You can construct images of a previous event or any mental pattern or picture that helps enhance your performance of exercise or sport. A runner might visualize crossing the finish line in first place, a gymnast might envision a perfect routine, a diver sees a flawless entry into the pool.

Being able to enter the zone helps athletes achieve their peak performance. Athletes refer to the zone as playing "automatic" or being "unconscious."

Elite Athletes Use Imagery

Atlanta Braves' pitcher John Smoltz turned around his career in 1991 by actually seeing his past successes in his mind's eye. He was helped by Atlanta Braves sports psychologist Jack Llewellyn, who put together a two-minute video of Smoltz's best pitches form previous seasons.

Smoltz's assignment: watch the video. On the mound, Smoltz would replay the perfect pitch in his mind before throwing it. In essence, Smoltz remembered his success to create an image...and succeed...in the present.

Imagery need not be so literal. And, you can use it not only to recall past successes, but to rehearse future successes. Before every shot, even practice ones - golf legend Jack Nicklaus runs a mental "color film" of it, seeing his swing, the trajectory of the ball and even how the ball will bounce.

How Imagery Works

Clinical studies support the fact that imagery works. In 1978, sports psychologist Barbara Kilonay tested basketball players using mental rehearsal during free-throw shooting at New York's Hunter College. After relaxing, each athlete sat in a straight-backed chair and was asked to imagine standing at the free-throw line, hearing the crowd, releasing the shot, and then seeing the ball swish through the hoop. Using a pool of eight teams, Kilonay found that athletes who used a combination of relaxation techniques and mental rehearsal improved their performance about 15 percent more than athletes who didn't.

Imagery is an excellent mental strategy you can use to practice skills for which you already have blueprints in place. It can help identify errors, make corrections and practice the corrected image until your skill is perfected. Imagery is most effective when it is combined with physical practice.

Ongoing research is focused on identifying the elements of imagery most beneficial to specific sports performance, and how they might be used to develop sport skills. Furthermore, imagery is an excellent way to keep sport skills sharp during rehabilitation without risk of another injury.

How to Use and Practice Imagery

Imagery can be used at most any time and any place. However, it is best to first learn and practice the skill in a quiet place with few distractions.

Imagery is most effective when the mind is calm and the body is relaxed. If your body feels tense or your mind is racing, take a few minutes to use some relaxation techniques. Relax and get focused on the imagery practice session. If you get distracted, let the distracting thought or images float past as you refocus on the image.

Imagery should include all of your senses. Many times athletes only incorporate vision into their imagery - seeing themselves perform. It is very important to your sense of sight that you feel, hear, think and even smell...as these are all part of the wrestling experience. Try to answer these questions: Are your muscles fatigued, tense, or relaxed? Can you hear the crowd, your coach, the breathing of your opponent? Where is your focus?

The two components of imagery that you should work on are controlling the image (seeing and hearing yourself perform as you want to perform), and having a clear, vivid image to make it as real as possible.

Remember that just like physical skills, mental imagery can only be improved through practice. Spend at least 10-15 minutes a day working on your imagery skills.

Developing Imagery Skills

Begin developing your imagery skills with a simple familiar images or skills. Spend at least 10 minutes before going to bed or practice to work on this new skill. First let yourself relax. Try to imagine the area where you normally train...what does it look like?...how does it smell?...how does it feel when you walk into practice?...see your teammates and practice partners who are normally there. Imagine yourself doing some very basic skills and techniques. Over time increase the complexity of the skills as well as the amount of time you practice.

In addition to helping you perfect your physical skills, imagery is an exercise in concentration. You must control and create the images in your mind. Take your time and move into it gradually. Start with short periods and move into longer practice sessions.

Preparing for Competition

When you begin to feel comfortable with your imagery skills, you should then start imaging competition elements. Following is a guide to help you using imagery to learn and perfect a skill. It is very important that you "become aware" during the actual skill execution so you can be precise with your imagery.

• How is your body positioned for the movement? How do various parts of your body feel: in what muscles do you feel tension or stress? Include this in your imagery.
• Concentrate on feeling the movement. In your image, include cue words or thoughts that reinforce what you need to do.
• What do you see while executing the skill? Where are your eyes focused?
• Use video tape replay to strengthen and improve the accuracy of the mental picture you have of yourself performing.
• Mentally rehearse the difficult techniques, especially the ones that are giving you trouble. The physical practice of a skill, when accompanied by appropriate mental practice is far superior to physical practice alone.
• Practice creating and strengthening positive mental images throughout all aspects of your wrestling. Work to eliminate the failure images, and replace them with successful ones.
• Mentally rehearse helpful mental (self-talk) and emotional responses to difficult situations that may occur in competition. Rather than getting discouraged, angry or anxious, see yourself staying confident, calm and positive.
• Establish a regular imagery practice routine.

Imagery is not magic, and it does not take the place of the hard physical training that is needed to be successful in the sport. There is no substitute for intense physical training, but physical practice wins only half the battle. Thinking in positive mental images wins the other half.

Many athletes find mental imagery helpful to evaluate performance, and pinpoint important areas for improvement. Imagery can lead you to a more accurate assessment of what you do, or what you do to yourself that makes you feel good, perform well and confident.

Imagery can even simulate the conditions of a specific event, such as the state championship, nationals, or even the Olympic Games. You can create the fans, the officials, and the opponent. You can mentally practice against a specific opponent, rehearse your best scoring techniques, develop your strategy, and practice and refine your lesser skills.

You can practice imagery when you travel and can not practice. You can use it when you are sick and injured and can't practice. You can use it anywhere and at any time. With imagery, the potential is enormous!