Visualisation in performance improvement
Many athletes use visualisation techniques routinely as part of training and it has been a matter of public note that Britain’s younger tennis stars are being given visualisation training as part of their overall coaching.
What does it mean?
Visualisation has also been called guided imagery, mental rehearsal, mediation, and a host of other names. Broadly speaking, visualisation is the process of creating a mental image - or intention - of what you want to happen or to feel.
By imagining a scene, complete with images or movies, of a previous best performance or a new desired outcome, the athletes are given a chance to 'step into' that feeling. They are guided to think about how they feel, what they see, what they can smell, taste and touch, what messages their body will be giving them etc. So, for example, a high jumper may be taken through a visualisation where they imagine every step of a successful jump, including seeing the bar being raised to a height they’ve never attained, the feel of their shoes on the ground, the sound of the crowd, the comments of their rivals etc. Then they move into their performance, feeling every step, feeling the way their body would move to clear the bar and hearing the applause in the stadium. This is mean to teach them the desired outcome, enhancing their skills through repetition or rehearsal, similar to physical practice but without the risk of exhaustion or injury. With mental rehearsal, minds and bodies become trained to actually perform the skill imagined.
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