The Importance Of Imagery In Sports

“Imagination is more important than knowledge” - Albert Einstein

Mental Practice, Visualisation, Mental Rehearsal are just a few of the terms used to describe imagery. The many phrases imply the very meaning of what imagery is, a visual representation in the mind of an action or experience. Wraga & Kosslyn 2002 describes it as an ‘internal representation giving rise to the experience of perception without the appropriate sensory input’. Imagery is multi sensoy and is most effective when it involves using as many of our senses as possible such as seeing, hearing, feeling etc. to create or re create an experience in the mind. (Weinberg)

The relationship between the mind and body dates back hundreds of years. It is evident from the writings of

For imagery to work effectively it requires recreating an image in the mind and recalling it over and over in as much detail and involving as many senses as possible. you begin to feel the movements and elicit similar emotional responses to an actual performance.

Imagery is a technique that has long been used in the world of sport and performance with many studies and research substantiating its claim as an effective tool in enhancing performance, building confidence and self efficacy, reducing anxiety , increasing motivation and in learning and performing motor skills.

Imagery is used in many types of sport by athletes at every level of right up to elite. Several well known sports stars have documented the significant role that imagery plays not only in their training but as part of the build up to competition.“When I train, one of the things I concentrate on is creating a mental picture of how best deliver the ball to a teammate. So what I do, always before a game, always, every night and every day, is try and think up things, imagine plays, which no one else will have thought of, and to do so always bearing in mind the particular strength of each team-mate to whom I am passing the ball” - Brazilian footballer

The attention arousal set theory claims that imagery acts as a method used to help the athlete reach the most optimal level of arousal by focusing on psychological skills related to improving performance such as reduced anxiety, building confidence and focusing the mind and improving concentration. ( Abernethy 2005)

As we can see imagery has long been associated with performance within the world of sport. Injury rehabilitation is another key area in the sport context in which research is emerging suggesting imagery may play a fundamental role. In a study carried out by Engerbretsen et al 2013, they found that out of 10,568 athletes that took part in the Olympic Games 2012, 11% incurred an injury during the games period. Injury at elite level can have detrimental effects not only on the career of an athlete but on their mental state also.

Healing imagery