Effect of Bio-Neural Feedback Exercises on the Performance of Female Rugby Players

Background/Objective: This study aimed to determine the effect of bio-neural feedback exercises on female rugby players' performance. Methods: The design was quasi-experimental with experimental and control groups. Twenty-four female rugby players aged 16 to 25 in Alborz province were randomly divided into two equal groups of 12. Bio-neural feedback or neurofeedback exercises were performed for 15 sessions, three times a week, including the alpha protocol at point Pz and increasing the sensory-motor wave at point C3, each for 20 minutes. Data collected in pre-test and post-test were used to measure rugby performance, including pass accuracy and shot accuracy. The Mann–Whitney U test was used to analyze the data. Results: The results showed that the left and right passes' accuracy increased significantly after bio-neural feedback exercises. However, no significant improvement in shooting accuracy was observed. Conclusions: Therefore, bio-neural feedback training can be used as an effective way to improve athletes' optimal performance in sports such as rugby that require accurate passing.


Introduction
The quality of a person's performance is closely related to her mind and body. Achieving optimal performance results from a person's proper interaction with the environment and her mastery of motor tasks; the more correct this interaction is, the better the person will achieve in movement (1).
In recent years, researchers have become particularly interested in studying brain waves in different areas of the brain and their relationship to athletes'letes' behavior and perfo Various studies have shown that when an athlete reaches a state of concentration and relaxation, she performs better (2). On the other hand, human beings cannot recognize and change their brain waves' patterns due to lack of knowledge, but by observing the display of these athletes'es, after a while, a res the ability to change and influence them. This process is also called self-regulation. Finally, the person will understand the incorrect physiological answers in daily activities and replace them with more Zahra Salimnejad, E-mail: z_salimnejad89@yahoo.com correct answers (3). Today, Neurofeedback is one of the new and growing ways to improve athletic performance. Neurofeedback is based on specific aspects of cortical activity that refer to a factor conditioning pattern and teach individuals to modify their wave patterns. Neurofeedback informs the desired mental state athlete and helps him achieve this state (3). Neurofeedback can retrain brainwave activity to increase optimal performance in athletes in various sports.
According to studies, Neurofeedback leads to increased concentration, improved cognitive performance, emotional control following brain injuries, and increased balance in various movements and performances (4  golfers. The results showed that skilled individuals had a lower heart rate, decreased theta wave, and increased alpha wave before pot golf. Also, it was found that high alpha as a key variable has led to successful results in skilled people (11). Besides, in his research, Kao (2013) examined the effect of Neurofeedback on central alpha in golfers' executive performance. Based on the reported results, the improvement was observed in the executive performance, but there was a discrepancy in alpha power changes. This performance improvement continued even after the cessation of exercise (12). Unlike other studies, Dupee (2008) showed that neurofeedback training did not change skiers' scores. In his research, he

Implementation Method and Test Session
First, the accuracy of the shot was tested. To measure the shot's accuracy, a cube with dimensions of 1 meter, which was placed at a distance of 20 meters, was used. Subjects had to try to land the ball on the box with a shot. The ball had to land directly on the box, meaning that no points were awarded to the ball hitting the box after hitting the ground. Each subject had the opportunity to shoot five times. Scoring was as follows: 5 points

Statistical Methods
In this study, descriptive statistics (mean and standard deviation) were used to describe the collected information. In the inferential statistics section, the Mann-Whitney U nonparametric test was used to test the hypotheses. All calculations were performed using SPSS 20 software at a significance level of 0.05. Table 1 shows the mean and standard deviation of the shot accuracy and left and right pass accuracy in the pre-test and post-test of the two control and experimental groups.      The results of the Mann-Whitney U test show that the accuracy of the right pass increased in the experimental group after the neurofeedback training. Still, it decreased slightly in the control group. Their difference is also significant (P = 0.004), and this shows that neurofeedback training has a better effect on the right pass performance of female rugby players. Table 5 presents the results of the Mann-Whitney U test to compare the rate of change in shot accuracy between the two groups.   (21,20,19,5,18,6,17,16,14,12,11,9,8