How Athletes Can Leverage Visualization to Help Them Get Better
Every athlete, regardless of sport, can leverage visualization techniques to help them get better. Visualization is a form of mental rehearsal where an athlete creates a moment of performance in their mind scripted to address the skills they need to be at their best.
Sometimes a visualization practice is a factual re-creation of a previous success, other times it’s a fictional re-imagining of a mistake done correctly, or it could even be a completely fictional performance that the athlete is working to make real in the future. All three of these types of visualizations are beneficial, and all three follow the same process.
This process requires following these 5 steps:
- Start by moving the mind into a deep state of relaxation through a meditation or breathing practice.
- Incorporate sounds and smells of a real performance situation to engage the senses.
- Use a premeditated script with vivid and realistic details to talk yourself into and through the re-creation of the moment of performance you are visualizing.
- Spend no more than 15 minutes in any given visualization session (i.e., five minutes to relax, 10 minutes to visualize).
- Immediately follow the visualization session with either a video review session or physical practice (or both) incorporating the skills visualized.
These process steps must be repeated routinely to be effective. Doing this once or twice a season will have little to no impact on getting better. Comparatively, lifting weights once or twice a season doesn’t make you stronger and visualization is no different. Consistency is the key.