Mental imagery is a mental experience that mimics a real experience.  It’s using your imagination to rehearse and practice plays,  skills,  situations,  and events.

Why & How Imagery Works

• Imagery strengthens the connection between the mind and the body.

• An imagery session simulates neuro-muscular commands and cognitive processes that exist when you experience the situations/skills in real life.

• Imagery allows you to practice dealing with special situations that you do not experience often, but that you have to be prepared for (i.e., imagine a high-pressure championship situation).

• Imagery allows you to practice and mentally reinforce movement patterns. You can become more automatic at well-learned skills, fine-tune newer skills, and create new motor programs (commands) for completely novel skills that you cannot yet perform.

Tips & reminders

• Try to be relaxed at the start of your session: make sure that you can control your imagination.

• Have a clear, concise, and detailed agenda for each session. Plan what you are going to do and when—be detailed so that you are not chaotically making things up as you go. PLAN!

• Be complete and accurate:

• Vividness (involve all the senses)

• Controllability (control and manipulate movements, make corrections)

• Perfect Image (create the image you want to physically be able to perform. Rehearse!)

• Timing (slow-time to real-time)

• Follow-through (do the movement/ routine/ race/ strategy in it’s entirety)

• Perspective (internal vs. external)

• You do not have to be perfect. It is okay to lose concentration or to make mistakes.

• You may want to integrate music, recorded sounds, touch, smells etc. to enhance the realism.

• Your skill, efficiency, and ability to use imagery will improve with practice…like physical skills

• Schedule you sessions ahead of time so that you adhere to the imagery program.

• Do not fatigue yourself by making sessions to long. 5-10 minutes is great (do more if you can)

The sites and sounds that surround a sporting event are part of what makes competiting so much fun  but sometimes things like  screaming fans, a new venue, or a different time zone can throw an athlete off their game. One of the major mental skills in sport is the ability to focus one’s attention without being unduly distracted (which is especially hard when competing under pressure)

Click here for a worksheet that will help you deal with distrations.

Ever wonder why it’s so important to set goals for yourself? Or even what kinds of goals are important and achievable for yourself as an athlete? These are common questions that run through athletes minds when considering goal setting. But goal setting doesn’t always have to be complicated or deep.

It might be helpful to think of the SMART principle when setting goals.
Just think SMART:
• Specific
• Measurable
• Adjustable
• Realistic (but challenging)
• Time-based

And remember, the least effective goals are totally outcome oriented (uncontrollable), very long-term, unimportant, not realistic & challenging.

The most effective goals are very short-term, controllable, personally meaningful and important. Ultimately, goals should be monitored yearly, monthly, weekly & daily (use charts & tables, be creative!)

Click here to see some of the worksheets/ charts I find usefull.