I have shared the concept of visualization with many of my fellow athletes, Triathletes, family and friends.
Most recently in 2012, my daughter was competing in a National Swim Meet and I recommended before her race, that she close her eyes and envision her race from start to finish and making the National cut. She finished straight on the mark, to 100 th of a second…. exactly on the cut.
Visualization is the real deal.
Came across this article tonight by Shelley Sheren & Chad Benson, they hit it on the mark, sharing this evening….. Enjoy.
MENTAL PREPARATION FOR SPORT Written By Shelley Sheren & Chad Benson
2) Orlick, Terry (2000) In Pursuit of Excellence
Mental preparation is an often overlooked aspect to performance and success in the sporting arena. Preparation is the key to success in all aspects of life and athletic performance. Who hasn‟t made the mistake of not writing down a list before heading to the grocery store, only to arrive home 1 key item short of preparing the dinner you so diligently sourced and printed the recipe for? Athletic performance is no different; these mental ingredients are predictable items within the context of sport that enable athletes to help control the outcome of sport.
Some individual sports such as figure skating, luge, speed skating, skeleton, gymnastics and sprinting involve a lot of control and predictability, but other individual head to head sports like martial arts, wrestling, motocross, triathlon & nascar involve varying degrees of head to head battling. Therefore, control is reliant on both the environment and an athlete‟s competition. While team and head to head individual sports offer a unique challenge, athletes can always control their behavior, reaction to and execution when presented with a predictable situation. The first step to good mental preparation is determining the key mental obstacles to successful execution. These obstacles may include lack of confidence, fear, nervousness, anxiety, stress, lack of focus, negative thoughts, and decreased motivation levels. All of these will prevent athletes from performing at their highest level. Success hinges on an athlete‟s ability to control their mind, overcome emotional weakness, and visualize positive outcomes prior to and during performance.
At the elite level, many of the competitors have relatively similar talent and skill levels. The difference will be who is has the „mental toughness‟ which comes from preparation, experience, success under the pressure of performance. These athletes are those who never seem to „crack‟ when under pressure. Those who can recognize and replace negative thoughts with positive processes and outcomes are much more likely to be successful when everything is on the line. Here are some strategies that may be helpful:
1. Set goals, long and short term, and write them down. Try to be specific and realistic. Writing them down will make them more concrete. Placement is important; put them where you will notice and be reminded frequently. In
Most recently in 2012, my daughter was competing in a National Swim Meet and I recommended before her race, that she close her eyes and envision her race from start to finish and making the National cut. She finished straight on the mark, to 100 th of a second…. exactly on the cut.
Visualization is the real deal.
Came across this article tonight by Shelley Sheren & Chad Benson, they hit it on the mark, sharing this evening….. Enjoy.
MENTAL PREPARATION FOR SPORT Written By Shelley Sheren & Chad Benson
2) Orlick, Terry (2000) In Pursuit of Excellence
Mental preparation is an often overlooked aspect to performance and success in the sporting arena. Preparation is the key to success in all aspects of life and athletic performance. Who hasn‟t made the mistake of not writing down a list before heading to the grocery store, only to arrive home 1 key item short of preparing the dinner you so diligently sourced and printed the recipe for? Athletic performance is no different; these mental ingredients are predictable items within the context of sport that enable athletes to help control the outcome of sport.
Some individual sports such as figure skating, luge, speed skating, skeleton, gymnastics and sprinting involve a lot of control and predictability, but other individual head to head sports like martial arts, wrestling, motocross, triathlon & nascar involve varying degrees of head to head battling. Therefore, control is reliant on both the environment and an athlete‟s competition. While team and head to head individual sports offer a unique challenge, athletes can always control their behavior, reaction to and execution when presented with a predictable situation. The first step to good mental preparation is determining the key mental obstacles to successful execution. These obstacles may include lack of confidence, fear, nervousness, anxiety, stress, lack of focus, negative thoughts, and decreased motivation levels. All of these will prevent athletes from performing at their highest level. Success hinges on an athlete‟s ability to control their mind, overcome emotional weakness, and visualize positive outcomes prior to and during performance.
At the elite level, many of the competitors have relatively similar talent and skill levels. The difference will be who is has the „mental toughness‟ which comes from preparation, experience, success under the pressure of performance. These athletes are those who never seem to „crack‟ when under pressure. Those who can recognize and replace negative thoughts with positive processes and outcomes are much more likely to be successful when everything is on the line. Here are some strategies that may be helpful:
1. Set goals, long and short term, and write them down. Try to be specific and realistic. Writing them down will make them more concrete. Placement is important; put them where you will notice and be reminded frequently. In
order to achieve these goals, you must ask yourself „has my preparation,
including proper nutrition, sufficient sleep and conditioning given me the
opportunity to perform at my best‟. If you‟ve answered “no” to any of these,
all too often negative thoughts and doubt occur. These feelings can result in
anxiety, poor sleep, inadequate nutrition and a drop in performance.
2. Create focus and remove distraction. Develop strategies to help you develop, maintain and refocus on your goals. These strategies can be used pre-event or as a part of your daily training routine. Distraction is abundant in today‟s society. During the lead up to and during important events remove as many of these outside influences as possible. During an event, some of these may be external distractions which are beyond your control. These include poor officiating, a coach‟s feedback, and the fans. Others will be internal factors that you can control through mental techniques designed to help remove any distraction and or negative thoughts. Choices must be made surrounding nutrition, sleep habits, training, friends and social involvement, drugs, alcohol or anything that may negatively impact your path to success. Surround yourself with positive people that have your best interests at heart. Consider the effects of distraction on your performance.
3. Visualization. Most elite athletes have some sort of mental rehearsal or visualization techniques that they use pre-competition to create a positive scenario in their mind. Try to envision yourself making good plays, executing under pressure, scoring goals or crossing the finish line strong. For sports with a specific course such as skiing, motorcross, speed skating, figure skating or running, visualize a successfully navigation through the whole course completing each corner or hill with proper technique. Mental imagery can subconsciously prepare you for competition.
4. Positive self talk. Self talk is the inner dialogue that incurs inside your head. When things get tough, this talk often becomes negative, furthering damaging your ability to execute at the highest level. Predict potential challenges and prepare positive self talk statements to help reinforce your confidence.
5. Perform familiar warm-up and pre-game routines. Everyone has pre- game habits and rituals. These must be developed and practiced over time to become a regular part of competitive preparation. These may change over time as you find better or more helpful tools but try to develop some continuity to each competitive situation, even on foreign turf. Try to follow
2. Create focus and remove distraction. Develop strategies to help you develop, maintain and refocus on your goals. These strategies can be used pre-event or as a part of your daily training routine. Distraction is abundant in today‟s society. During the lead up to and during important events remove as many of these outside influences as possible. During an event, some of these may be external distractions which are beyond your control. These include poor officiating, a coach‟s feedback, and the fans. Others will be internal factors that you can control through mental techniques designed to help remove any distraction and or negative thoughts. Choices must be made surrounding nutrition, sleep habits, training, friends and social involvement, drugs, alcohol or anything that may negatively impact your path to success. Surround yourself with positive people that have your best interests at heart. Consider the effects of distraction on your performance.
3. Visualization. Most elite athletes have some sort of mental rehearsal or visualization techniques that they use pre-competition to create a positive scenario in their mind. Try to envision yourself making good plays, executing under pressure, scoring goals or crossing the finish line strong. For sports with a specific course such as skiing, motorcross, speed skating, figure skating or running, visualize a successfully navigation through the whole course completing each corner or hill with proper technique. Mental imagery can subconsciously prepare you for competition.
4. Positive self talk. Self talk is the inner dialogue that incurs inside your head. When things get tough, this talk often becomes negative, furthering damaging your ability to execute at the highest level. Predict potential challenges and prepare positive self talk statements to help reinforce your confidence.
5. Perform familiar warm-up and pre-game routines. Everyone has pre- game habits and rituals. These must be developed and practiced over time to become a regular part of competitive preparation. These may change over time as you find better or more helpful tools but try to develop some continuity to each competitive situation, even on foreign turf. Try to follow
your usual schedule of sleep, nutrition (time and type), event arrival time,
warm-up and any other preparation strategy that you have. Controllable
habit development will help reduce anxiety, and maintain focus through a
feeling of familiarity.
To reap the benefits of mental training, you must practice your mental strategies regularly and consistently. Mental preparation means „going the extra mile‟ and it may ultimately be the competitive advantage you need to succeed.
To gain more knowledge in this area you may consult a Sport Psychologist or read one of the suggested books below.
Suggested Sports Psychology Resources
1) www.saulmiller.com
http://www.zoneofexcellence.ca/pofe.html
3) Vernacchia, R. A. (2003) Inner Strength: The mental Dynamics of Athletic Performance. http://www.amazon.com/Inner-Strength-Dynamics- Athletic-Performance/dp/1886346089
To reap the benefits of mental training, you must practice your mental strategies regularly and consistently. Mental preparation means „going the extra mile‟ and it may ultimately be the competitive advantage you need to succeed.
To gain more knowledge in this area you may consult a Sport Psychologist or read one of the suggested books below.
Suggested Sports Psychology Resources
1) www.saulmiller.com
http://www.zoneofexcellence.ca/pofe.html
3) Vernacchia, R. A. (2003) Inner Strength: The mental Dynamics of Athletic Performance. http://www.amazon.com/Inner-Strength-Dynamics- Athletic-Performance/dp/1886346089
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