Bring
Home the Victory with Mental Rehearsal
by Marie Dalloway, Ph.D.
An Olympic coach with an outstanding record of wins was
asked about the reason for his remarkable coaching record.
His answer was, "mental rehearsal."
A major application of visualization techniques to sports
is mental rehearsal. Essentially, mental rehearsal involves
practicing or rehearsing an important upcoming event in
the mind's eye. Especially for critical games, tough rivalries,
and must-win situations, visualization assists players
by keeping their minds off nerve-racking thoughts and
on performance techniques and positive outcomes.
Mental rehearsal methods may be external or internal.
In external mental rehearsal, the scene is viewed from
the perspective of an observer. In internal mental rehearsal,
the athlete projects herself into the scene so that she
becomes the experiencer, rather than the observer.
You can introduce visualization to your team by conducting
mental rehearsal practices using either external or internal
visualization. Once athletes become familiar with these
techniques, the methods can be combined into a single
exercise. Combining the two approaches creates a powerful
visualization session, which will add to your athletes'
confidence and sense of preparedness.
External Mental Rehearsal
One of the most effective external mental rehearsal techniques
is called, "Best performance mental rehearsal." To begin,
players construct a list of the characteristics they associate
with performing at their best. Best performance for a
point guard, for instance, might include excellent anticipation,
effective blocking, and pin-point accuracy in passing,
as well as mental focus, confidence, and a sense of being
fully prepared and ready.
The next step involves players creating a detailed visualization.
Ask team members to recall a time in the past when they
performed at their best in an event similar to the one
for which the team is currently preparing. The visualization
involves reviewing this best performance, paying strict
attention to the characteristics that made it their best
performance.
The second part of the visualization involves projecting
the scene ahead in time and having each player see herself
performing in the same style and form she exhibited in
her best performance from the past.
You can use the following specific instructions for the
external mental rehearsal exercise. These instructions
can be used to make an audio tape for your players or
to create a script to guide your athletes through the
exercise.
Specific Instructions
Step 1: Relaxation. Sit or lie down in a comfortable position.
Take a series of slow, deep breaths to reach a state of
relaxation.
Step 2: Visualization. In your mind's eye, imagine a screen
onto which you can project scenes or images of a time
when you were at your best in basketball. Recall in detail
how you felt just before this performance at which you
performed at your best level. Notice your level of confidence,
and remember the kinds of statements you said to yourself
shortly before the competition.
As you remember the competition beginning, look closely
at how you were functioning. Observe how each part of
your performance was working. See yourself clearly in
this strong, confident, in-the-flow state.
As you continue to visualize this best performance time,
make sure that you perceive these scenes sharply. Focus
your attention on each characteristic that contributed
to your being at your top performance level. Sense that
these characteristics are becoming deeply imprinted in
your mind and impressed in body memory as well, so that
any time you wish, you can picture and describe this top
level of performance.
Next see the mental screen go blank. On the screen, see
yourself in that important upcoming event. At the start,
see yourself expressing the same confidence you have in
your past best performance that you just visualized. Know
that everything works for you in the same way in this
event. See yourself feeling dominant and in control.
As you continue to view this upcoming competition, see
yourself operating in a state of concentration, being
alert and in the present. See yourself playing at a peak
level, so that your performance leads to the outcomes
you want. Identify each important outcome that you want
to create. In this preview of the competition, picture
each of these outcomes occurring. Bring into the visualization,
each of the characteristics that you consider important
in enabling you to compete at your top level.
Step 3: Reinforcement. Each time you do a mental rehearsal,
it reinforces and programs your desired performance level.
When you practice visualization, you influence your thinking
and your behavior toward your peak performance level.
Internal Mental Rehearsal
In internal mental rehearsal, players project themselves
into an event, so that they operate as the participant
rather than as the observer. Whereas external mental rehearsal
emphasizes visual information, internal mental rehearsal
focuses attention on the physical feelings or kinesthetic
aspects of the experience. Internal mental rehearsal improves
motor skills and actual movements, and helps to develop
images for the kinesthetic feelings associated with correct
movements. The following specific instructions can
be used to guide an internal mental rehearsal exercise
for your athletes.
Specific Instructions
Step 1: Restful observation. Let your eyes fall gently
closed. Let all of your senses become dormant as your
inner awareness becomes sharper and clearer. Concentrate
on letting your focus of attention change from the external
to the internal by focusing on the light through your
eyelids. The spark-like shapes are called retinal images.
Focus on these images.By turning your attention inward
in this way, you experience the external, physical world
fading into the background. Know that you can control
your senses. Exercise your control by intentionally turning
down the volume of each sensory channel. Similar to the
experience before falling asleep or before fully waking,
notice that the sounds from the external environment become
quieter. However, in contrast to what happens before you
fall asleep, stay mentally awake and alert.
Step 2: Dynamic observation. Concentrate on seeing yourself
functioning at your best performance level at an upcoming
competition. See one three-dimensional scene from this
event. See the scene as static, as though it is frozen.
Examine this scene in detail from the perspective of a
dispassionate observer.
Step 3: Witnessing. As you continue to observe the scene,
notice that the scene changes from static to dynamic.
The scene becomes unfrozen and the events unfold in a
natural sequence.
Alter your perspective so that you become an on-the-scene
observer to the events as they occur. Take in the whole
environment in detail visually and notice that your perception
of the event include the sounds that occur in this environment.
Step 4: Initiative. As you focus on this scene, feel a
sense of wanting to act in the scene in order to control
the experience. Project yourself into the scene, so that
you become the actor rather than the observer of the events.
Direct the action in the scene. Have the scene continue
with yourself as the experiencer. As a participant, experience
yourself performing at your peak level. Focus on how it
feels to perform at this top level. Let the action follow
the course you intend. Be sure to experience yourself
incorporating each of the best performance characteristics
that you have identified.
Summary
The primary objective for practicing mental rehearsal
is to produce high level performances consistently. External
and internal mental rehearsal exercises should be repeated
at least once a day for a period of two to three weeks
for an initial learning phase. Then, ideally, a combination
of both techniques should be used daily in a ten to fifteen
minute exercise for a period of two weeks prior to a game.
Developing visualization skill follows the adage, "Practice
makes perfect." Visualization methods hone physical skills,
build confidence, and create a sense of readiness in athletes.
Getting athletes to see themselves achieving success before
they enter the arena helps to keep athletes ahead of the
competition and to bring home the victory.
Copyright © 2000 By Marie Dalloway All Rights Reserved
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“Athletes at all levels need to know that performance enhancing
mental skills are natural, simple, and easy to learn. This area presented
so well by Marie Dalloway is the path of the future in self-improvement
athletic programs.”
Ted Goodrich, Director,
Major Accounts Customer Support
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