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It seems that nearly everyone who has anything to do with the mental side of sports feels they have a patriotic duty to tell athletes to visualize. But really now, is there any proof that simply closing your eyes and thinking about winning does anything to improve your performance? Or is it just sport psychology's own version of "The Secret?"

Yes, visualization has it's benefits. A 2004 article in the Journal of Sport Sciences reported that imagery is used more frequently by elite athletes than by recreational and intermediate athletes. Better yet, it was easier for them to predict an athletes performance base on the athlete's use of psychological skills like imagery, than by using the athlete's physical qualities.

So should you stop reading this now and start visualizing? Not so quickly at least not according to an article out in the most recent issue of the Journal of Applied Sport Psychology. The article's authors looked at the use of visualization in 150 athletes of all abilities. They found that while visualization works, not all visualization works equally well. They found that visualization worked best when it was viewed as an integral and regular planned part of an athlete's training. In fact, the more accomplished athletes in the study used imagery more frequently and more deliberately, found it more relevant and put more concentration into it than recreational athletes. They used imagery to rehearse skills and to go over competitive strategies. They made imagery into what psychologists call a "deliberate practice." In other words, they worked at it.

Great. So here's one more thing I have to work at. As if the physical training I do isn't enough. Fortunately, not all imagery has to be work. The researchers of the study found that at times athletes can also effectively use imagery of the type they called "deliberate play." These are spontaneous images we have of ourselves achieving our dream-goals. You've probably had an image or two like this: you imagine yourself first across a finish-line, hitting a hole-in-one, wearing the Tour de France's yellow jersey. These images play an important role in our training by keeping us motivated. Deliberate play imagery is the type of imagery that most athletes find most enjoyable and fun. In fact, the researchers found that all athletes, regardless of their level of expertise use this type of visualization.

So should you incorporate visualization into your training schedule. Absolutely. But make sure its deliberate as well as playful. And keep this in mind: one of the study's final conclusions was that the reason why some athletes excel while others don't is because lower-level athletes do not wholly appreciate the advantages of imagery practice. You wouldn't want to be one of those athletes, would you?


Enough from me. I'd like to make this blog as interactive as possible so now it's your turn. What do you think? Has visualization helped you perform better? What type of visualizations have you found most effective?

As always, if you have questions or topics you'd like me to write about, let me know.





References:



Abbott, A., & Collins, D. (2004). Eliminating the dichotomy between theory and practice in talent identification and development: Considering the role of psychology. Journal of Sports Sciences, 22, 395-408.



Nordin, S. M., Cumming, J., Vincent, J., & McGrory, S. (2006). Mental practice or spontaneous play? Examining which types of imagery constitute deliberate practice in sport. Journal of Applied Sport Psychology, 18, 345-362.