Visualization: Lifting weights for your mindChapter 17 - Evan Longoria

Visualization• Used to experience, or re-experience an event in your

mind

• Specific skills, achieving success, reliving a memory

Benefits to Visualization• Neural Programming

• Focus

• Learn complex Movements

• Slow Motion

• More Practice Time

• Confidence

Neural Programming• Your mind cannot tell the difference between a real and

imagined experience

• Conditioning your brain

The Zone• Extreme mental focus helps your intensity, readiness, and

performance• Learning complex movements - gymnast videos

Slow motion• Used for practicing complex skills

• Not used for performance and situations

Increase your practice time• 30 minutes at night

• Over a year that adds up to 40 hours of extra practice

• Golf Video

When should you visualize • Night time

• Warm-up

• Right after a successful performance

• Right after a poor performance

• Baseball video

How to make your imagery effective •Vividness• From black and white to color

• Physical and emotion sensations - gymnasts

• Baseball golf video

Controllability• Keep your mind in control, keep it positive

• 1) Visualize the skill or routine up to the point where the mistake happens and then stop right before the mistake

• 2) Start over and repeat this segment of the skill, over and over

• 3) Then try to add the next piece

Other ways to be effective• Positive Attitude

• Previous experience – hitting a gapper, crushing a drive, stroking the three ball, gliding in track

• Do not force the imagery, relax and think about it

• First person viewpoint, not third person

Some more ways to be effective• Practice imagining yourself in these situations

• Start small, then start adding complex moves – Pitching video