NLP sport pro

Visualisation One of the 7 Keys to Peak Performance

Usain Bolt, gold medal winner in the 100 metres at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, has just confirmed his status as the fastest man on earth by sprinting to victory at the 2009 Athletics World Championships in a new world record time of 9.58 seconds.
In a track side interview, he said of his seemingly effortless performance, “I just visualised and then executed my plan.”
Visualisation is a technique used by many top class athletes and could be described as skill training for the mind. Basically, you get to relax in a comfortable position and just think about your sport - sounds easy! Obviously to be effective, visualisation must be practised alongside a physical training programme for the rest of the body.
Also known as mental rehearsal or imagery, thinking about an activity stimulates the brain to send electrical signals to the muscles involved just as if the action was really taking place but without any actual movement. We all know the saying, ‘practise makes perfect,’ so one of the major benefits of using visualisation is that the pattern of movements needed to create a successful action can be practised without the muscles suffering physical fatigue in the process.
As in all areas of life, the key to success is combining thinking positive thoughts with powerful actions. Competitive athletes use visualisation to prepare themselves for every eventuality at an event so that nothing on the day can throw a spanner in the works! They can prepare for noisy crowds, poor weather, and even for their performance not being up to scratch by creating a positive outcome for every situation. British javelin thrower Steve Backley is reported to have prepared by imagining himself to be in the last round of a major competition, in a losing position and with only one throw left. This could be viewed as a fairly negative situation but visualisation allowed him to ‘see’ his final throw being technically perfect and winning him the medal.
Another benefit of learning this technique is that ‘training’ can continue throughout the year. Most sports have a season but visualisation can be practised at any time and is particularly useful during periods when physical training may be less intensive. Athletes tapering for a major competition can reduce the risk of over-training by using mental imagery to remain focussed and injured athletes can keep ‘muscle memory’ active by continuing to train through their minds. Champion golfer Jack Nicklaus has often said that he never takes a shot, in training or in competition, without first of all seeing that shot through his mind’s eye and there are many other top players in a variety of sports who all agree that their winning performances are ‘seen’ many times before they become realities.
Visualising yourself crossing the finish line ahead of Usain Bolt may not be entirely realistic but it’s not impossible: train appropriately, think positively and what you see is what you get!