Imagery

Imagery is accessing all the senses including visual, auditory, olfactory, gustatory, tactile and kinesthetic to create or re-create an experience in the absence of the actual stimuli....for example an athlete can use his/her experience to recall from memory pieces of information to develop a specific sport skill without any environmental props.

A hockey player can practice hitting a slap shot into the goal from a corner position after maneuvering past two defenders in front of him while sitting in a comfortable sofa chair with his eyes closed. It is believed that imagery works because it helps athletes develop a coding system of movement pattern in effect creating a mental blueprint.

Quck quiz:

1) True/False:

A player must be able to recreate all the sensory modalities for imagery to be worthwhile.

False: Many people develop their awareness and ability to recreate deeper sensory awareness as they practice imagery. They begin to notice things in their environment or within themselves with more perception. Prior to learning imagery a hockey player may not notice how tightly he/she grips the stick in pressure situations but through practicing imagery becomes aware of excess muscle tension in their hands.

Some athletes while learning to visualize begin with fuzzy images but begin to notice more useful cues within their environment which can later enhance their imagery practices.

2) For imagery to be successfull it needs to be practiced:
a) 5-15 minutes a day.

b) 10-15 minutes, Three or more times a week.

c) For 10 minutes just prior to the event.

In my experience each performer develops an ideal range of time for their visualization practices to be useful.
Daily for the short term as a person is learning the skills can help the player learn the techniques faster. But most players feel that daily is too much time to put towards the skill. Coaches can integrate the skills into a pre-practice or warm-down after practice so the whole team benefits from the skill.

Three or more times a week for 10-15 has been most successful for athletes I work with who are working on the skills independently.

Players who decide to use visualization just prior to participating in an event can benefit but
overall the usefulness of acquiring the skill is to prepare oneself ahead of time for the upcoming event. Although sometimes athletes who are over anxious report benefits even from this short time of imaging.

What's your experience?