Mental Imagery

Usefulness of Mental Imagery

There are many sports that require both a strong physical and mental game to excel.  More often than not athletes will focus their attention only on their physical skills when in reality they should be spending as much time if not more developing their mental skills.  The mental aspect of training is often overlooked.

There are situations in sports where hundredths of a second or tenths of an inch separate the champions from the average athletes.  Gaining that edge is crucial to win in high levels of competition. But where does this extra edge come from? One of the ways is through mental imagery.

Numerous athletes are turning towards mental imagery to lift their game to the next level.  There are different uses of imagery:

Mental practice of specific performance skills-

Improving confidence and positive thinking-

Problem solving-

Controlling arousal and anxiety-

Performance review and analysis-

Preparation for performance-

Maintaining mental freshness during injury-

How Mental Imagery Works

The key behind mental imagery is the fact that when you are visualizing yourself perform at a high level and doing precisely what you want, you are physiologically constructing neural patterns in your brain. It is the same concept as teaching your body a motion you want performed. These visual images are  patterns and are “engraved” in neurological pathways of the brain. This can enable an athlete to perform physical feats by just mentally rehearsing the move.  Moreover, mental imagery is designed to train our minds to aid our physical training and create and strengthen pathways in our nervous system.  This helps teach the body’s muscles to do exactly what we want them to do when we want them to do it.

When to Use Mental Imagery

Mental Imagery should be used with physical training in a synergistic manner, they will supplement each other.  In order to become  proficient at mental imagery; just like anything,  you have to use it ever day.  Use it before, during, and after your training.  If you want to use mental imagery to your fullest advantage, start with a few simple things. Before you begin every training session visualize what you want to happen; see everything you want to happen as it were a movie.  See the crispness of your actions and the colors of the scene. See and yourself going through the actions in your mind, in the same way you wish for them to happen.

Before competitions take time to reflect and visualize your desired outcome. Begin mentally rehearsing moves, actions, skills, plays, and feelings that you want to play with.