemispheric asymmetry, cardiac response, and performance in elite archers." Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport, 61(4), 351-359.

Strack, B.W. (2003) "Effect of heart rate variability (hrv) biofeedback on batting performance in baseball." Dissertation Abstracts International: Section B: The Sciences and Engineering. Vol 64(3-B), pp. 1540.

Vernon, D. (2005) "Can Neurofeedback Training Enhance Performance? An Evaluation of the Evidence with Implications for Future Research." Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback. 30(4), p 347 - 364