Mental preparation: Imagery
Imagery
Imagery is a form of stimulation, it is similar
to a real sensory experience for example seeing, hearing or feeling, but the
entire experience occurs in the mind (Weinberg
& Gould, 2007) . Through imagery
you can re-create previous positive experiences or picture new events to
prepare yourself mentally for performance. A combination of physical and mental
practice increases the skill of imagery, as the athlete is there performing the
physical skill and they are also there able to mentally prepare themselves for
the task as they are surrounded by the appropriate environment. By visualizing
what you want to achieve and how you want to react in certain situations, can
prevent your mind from wandering.
Design
of session:
1.
Practice
pre-shot routine and fully focus on mental preparation
3.
Practice
pre-shot routine and acting as if I was going to shot the ball but instead keep
it in hands and just imagine the ball going into the hoop. Do this 40 times
4.
Attempt
5 sets of 10 shots at the hoop
Results of session:
·
Practicing the pre-shot routine and visualizing it going into
the hoop was rather difficult, as a few times I lost concentration. But overall
I mainly managed to picture it going into the hoop.
·
I got 40 out of 50 shots into the hoop; this is a really good
result for me.
Reflection:
Overall this session was really worthwhile. Combining all of the
mental preparation factors together allowed me to get majority of the shots in
the hoop, I believe this is because the power of visualization is really key to
any skill that you are learning. We can generate information from memory that is
essentially the same as an actual experience; consequently, imaging events can
have an effect on our nervous system similar to the real, or actual, experience
(Weinberg
& Gould, 2007) .
References:
Weinberg, R. S., & Gould, D. (2007). Foundations of
Sport and Exercise Psychology (4th Edition ed.). United States of America:
Human Kinetics.
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