Interactive Metronome (IM)

In many sports, the difference between a swing and a miss, a pass and an interception, or a goal blocked or made comes down to the millisecond.

IM is that difference.

Who Has Used IM?

THE BASICS:

Based on significant scientific research, IM has proved to be an extremely effective training tool. Through the repetition of specific exercises centered around the beat of a computer-based metronome. The body's internal clock can be thought of like a watch. If the timing of any one hand is slightly off, then the accuracy and timing entire watch is decreased. IM works to synch up an individuals internal clock and, through this, the brain is "retrained" as neural pathways are stengthened.

Basically, by increasing the efficiency of an individual's internal clock, the connections between the brain's critical networks speed up--these different parts are able to communicate better and more efficiently. In particular, research and theory suggests that IM training increases the efficacy of the parietal-frontal brain network, the brain network most associated with general intellectual functioning, working memory, controlled attention and executive functions.

THE TRAINING REGIMEN:

Twelve 45-minute sessions
13 hand, foot, and cross-body exercises modified for each athlete's individual sport
Goal: execute each task in synchronization with beat of a computerized metronome, which tracks response time down to the millisecond and guides the trainee auditorily.

HOW TRAINING WORKS:

During the IM training a trainee listens to the beat of the metronome through sereo headphones generated through the IM computer software. Exact response time is measured through motion-sensing triggers, which relays information about the trainee’s performance to the computer during training. The accuracy of these responses is measured instantaneously and is then relayed to the trainee as a specific sound they hear in their headphones, coordinating to the response time.

The "game-like auditory-visual platform engages the trainee and provides constant feedback at the millisecond level to promote synchronized timing in the brain. Exercises can be customized and involve a hierarchy of increasingly complex and precisely timed motor movements intertwined with gradually higher & faster cognitive processing, attention and decision-making. It is the only neuro-motor training tool that can be used successfully with all athletes across the board."

IM IMPROVES:

Coordination
Timing
Rhythm
Focus
Speed, Accuracy & Precision
Mental Processing Speed
Memory
Split-Second Decision Making
Planning
Impulse Control
Execution
Mental Flexibility
Endurance
Error Correction
Balance
Attention
Organization
Batting Average
It trains an athlete to “zone in," block out distractions and focus on the game.

Golf:

Vijay Singh (PGA)

Glen Day (PGA)

Football:

Miami Dolphins (NFL)

Syracuse University

University of Notre Dame

University of Miami

University of North Carolina

St. Thomas Aquinas Raiders (High School)

Hockey:

Florida Panthers (NHL)

Robert Esche, Philadelphia Flyers (NHL)

Kristian Huselius, Calgary Flames (NHL)

Bobby Nadeau, PEI Rockets (Canada, QMJHL)

Baseball:

Holt Davis, University of Alabama at Birmingham

First Strike Baseball Academy

ASIDE FROM THE ABOVE LIST, IM CAN BE USED SUCCESSFULLY IN THE FOLLOWING SPORTS:

Soccer

Lacrosse

Tennis

Swimming & Diving

Figure Skating

Volleyball

Speed Skating

Equestrian

Track, Field and Cross Country

Cheerleading

Gymanastics

Riflery

Rugby

Boxing

Bowling

Ultimate Frisbee

"Mental speed is not only preferable in sports, it's essential. Physical gifts are not enough".

-Tim Keown, ESPN Sports

OFF THE FIELD AND IN THE CLASSROOM:

IM improves performance both on and off the field. For student athletes, the benefits of IM training are two-fold: increased athletic performance as well as increased academic performance for both struggling and advanced students.

TEMPORAL PROCESSING:

"Timing in the brain (or what scientists call “temporal processing”) is responsible for detecting where a sound is coming from as sound hits one ear microseconds before the other, for waking up and putting to sleep our brain every 12 hours or so, and for focusing attention, reading comprehension, remembering information, processing speech, motor coordination, and several other human capabilities."

"By addressing timing in the brain with Interactive Metronome (IM) ...you are not only addressing areas of ability that impact achievement and independence but also the heart of the problem, that of deficient neural timing within and between regions of the brain that are underlying many of the problems you are working on in therapy. This leads to more efficient treatment and better overall treatment outcomes."

STRUGGLING STUDENT ATHLETES:

We have worked with coaches and athletic directors who need to ensure that their student athletes who are struggling academically are able to maintain their athletic eligibility. IM has proven to be a successful tool in this respect, since it works to change how the brain processes and functions on a fundemental level.

For example, by increasing processing, decision-making and comprehension speed, a student who struggled through tests, spent hours each night on their homework, or had to read and re-read a paragraph multiple times before fully understandnig the content will be able to remedy many of these problems without any conscoius effort. The results of IM can lead to decreases in homework or test-taking time and diffuculty while increasing accuracy. A student can read and digest information quickly and easily in the first read through or speed through math problems that he or she used to trip up on.

Along with the above list of benefits, IM training results in improvement in the classroom in the following ways:

Reading Fluency
Math Fluency
Language and Auditory Processing Speed
Decision Making Speed
Comprehension
Sequencing and Organizational Skills
Time Management Skills
Handwriting
Hyperactivity and Impulse Control

Without any additional tutoring or really any "conscious effort" on the student's part, IM training produces the results and improvements listed above, allowing test taking and time management skills to improve, homework time to decrease and grades to improve.

LEARNING CHALLENGES

IM benefits inidividuals struggling with learning challenges that range from mild to severe. This includes with the following:

ADD AD/HD
Dyslexia or other Reading Difficulties
Concussions
Learning Difficulties
Stuttering
Brain Injury
Sensory Integration or Sensory Procession Disorder
Motor Planning/ Sequencing Difficulties
Delays in speech or language
Sensory or Motor Disorders
Brain Tumor (following surgery or chemotherapy)
Bipolar Disorder
Limb Amputation
Asperger's Syndrome
Autism Spectrum Disorder
Cerebral Palsy

IM training is completed in 12 45-minute sessions, centered around the beat of a metronome. Within each session, the trainee completes a number of exercises designed specifically for the sport in which they participate.
And the results are statistically significant.

....how the Miami Dolphins have added the IM-powered Training program into their off-season and regular season workouts to build and refine their player's mental skills. Training on the program produced:

70% increase in timing accuracy, 300% gain in the capacity to concentrate in a "zone" like mental state, and over 60% improvement in the mental processing speed as measured by a national standard test.

Significant improvement in these key areas contributes to efficiency in execution and reduction of mental miscues for athletes and teams.

Tim Keown of ESPN states,

"Mental speed is not only preferable in sports, it's essential. Physical gifts are not enough".

(IM)® fulfills the sports industry's need for training key mental aspects of the game. Leaders in sports training are incorporating the (IM) into their workouts and are seeing impressive results.