Neuro-Athletics for Riders: Unlock Your Brain and Nervous System to Peak Performance

Using the power of brain science to unlock the equestrian
body’s full potential.

Every movement of the rider’s body starts in the brain. In
these pages, Olympic competitor and coach Marc Nölke explains how to direct the
specific areas of the brain that control stability, sense of rhythm, precision
of movement, breathing, and vision. With his unique brain-focused exercises,
riders learn how to change the input sent to their brain to get
healthier, more athletic output, which can include intentional and
unintentional movement, and functions of circulatory, hormonal, or immune
systems.

The brain decides how you ride and how you feel when you
ride based on the input you send it. Traditionally equestrians have
worked to improve the brain’s output (riding skills) by training the output
(riding skills). Nölke’s innovative ＂Neuro-Rider Program＂ is based on achieving
better output (better riding skills), not by endlessly practicing the
movements, but instead by changing the input--what you send to your brain
for it to process and interpret.

In a series of over 40 unique exercises, Nölke helps riders
improve the signals they send to their brain from the:

- Proprioceptive system

- Visual system

- Vestibular system

- Respiratory system

Regular practice will improve the rider’s overall
performance as well as address specific issues, such as:

- Coordination and fine-tuning of the aids

- Body symmetry

- Head posture

- Hand position

- Anxiety in certain situations

- Inappropriate emotions and emotional responses

- Difficulties with rhythm

- Unlevel hips

- Shoulder crookedness

- Focus and concentration

In time, Neuro-Rider training will make you feel lighter on
horseback, help you follow the horse’s movements more naturally, increase your
relaxation in the saddle, and enable you to become more effective overall. With
options to perform exercises on or off the horse, this book offers a practical
way for any rider--regardless of age, ability, discipline, or time--to steadily
improve in distinct and profound ways.

Marc Nölke is a state-certified trainer, systemic-integrative coach, and certified
ZHealth trainer. His training methods are based on neuroscientific findings,
classic training science, and over 10,000 hours of experience with a wide
variety of people, from ages 8 to 80, and from the chronically ill to Olympic
champions. He has worked as a full-time coach for national teams in Austria,
Germany, and the United States, coached two Olympic teams, and has won Olympic
gold, several World Championship titles, and over 50 World Cup victories as a
competitor and a coach. He has now used his expertise to develop a ＂Neuro-Rider
Program,＂ with a focus on providing unique training options to further
equestrian performance goals. He is based in Cologne, Germany (marcnoelke.de).