Mental conditioning or visualisation before the Games |23 July 2015
The mind is a powerful tool. Have you ever thought about shooting, serving, running, swimming, lifting weight during big games and found that you were moving your feet and hands. What did this? You may not have known it, but you were practicing visualisation, or mental conditioning.
How to create a picture in your mind
To create anything in their minds athletes must first have a mental picture (image) conceived on their minds.
It’s like any invention before created; first you construct a picture in your mind. It is similar in sports that athletes should perform the skills in their mind, before they can expect the body to perform it properly in real training or competition.
However, visualisation should not only be used on the field, track, court, swimming pool, but daily, perhaps five to 10-minute sessions at home.
The mental conditioning and visualisation for a game can be divided into two different parts: the day before the match and the night before the game.
The day before the game
The psychological training needed for the day before the game begins with the use of mental images. All athletes have the ability to visualise game situations in their minds and how to execute a fundamental skill in their sports. The visualisation consists of many different positive images.
What you are supposed to see when you visualise
When you visualise you will see yourself playing confidently and effectively, and convincing yourself that your opponents are a step slower than you, that they cannot jump as high, shoot, spike, serve as well as you.
In the first part of mental conditioning before the game, it’s better to use the approach called self-suggestion, by repeating the phrase: ‘I can and I will’.
It is imperative to avoid the words cannot and I hope, which have strong negatives influence on the sub-conscious of athletes.
Right before the game
Visualise and create a clear image, idea, or feeling of something that you wish to manifest. Then you continue to focus on ideas, feelings or pictures regularly, giving them positive energy until they become objective reality, until you actually achieve what you have been imagining.
To use creative visualisation, it is not necessary to believe in any metaphysical or spiritual ideas, although you must be willing to entertain certain concepts as being possible.
All mental conditioning is aimed at preparing the athletes to give their best maximum effort in the competitions. Such conditioning is called IPS or Ideal Psychic State. This state should be created some hours before the match begins.
Before entering the sports venue it is advisable for the athletes to have a word or brief phrase in their mind which reaffirm their confidence.
It is very important to remember that the main task of the mental conditioning is to overcome a variety of negative factors at the beginning of the competition, as well as to overcome the difficulties encountered during the game.
Simple exercise of how to visualise
- Identify the goal you want to visualise (achieve). Find a comfortable place to sit and relax.
- Eliminate all distractions. Turn off the phone, television, etc. The best time is just before going to sleep, or when you wake up in the morning.
- Close your eyes and focus on feeling relaxed.
- Now imagine yourself in a situation where you want to improve. Create a picture in your mind of the sight, sound and smell. You can see yourself succeeding in your sport.
- See yourself happy that you have attained what you wanted. How does that feel? See yourself smiling and happy after reaching your goal. Take a moment to feel the pleasure of excitement of achieving your goal.
- Picture you finishing the competition and feeling great, both physically and emotionally.
Start visualising for a few minutes every day. If you cannot perform it correctly do not force yourself, you can always try it after the big game which are the Indian Ocean Island Games (IOIG)
Maurice Denys
Certified Mental Coach (CMC)
S.N.H.S Dip. (Sports psychology)