Using Visualization to Enhance Athletic Performance

Most coaches say their sport is 50-90% mental, but few coaches train mental skills or even mention the subject at practice. While Mental Skills Training involves several different aspects, visualization is one tool a coach can use to increase relaxation prior to an event and to prepare players mentally for the game.

I first used visualization while an assistant coach with a u-10 AAU team. At the AAU Nationals at the Disney Sports Complex in Orlando, FL, we lost our first two games and our girls were nervous. Frustrated, the Head Coach turned over the third game's pre-game speech to me.

I didn't really know what to do, but we won, and the head coach believed my approach worked, so I did the same thing for each subsequent game. We won nine games in a row and won the Consolation Championship. Here is an example of my approach.

First, I told the players to spread out and find their own space. Each player had enough room so they were not affected by anyone else's presence. Next, I told them to find a comfortable position where they could sit comfortably without squirming for 5-10 minutes. Then I told them to close their eyes. With their eyes closed, I tried to calm their minds.

First, we concentrated on breathing control. I told the players to take a deep breath, hold the breath for a second and exhale deeply. In order to calm the mind, we counted the breaths to ten. Initially, with players unaccustomed to the exercise, we took our breaths together so everyone arrived at 10 together. If one player takes a minute, but must wait until another player finishes after two minutes, the first player has a minute to fidget or for his mind to start thinking and worrying again.

Once the players finished their breathing control and quieted their minds, I asked players to visualize on a theme. Initially, I asked the team to visualize a certain game, the best game the team had ever played together. It was a game from the Regional Championships, so it was fresh in everyone's mind. I told them to visualize their effort, execution and enthusiasm during the game.