User’s Guide to Visualization

Research confirms that visualization is a powerful tool in athletics. According to some studies, in fact, every minute of visualization is worth seven minutes of physical practice.2 I developed the personal highlight reel to help athletes more comprehensively focus on their individual control points for success. This tool is an advanced form of thought; it is a personalized video highlight clip that you visualize in your mind. Before creating your personal highlight reel, let’s learn a few central aspects about visualizing. Visualizing is the act of watching something in your mind before actually doing it. For example, if I wanted to shoot a free throw in basketball, I could close my eyes and see myself dribbling three times, lining up my sights on the back of the rim, and then shooting and making the free throw. I can actually feel what it is like to smoothly release the ball with just enough strength to have it soar through the air and hit nothing but net. I can hear the soft swish as the ball goes through the net and then the series of bounces until it comes to a rest. There are eight essential guidelines for visualization success. The following sections explain each of the guidelines and give you an opportunity to practice before you assemble your own personal highlight reel. Guideline 1: Choose One of Three Camera Angles You can create your mental video from any of three “camera angles.” Angle number one has you watching the mental video as if the camera is in the stands recording someone other than you performing the skill. This angle might feature someone who is exceptionally good at the skill you want to perform. In camera angle two, you are watching the mental video as if the camera is in the stands filming as you perform the skill. In camera angle three, you watch the mental video as if your eyes are the camera lens (or as if you’re wearing a helmet camera). From this perspective, you would see whatever you actually see while you are performing the skill. While visualization from any camera angle is helpful, angle number three is the most beneficial, because with this approach, your muscles can actually get stronger and muscle memory can develop. Many athletes refer to muscle memory as the ability to perform successfully while on autopilot. One of my clients had this to say on the subject: “When I am working on something, I mentally practice feeling it until I have muscle memory. Once I can feel it without trying, that’s great, because I know it’s time for me to pick something else to start improving.” Research indicates that an athlete’s muscles fire in sequence when the athlete visualizes from camera angle three. The mental image becomes a three-dimensional physical experience. It is normal for the individual initially to fluctuate between camera angles within the same men tal video, but with practice, visualizing from camera angle number three becomes easier. Again, visualizing from any camera angle will aid you in making improvements, but angle three offers the added benefit of muscle memory. Although I just told you that all three camera angles are helpful, I do not want you to use more than one camera angle when you visualize. Pick one angle to employ, trusting your instincts on which of the three is most appropriate for you.