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IMAGINE REALITY

What is Imagery?
Imagery is a form of simulation. It is a method of using all the senses to create or recreate an experience in the mind. It is a powerful and underused tool and it can help players in a number of ways. Studies have shown that 90 percent of Olympic athletes use imagery regularly and as an integral part of their training program.

Thus, imagery is what happens when we experience an event without actually being there. It is an experience similar to a sensory experience (seeing, hearing, feeling), but it occurs without the usual external experience; it is like playing a video game in your mind. This video could recall something you actually did in the past (scoring a goal) or something you want to do (score a goal). It could also be to watch someone else perform, for example, Michael Owen outrunning the Argentina back-line to score a goal. Young players have a tremendous imagination and are great at painting these pictures in their mind’s eye. The skill appears to reduce as children grow, but should be developed as any other skill in the game. The amazing thing with imagery is that the mind does not distinguish between the real thing and the imagined thing.

How Imagery Works
There are numerous theories on how imagery works. Since your mind controls your body, it is sensible to assume that the mind-body connection is an important and essential relationship. This connection occurs whether you actually execute a task or just think about executing one.

By imagining or visualizing yourself playing soccer, the muscles you would use to physically perform the task are stimulated at a very low level. This gentle muscle activation is not strong enough to produce the actual movements you are imagining, but the stimulation does serve to establish a blueprint for that particular movement or situation. By recreating the appropriate sensory information that contributes to the successful execution of a skill or the correct behavior for a specific situation, you will strengthen the blueprint so that it becomes more likely that you are able to produce the correct response while under pressure.

What Will I See When I use Imagery?
When you use imagery it is likely that you will see yourself performing either from an internal or an external perspective. You may use just one or both types of imagery. You may find that you alternate between the two imagery perspectives as you recreate a soccer scenario in your mind. You should use whichever perspective you feel most comfortable with.
· Internal perspective – as if you were looking through your own eyes. Suitable for the mental practice of specific skills.
· External perspective – as you would see yourself if you were watching yourself on a video or on television. Focus on tactical rehearsal.

There is no right or wrong type of imagery. Generally, the internal perspective is more “real” because the player is actually feeling he or she is in the situation. Since it is considered to be more related to the senses rather than only visual, it has been suggested to be initially favored by players.

Why is Imagery Important?
While imagery is used for a number of reasons, the two main purposes seem to be to prime the player for peak performance (motivational imagery) and to enhance skill learning. Motivational imagery is used, for example, to set goals, control emotions and stress and to gain and maintain self-confidence. Skill learning can include learning new skills and rehearsing game plans, strategies and routines. Soccer players tend to use imagery more for its motivational function than for its learning function.

Self-confidence is the most consistent factor in distinguishing highly successful from less successful players. Given the relationship between self-confidence and sport performance, there is a need among players, coaches and sport psychologists to have strategies to enhance self-confidence. Mental imagery may be one such strategy.

If previous performance accomplishments are the major sources of self-confidence, players should develop a long-term memory bank containing all the good moments to replay at will. They should also be encouraged to use a selective short-term memory for things that were not so good—forget the missed shot or pass (after you’ve learned what went wrong!). The more frequently the good clips are replayed, the more confident the player becomes. You can also use a “vicarious experience,” or live through the experiences of others. The implication of this aspect of confidence is that when players see their role models do something, or even their own teammates, they will try to emulate them. Therefore, a key element in imagery is to imagine successful performances—either a rerun of previous successes or imagining the performance of a new task.
Imagery is useful in many situations and for many purposes. Some examples are given below.
· Goal-setting.
· Re-focusing.
· Positive thinking.
· Strategy development.
· Game preparation.
· Improving game focus.
· Self-belief and confidence.
· Increasing levels of motivation.
· Distraction training.
· Reducing anxiety in matches.

How to use Imagery
Virtually everyone seems to have the ability to generate and use images, but not to the same degree. For some performers, imagery will be relatively unstructured without appearing to serve any specific purpose; they “just do it” and may not be able to verbalize the exact content of their imagery. For others, the use of imagery will be very structured and will be practiced to satisfy a variety of needs such as building self-confidence, enabling relaxation, learning new skills and focusing attention.

Imagery is more than simply seeing a picture (visualizing). To be most effective, players should be encouraged to use all their senses when imaging. They should see things in bright vivid colors, hear sounds, feel emotion and sense their surroundings. The use of all the senses is refereed to as “kinesthetic” imagery.

It is also important to make sure that the time it takes to imagine a scenario is the same as the actual experience. Make it as real as possible.

The Four R’s
A good model to base imagery use on is the four R’s model:
· Relaxation.
· Realism.
· Regularity.
· Reinforcement.

Make Your Images as “Real” as Possible
You need to experience every sense associated with every single aspect of the element of your performance that you intend to imagine. Can you feel the ball at your feet, its texture and its weight? Feel the strength in your legs and arms as you kick the ball (in your mind!). You should be able to see the pitch and be aware of the players around you and of your surroundings to the most specific detail.

Sometimes we have dreams that seem so real and are so detail-oriented, we are almost certain they are real. This is similar to imagery. Imagining something to the finest detail and putting yourself into that situation can mentally prepare you once you actually experience it. Imagining yourself dribbling down the pitch, side-stepping defenders and lasering a shot passed the goalkeeper will prove to be extremely beneficial once actually in that position.

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