Practicing with Your Mind: An Introduction to Imagery

Practicing with Your Mind: An Introduction to Imagery

Have you ever imaged yourself walking through the hallway of the stadium? You can hear the noise of the audience and are ready for victory. Or, have you ever pictured yourself in a competition that you are not fully prepared for? You feel yourself sweating and your heart is beating fast. You are probably familiar with similar scenarios because this is our natural ability – this is imagery.

What is Imagery: Imagery is using the mind to create or recreate a situation that you want to practice. Successful imagery utilizes all senses to establish a new experience or relive a previous experience. You can think of it as creating a virtual reality video game in your mind. In this game, you are the controller. The more specific details you include, the more successful your imagery will be.

Practicing imagery for few minutes a day can help you to develop new skills or correct past mistakes. Research has shown that our muscle memory can be improved through imagery; through imagery you gain additional practice, become more confident, and reinforce doing skills correctly and efficiently.

How to Use Imagery: Begin by selecting a skill that you want to improve and identify the sequence of movements or actions needed to do that skill correctly. Then think of where you typically practice your skills (e.g., in the university arena, on the field). Remember, using imagery is not as simple as closing your eyes and having a day dream. It should be conducted in systematic way to be most effective. The following points will help you use imagery and ultimately help you to achieve peak performance.

1.      The scene of your imagery must be vivid. This means you should focus on using on all five senses during imagery. Mentally note all of the visual details in the performance environment; what it looks like and the sounds of this environment (e.g., the sound of the basketball bouncing on the floor, a softball landing in a mitt, the splash of the water, or the sounds of your coach or teammates). Try to add the smells (e.g., fresh cut grass or chlorine in the pool) or tastes (your favorite gum or Gatorade) associated with your practice environment. This may seem odd, but we are training the mind for familiarity, so every meticulous detail matters. Also focus on the physical feelings you have while completing the skill, such as muscles contracting or stretching, your balance, or the sensations of moving. Also notice the weather or temperature (warmth of the sun or chill of the ice rink). There are countless physical feelings that are associated with skilled performance and the more you can incorporate them into your imagery, the more successful that imagery will be.

2.      Your imagery should be in a first person point of view. See everything through your own eyes, feel your own body, etc. In other words, experience the skill in the same manner as when you perform it physically (e.g., see your arms and legs, but not the back of your body).

3.      Remain in control of your imagery. If you make a mistake or imagine something you don’t want to happen in real life, immediately open your eyes, take a deep breath, and begin again.

4.      Focus on the performance of the skill rather than the outcome. For example, if imagining a serve, feel the ball toss and the movement of your arm as you follow through rather than only thinking about scoring an ace. Imagining the correct technique and smooth execution of a skill is what will help you become more proficient.

5.      Include your emotional and mental states in your imagery. Feel yourself being relaxed, in control, and confident. Notice the excitement or pride in doing your skills correctly.

Now put this all together:

• Spend at least 10 minutes every day practicing imagery.
• Get in the habit of right before doing a skill physically, image doing it correctly (e.g., image a corner kick before taking the kick or imagine a putt before taking your stroke).
• Whenever you make a physical mistake, as soon as possible image doing the skill correctly and confidently. Remind yourself of what you can and will do in the future.
• Remember to include all the details of the environment and movement in your imagery.

Using imagery can be useful in various aspects of peak sport performance. It can help you to conquer a fear that has consumed you. It prepares you for that clutch buzzer beating shot in the dying seconds of a big game. It can help you to recover from a mistake as you immediately image correcting the mistake and imagine how it should have looked and felt. It is a long-term process, but it can become an athlete’s greatest weapon. Like any other area of sport, learn this new skill one step at a time, but there’s no better time than present. Start by picking up a pen and writing down all the sensory details of a sport moment that you would like to improve.

For additional information, see:

 Vealey, R. S., and Forlenza, S. T. (2014) Understanding and using imagery in sport. In J. M. Williams & V. Krane (Ed.), Applied sport psychology personal growth to peak performance, (pp. 240-273) New York, NY: McGraw-Hill

Yin-Kai Chen and Scott Graupensperger
Bowling Green State University