week 5

week 5

date: 9/5/14

aim of the week: to improve self confidence through the use of imagery. 

thank you for constantly reading my blogs and keeping up to date i hope they have helped you. since you have completed the tasks you should have felt more confident when performing whether it has been in training or in a competitive situation. You should keep using self-talk as it is a very good way to improve confidence and not just your confidence within your sport but in day to day life too.

what is imagery?

Imagery can be defined as a way of using senses to create or re-create a situation or experience. Imagery to sport psychologists is mental practice but is more commonly known by everyone as visualisation and it means creating pictures in the mind of an event, for example, just before you walk onto the football pitch you can paint a picture of yourself scoring the decisive goal to win the match and then running wildly to the crowd to celebrate with the fans.  this all comes down to self confidence, if you create an image in your mind then your confidence will also improve. however it is important that in the image there should be many things, such as, how you felt at the time of each performance, how you felt each performance went, how you performed, what the atmosphere was like etc.

how is imagery used?

imagery is used to improve performances of athletes and emphasise on what contributes to the success. Imagery is used mostly just before an event is going to take place or before you are going to perfrom, imagery can be used to programme the body for successful execution. There is a mind-body connection which occurs whether you actually perform a task or just think about performing the task. So for you, athlete X, try painting the best picture you can of you having the performance of your life this is important because you can plot the seed which will eventually grow into a tree as your confidence improves.

why have i chosen imagery?

For you self-confidence on your CSAI-2 questionnaire that you completed you scored quite high. however this doesnt mean you can lean back, it is still vital for you to maintain this as it could be the defining factor between successful and unsuccessful athletes.


Types of imagery and the benefits of each:

There are two types of imagery, internal and external. 

External – external imagery, also known as visual perspective, is probably the most common type of imagery as external imagery is where you watch a video of yourself doing something in particular e.g.  as a footballer you would watch yourself perform on the pitch.

Internal – internal imagery is where you would picture the image in your mind of the surroundings. This type of imagery is as if you are looking at something through your own eyes so you can see and feel the movement that is around you as well as how you are feeling e.g. sitting in wembley stadium alongside all the other fans.

effective imagery:

Relaxation – you need to have a relaxed mind and body so that you can feel your body moving and so you can feel your emotions and all the emotions are that you are about to feel. This relaxation stage should act like an eraser so that all your worries and thoughts are wiped away. By erasing all thoughts means that it will be easier to concentrate on image/thought at a time without distractions of something else cropping up into your thoughts.

Realism – this means that when you are creating the imagery in your mind that you create it so realistic that the brain believes that the body is actually executing the skill. It is your duty to try and make the picture as clear as possible so when it comes to performing you will have a clearer mind. there are 4 things needed to take into consideration when creating the picture;

Clarity – making the picture easy to see so that the vividness and control of the image can be enhanced.

Vividness – this is to bring in as many of your senses as possible. For the situation to be as vivid as possible you also need to take into account all your body movements so you can re-create them because you know what it is supposed to feel like when executing the skill, e.g. free kick, how your body is supposed to twist and how your leg needs to be positioned.

Emotional feelings – visiting competition sites before a competition or remembering what the site was like if you have been there before so that your body and mind can refresh itself/get used to the site – how it looks, what the smells are, how to get around, what the atmosphere was like the last time you were there, etc.

Outcome – you need to be able to imagine a positive outcome because if you think more positively then you are more likely to succeed but if you think negatively then you are more likely to fail and it works the same with imagery, if you imagine yourself making a mistake and missing your target then this is more likely to happen when in the competition but if you think about doing everything right and hitting your target then this is more likely to be the outcome.

Regularity – you must practice this approximately 5 times a day for 3-5 minutes whilst in a quiet place so you cannot be interrupted. This is vital as you need to stay composed in a situation like this as it is good practise it should be done on a regular basis but you should remember not to over-do it as it can lead into boredom or fatigue.

imagery exercise:

if you have little experience then try to prepare for it step by step e.g. make sure you are comfortable, take in a long slow breath, think of the venue where you will train and try picturing everything about it, try using your senses by trying to feel and hear things pretend you can hear the atmosphere whilst you are running along the football pitch, run the concentration through your mind untill the image wavers.

another way of setting an exercise could be if you make the athlete answer some questions but the answer would be to circle a number from 1 - 5 e.g. how vividly did you see the images?