IMAGERY: HOW TO ENHANCE TEACHING AND COACHING

1
IMAGERY HOW TO ENHANCE TEACHING AND COACHING

• Damon Burton
• University of Idaho

2
WHAT IS IMAGERY?

• Have you ever used imagery?
• Imagery is a form of simulation training where
  experiences are created or recreated in the mind
• Imagery is an experience similar to a sensory
  experience but arising in the absence of the
  usual external stimuli (Martens, 1982)

3
HOW DOES IMAGERY DIFFER FROM VISUALIZATION?

• Visualization is limited to 2 senseswhat you see
  and what you hear.
• Imagery involves all 5 senses
• sight
• sound
• taste
• smell
• touch/feel
• Imagery is enhanced when we use all the senses.

4
DOES IMAGERY WORK?

• anecdotal reports
• case studies
• intervention
• packages

5
HOCKEY GREAT WAYNE GRETZKY ON IMAGERY

• We taped a lot of famous pictures on the
  locker-room door Bobby Orr, Potvin, Beliveau,
  all holding the Stanley Cup. Wed stand back and
  look at them and envision ourselves doing it. I
  really believe if you visualize yourself doing
  something, you can make that image come true . .
  . I must have rehearsed it 10,000 times. And
  when it came true, it was like an electric jolt
  went up my spine.

6
GOLF GREAT JACK NICKLAUS ON IMAGERY

• I never hit a shot, not even in practice,
  without having a very sharp, in-focus picture of
  it in my head. Its like a color movie. First,
  I see the ball where I want it to finish, nice
  and white and sitting up high on bright green
  grass. Then the scene quickly changes and I
  see the ball going there its path, trajectory
  and shape, even its behavior on landing. Then
  there is sort of a fade-out, and the next scene
  shows me making the kind of swing that will turn
  the images into reality.

7
DIVING GREAT GREG LOUGANISON IMAGERY

• I did my dives in my head all the time. At
  night, before going to sleep, I always did my
  dives. Ten dives, starting with the first one
  Id do in the Olympics, and I did everything as
  if I was actually there. I saw myself on the
  board with the same suiteverything was the same.
  If the dive was wrong, I went back and started
  over again. It takes a good hour to do perfect
  imagery of all my dives, but for me it was better
  than a workout. Sometimes I would take the
  weekend off and do imagery 5 times a day.

8
WHY DOES IMAGERY WORK?

• Imagined events have a similar effect on the
  nervous system and mental processes as actual
  events.
• The brain cant tell the difference between
  vividly imagined events and the real thing.

9
WHY DOES IMAGERY WORK?

• Psychoneuromuscular Theory
• later learning well-learned skills
• primarily motor responses
• Symbolic Learning Theory
• early learning new skills
• mental blueprint
• cognitive motor responses
• Mental Skills Hypothesis
• indirect effects on performance

10
FACTORS AFFECTING IMAGERY EFFECTIVENESS

• type of task
• Cognitive skills improve more compared to motor
  skills.
• playing experience
• More experienced performers benefit the most from
  imagery.
• imaging ability
• Imagery fundamentals can be improved through
  systematic practice.

11
USES OF IMAGERY

• improves concentration
• distracts the distractions
• builds confidence
• confidence boosters
• controls emotions
• coping imagery
• raise or lower arousal

12
USES OF IMAGERY

• increases motivation
• acquire and practice sport skills
• develop and practice sport strategies
• coping with pain and injury
• promote healing
• maintain skills while recovering
• problem-solving skills

13
IMAGERY BASICS

• multi-sensory process
• re-experience event realistically
• create a new reality
• vividness
• videotape
• controllability
• imagine consistent excellence
• relaxation training
• brain waves in alpha state

14
IMAGERY BASICS

• positive focus
• exceptions
• image process
• and outcome
• focus on preparation
• real-time imagery
• slow motion

15
IMAGERY BASICS

• internal versus external imagery
• internal imagery is the perspective of seeing
  things out of your own eyes
• external imagery takes the perspective similar to
  watching yourself on video
• use internal imagery to practice skills and
  strategies
• use external imagery to study opponents
  strategies and look for flaws in technique

16
PREPARING TO PRACTICE

• the right setting,
• relaxed attention,
• motivation to train,
• the right attitude or expectancy and
• systematic practice.

17
IMAGERY PROGRAM HOW-TOS

• imagery skill evaluation
• evaluate sensory skills, vividness, and
  controllability
• target weak areas to improve
• setting
• no distractions ? distractions present
• away from site ? on-site
• off-the-field ? on-the-field
• content
• non-sport imagery ? sport imagery ? opponent-
  and situation-specific imagery

18
IMAGERY HOW-TOS IDEAL TIMES FOR IMAGERY

• before and after practice
• before and after competition
• during competition
• pre-shot, pre-snap, pre-race,
• and between play routines
• breaks in action
• down-time
• injury rehabilitation

19
LEARNING NEW SKILLS

• provide a good demonstration of the skill or play
  from multiple angles,
• have students/athletes take several deep breaths
  to relax,
• describe the skill as they run through it in
  their minds,
• rehearse skill using internal imagery as you wait
  to practice

20
SUPPLEMENTING VIDEO

• watch video of specific techniques and strategies
  you want to work on several times,
• guide students and athletes through imagery,
  highlighting key points,
• have them repeat perfect performance 5-10 times
  on own.