📖 Neuromotor Brain Training Exercises: Improve: Attention, Focus, Concentration, Memory, Sequencing & Brain Processing Speed by Bridgette Sharp

Dive deeper into Bridgette Sharp’s comprehensive 13-chapter blueprint for rewiring your brain’s foundational skills-attention, focus, memory, sequencing, and processing speed. In this extended blog, you’ll uncover richer scientific context, practical case examples, advanced tips, and actionable takeaways to amplify every neuromotor drill you tackle.

Chapter 1: The Science of Neuroplasticity and Neuromotor Training

Sharp begins by mapping the landscape of neuroplasticity, showing how targeted neuromotor drills can reshape synaptic connections throughout life. She highlights pioneering studies from occupational therapy and sports science that demonstrate measurable gains in processing speed after just weeks of consistent practice.

In this chapter you’ll explore:

• How dendritic branching increases with coordinated motor-cognitive work
• The role of myelination in speeding up neural signals
• Case vignette: a college student reducing ADHD symptoms through grid practice

Practical Tip: Keep a short journal of “before and after” task times to visibly track neuroplastic changes.

Chapter 2: Program Structure and Preparation

Sharp outlines a flexible 12-week schedule built around daily 10–15-minute sessions. She underscores the importance of baseline assessments and offers downloadable templates for pre-program and weekly performance logs.

Key setup recommendations:

• Choose the same time each day (morning or late afternoon) for peak cognitive readiness
• Create a distraction-free zone with consistent lighting and minimal clutter
• Calibrate an initial grid complexity using Sharp’s quick assessment drill

Advanced Tip: Use a simple smartphone metronome app to maintain pacing consistency and gradually increase tempo by 5 BPM weekly.

Chapter 3: Hemispheric Integration

Integrating left- and right-hemisphere activity sets the stage for every subsequent exercise. Sharp dives into neuroanatomy, explaining how the corpus callosum acts as the “information highway” between cerebral hemispheres.

Chapter highlights include:

• Cross-crawling progressions: from seated taps to full-body contralateral movements
• Proprioceptive feedback monitoring for real-time adjustment
• Real-life example: Improved reading fluency in dyslexic readers after two weeks of integration drills

Advanced Tip: Record yourself performing cross-crawling drills and review playback to spot asymmetries you might miss in the moment.

Chapter 4: Brain Training Grid Practice

The Brain Training Grid is Sharp’s signature tool-a 10×10 matrix with shapes, colors, and numbers designed to push processing speed. Sharp digs into the neurocognitive rationale: simultaneous visual scanning and verbal labeling activate distributed cortical networks.

This chapter guides you through:

1. Baseline timed scans to establish your “frames per second” metric
2. Progressive grid variations: adding distractor symbols, reducing font sizes
3. Benchmarking tips: logging error rates versus time reductions

Practical Tip: When frustration rises, switch to a simpler grid for two sessions before returning to increased complexity.

Chapter 5: Naming Drills-Shape, Color, Number

Sharp breaks the Grid into elemental drills to isolate specific cognitive pathways. You’ll practice:

• Shape naming to engage the ventral visual stream
• Color naming to train selective visual attention
• Number naming to boost numeric sequencing and working memory

Each drill includes video links for proper form and pacing guidelines. Sharp also provides troubleshooting FAQs on common naming errors.

Advanced Tip: Pair shape drill sessions with background white noise to heighten selective attention mechanisms.

Chapter 6: Dual-Task Training-Combining Drills

Bridging single-focus drills into dual-task challenges, Sharp guides you to:

• Execute color and shape naming in one continuous pass
• Alternate verbal responses (e.g., “circle-red” then “square-blue”) under timed conditions
• Track dual-task interference by comparing single versus combined drill times

Real-world Insight: Athletes use similar dual-task training to maintain strategy under physical fatigue.

Practical Tip: Gradually introduce a metronome-click to force consistent pacing and reduce impulsivity.

Chapter 7: Weeks 1 & 2-Foundational Neuromotor Colors

The initial two weeks cement color-based neuromotor patterns. Week 1 focuses on single-hand motor sequences as you name colors. Week 2 adds contralateral hand/foot combinations to deepen hemispheric crossover.

Key progress markers:

• Stable naming accuracy above 95%
• Reduction of scan time by at least 10%
• Subjective drop in perceived mental effort

Advanced Tip: If scans feel too easy, shrink grid cell size by 20% or increase drill duration by two minutes.

Chapter 8: Weeks 3 & 4-Spatial Sequencing with Arrows

Spatial orientation enters the mix as Weeks 3 and 4 introduce arrow-based drills. In Week 3 you follow single-direction arrows while maintaining color naming. By Week 4, you’ll tackle alternating direction prompts synced to a metronome.

What you’ll gain:

• Enhanced mental mapping skills for reading and navigation
• Stronger inhibitory control as you override habitual scanning patterns
• Measurable improvement in Simon Task performance (a common executive-function test)

Advanced Tip: Record your arrow drills with stopwatch timestamps to visualize improvements in turn-reaction latency.

Chapter 9: Weeks 5 & 6-Advanced Motor Sequencing

Weeks 5 and 6 weave together color and directional work into compound motor sequences. You’ll memorize short motor patterns keyed to color cues, then execute them under time pressure.

Chapter takeaways:

• How chaining movement patterns strengthens procedural memory
• Techniques for error-correction on the fly
• Case study: A violinist reporting smoother left-hand finger transitions after two sessions

Practical Tip: Break sequences into micro-chunks of three steps, master each chunk, then link them together.

Chapter 10: Weeks 7 & 8-Cognitive Shapes Integration

Introducing Cognitive Shapes in Week 7, Sharp has you rapidly identify forms under timed constraints. Week 8 merges shape naming with the compound motor sequences from prior weeks.

You’ll track:

• Speed-accuracy trade-off curves to fine-tune your balance
• Working memory load via dual-buffer recall drills
• Subjective flow-state indicators (heart rate variability, breathing pace)

Advanced Tip: Use auditory shape cues (a short tone per shape) to cross-modal reinforce neural encoding.

Chapter 11: Weeks 9 & 10-Complex Motor-Cognitive Challenges

Entering Weeks 9 and 10, drills demand simultaneous recall of shape, color, and arrow direction from multiple grids. Sharp provides:

• Templates for two-grid alternation tasks
• Error-triggered reset protocols to prevent frustrated perseveration
• Guidelines for gradually increasing grid size beyond 10×10

Real-world Parallel: Air-traffic controllers rely on similar triple-stream processing to manage simultaneous data feeds.

Chapter 12: Weeks 11 & 12-Alpha-Cog Mastery

Sharp’s final biomechanism shifts focus toward cultivating a calm, focused “alpha” brain rhythm state. Week 11 removes external timing cues to let you internalize pacing. Week 12 fuses all elements-color, shape, number, direction-into seamless flow.

You’ll learn to:

• Monitor physiological feedback (skin conductance, pulse) as flow-state markers
• Apply micro-pauses to reset attention rather than fixate on errors
• Transition from timed drills to real-world tasks (e.g., reading, conversation) without losing acuity

Practical Tip: Integrate brief mindfulness breaths between drills to stabilize your alpha rhythm.

Chapter 13: Program Review, Progress Tracking, and Next Steps

Sharp wraps up by teaching you how to sustain gains and customize drills for life’s demands. You’ll discover:

• A master log template to chart long-term trajectories
• Strategies for adapting grids to professional tasks (data analysis, coding, design)
• Community-driven challenge formats to maintain accountability

Advanced Tip: Host a monthly “Brain Gym” session with peers to introduce friendly competition and share adaptations.

Beyond the Book: Expanding Your Neuromotor Toolkit

You’ve absorbed 12 weeks of structured neuromotor training. To continue accelerating your cognitive evolution:

• Incorporate rhythm-and-music drills (drum pads, clapping patterns) for temporal precision
• Add interleaved mindfulness micro-sessions to reinforce attention networks
• Measure real-world impact by recording improvements in work tasks, creative brainstorming, or athletic drills

Consider designing your own hybrid grids-mix letters, symbols, even simple word puzzles-to further challenge your neural circuitry. Whether you’re a student, executive, athlete, or creative professional, neuromotor training offers a versatile scaffold to sharpen every facet of your mental performance.

What adaptation resonates most with you? Are you blending neuromotor drills into your morning routine or leveraging them between work sprints? Share your experiences and let’s keep the conversation-and your brain-buzzing.