I'm sure at some point in your sport career you have heard the words visualize or visualization, but what the heck does that mean, and how do you do it?
Let me help.
You probably have already used visualization without even realizing it. For example, when your coach teaches you a new skill or technique, you create an image in your mind of how the skill should look or picture yourself successfully executing the skill. That’s a form of visualization!
Think of visualization as controlling the images or directing the movie that you are playing in your mind. When you imagine or picture yourself performing a skill at your best, it activates neurons in your brain that would normally fire if you were physically performing the skill.
How cool is that?
With visualization, you can work on your shot, swing, or stroke away from the court, field, or pool. This is a powerful exercise for athletes, and I encourage you to start now!
As your Mental Performance Coach, I've come with a Five-Step Visualization Guide for Athletes:
1. Start Out Simple
Pick a skill that you want to visualize. Be exact and detailed.
Examples: Scoring an upper 90 goal in soccer, making a free-throw in basketball, drilling the extra point in football.
2. Control Your Breathing
You want to be free from distractions – your body relaxed – when you start your visualization. Take a minute to breathe a little deeper to slow down your heart rate. Some athletes close their eyes when visualizing and others don’t. Do both and see which works best for you.
Pro tip: practice visualization first thing in the morning before getting out of bed or at night when you are settling down and finished for the day.
3. Focus
Direct your thinking and focus on the specific task you chose in step one. You mentally practice or perform the skill with precise execution. The longer you can repeat this visualization exercise in your mind, the better.
4. Use Your Senses
Use sounds, smells, touch, and taste to get the most out of your mental practice. Smell the chlorine-filled air of the pool; feel the baseball bat in your hands; hear the crowd cheering… you get the idea! The more details you have, the better your subconscious will program the skill into your mind.
5. Incorporate Visualization Into Your Training
Make visualization a part of your training plan– just like stretching, recovery, and nutrition.
Elite athletes will commit anywhere from 5-30 minutes of visualization each day, but remember, mental training and visualization takes practice! When you first start out practicing your visualization, there might be a moment or two when your mental video or image isn’t executed properly. That's okay!
You need to practice mental training just like you must practice physical skills in your sport. Stop the mental video in your mind, hit rewind, and do it again– the way you want. This takes practice. Don’t get discouraged or frustrated; you can do it!
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