Introduction to Imagery • Most people use imagery – Relive and create new experiences all the time • Imagery can program the mind and body to respond optimally • Without training, few athletes systematically use imagery and have optimal control of image © 2010 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved. Imagery Usage • 99% of Canadian athletes in Olympic games reported using imagery (4 days per week, 12 minutes per session) • 94% of Olympic coaches integrate imagery into training (20% daily) • 86% of USOC sport psychologists use imagery in mental training programs © 2010 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved. Athletes’ Perspective “You have to see the shots and feel them through your hands.” Tiger Woods “I never hit a shot, not even in practice, without having a very sharp, in-focus picture of it in my head.” Jack Nicklaus © 2010 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved. Athletes’ Perspective “I did my dives in my head all the time. At night, before going to sleep, I always did my dives. Ten dives. I started with a front dive, the first one that I had to do at the Olympics, and I did everything as if I was actually there. I saw myself on the board with the same bathing suit. Everything was the same. If the dive was wrong, I went back and started over again. It takes a good hour to do perfect imagery of all my dives, but for me it was better than a workout. Sometimes I would take the weekend off and do imagery five times a day.” Sylvie Bernier Canadian Olympic Diver © 2010 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved. Athlete’s Perspective “Although you can train your body physically by sheer persistence, it’s much harder to train your mind. All this visualization did not come to me in a flash. I had to work at it, and learn how to use it.” Sally Gunnel Olympic Hurdler © 2010 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved. What is Imagery? Definition: “Using all the senses to re-create or create an experience in the mind.” • Re-creating and creating, both performance and emotional state • Polysensory experience (use all relevant senses) – Auditory (sound) – Olfactory (smell) – Tactile (touch) © 2010 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved. – Gustatory (taste) – Kinesthetic (feel) What is Imagery? (cont.) • Imagery as Mental Training Tool – Involves systematic practice and use to engage in vivid and controllable polysensory images – Controllability - ability to imagine exactly what one intends to imagine – Vividness - clarity of the image in terms of detail, senses, color, emotion and physical sensations © 2010 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved. What Perspective is Best? • Imagery Perspective (two types) – External: experience imagery form outside body as if watching a videotape – Internal: experience image from behind own eyes as if inside body • Elite athletes are more likely to practice imagery from an internal perspective as compared to non-elite athletes. • However, research supports that both imagery perspectives can enhance performance © 2010 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved. What Athletes’ Say “I do a lot of imagery, seeing myself playing and performing well and making shots in my own mind both in training and before a game. I always do it before I play a game, during the afternoon rest, or when I lie in bed at night. I close my eyes and see myself going through motions and making every shot. Sometimes I like to look at it like I am watching it through a TV and I also like to watch it from my own eyes so that I can see everything happening from the inside.” Jay Triano Olympic Basketball Player © 2010 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved. Research Evidence That Imagery Works • Enhances Sport Performance and Learning – Imagery of skill over time – Preparatory imagery for competition (e.g., before strength and endurance tasks, golf putting) – Multimodal mental training interventions • Enhances Thoughts and Emotions – self-confidence, motivation, attention control – or controls pre-competitive anxiety in combination with other mental training • Successful athletes use imagery more extensively and systematically than less successful athletes © 2010 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved. Theoretical Bases for How Imagery Works • Bioinformational Theory – Mental image is an organized set of propositions, or characteristics, stored in the brain’s long-term memory – Imagery programs personalized and appropriate responses to specific situations, creates the perfect response set – Stimulus characteristics • Activating description of the content of image – Response characteristics • What athlete’s response is to the stimuli of the situation © 2010 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved. Theoretical Bases for How Imagery Works (cont.) • Functional Equivalence Explanation – Imagery causes brain to activate in the same areas and processes as when the movement is being executed. – Imagery more functionally equivalent when: • Includes important senses and feelings associated with competition • Practiced in a posture similar to one’s performance posture, wearing performance clothes, holding performance implements, and it a similar environment • Timed at the same pace as actual skill execution • Internal in perspective © 2010 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved. Theoretical Bases for How Imagery Works (cont.) • Mental Readiness Explanation – Accounts for the role of imagery in helping athletes optimize arousal, attention, and confidence. • Use imagery to meet the energy demands of the task, e.g., psych-up or calm down • Creates the right mental set (attention/focus) for competition – Althete’s perspective: Role of Imagery • National level gymnast -- helped her to think more clearly and “not get all worked up” • Elite canoeist -- helped her “feel switched on” • Youth athlete -- “Imagery helps you like, ‘you can do it”’ © 2010 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved. Can Imagery Hurt Athlete’s Performance? • Yes, hurts performance if an athlete focuses on the wrong images at the wrong times. • Research indicates that performance can decrease if athletes systematically image bad performance. • Athletes need to create a mental blueprint for ideal response, NOT create a mental blueprint for disastrous responses! © 2010 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved. Setting Up an Imagery Program: Four Phases 1. Introducing Imagery to Athletes – Hook ‘em – Define and give evidence – Explain how it works – Give specifics about how imagery will be used 2. Help Athletes Evaluate Imagery Ability – Movement Imagery Questionnaire (MIQ) – Sport Imagery Evaluation © 2010 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved. Setting Up an Imagery Program: Four Phases (cont.) 3. Basic Training – Vividness – Controllability – Self-Awareness 4. Implementing a Systematic Program – Program must not be something extra but should instead be an integral part of training and practice – Follow KISS Principle © 2010 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved. Uses for Imagery • • • • • • • Learning/practicing sport skills Correcting mistakes Learning/practicing performance strategies Preparing a mental focus for competition Automatic pre-performance routines Building and enhancing mental skills Aiding in recovery from injury © 2010 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved. Times to Use Imagery • Daily practice – Before, during, after • Pre-performance routine – Before every competition – Before closed skills (i.e. golf shot, free throw, tennis serve) • Post performance review – Locate and fix errors – Adjust emotions © 2010 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved. Strategies to Enhance Imagery Practice • Practice in many places and positions • Make images as realistic in timing as physical performance • Use technology to enhance imagery (cassette tapes, video highlight tapes) • Emphasize creating vivid images of actual mental, physiological and behavioral responses • Image performance and outcome • Tailor specifically to athletes needs • Keep a written log of imagery experience © 2010 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved.
