Visualization is the creation or re-creation of an external experience in the “mind’s eye.” Sports psychologists and top coaches have used visualization to enhance performance for some time now. It is estimated that 90% of Olympic athletes use some form of visualization and 97% say that it helps. Most Olympic coaches include it in their training arsenal. So should we.
Why does visualization work? A properly visualized event is treated as if it happened for real on the “screen of life.” Thus you are seeing and doing the event a second time when you do it in the flesh. Also, during a visualization event your muscles are stimulated as if during a “real event,” thereby greasing the groove of the repetitive motion. The best part of visualization is that you choose the outcome, and the quality of the performance. Why not start with a winning outcome and stellar performance in your mind first!
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