Visualization in Action!

The sports oriented among you might like to venture onto our coaching forum at http://prodigycoachcoachesforum.myfastforum.org/index.php
I have posted a number of sports psychology, NLP and hypnosis related topics there which you might find of interest.

One of these is called Visualization in Action and describes a short experiment I conducted with a group of eight 11-13 year olds which involved throwing at cricket wicket targets.
I will describe it here also, as it embodies the part that mental processes can play in improving a physical activity.
I set up three targets, one much smaller than the others being just a single stump. I then asked each of the group to visualize for a few minutes the targets, which were on the other side of a sports hall. Part of their visualization process was to make the targets bigger, brighter, bolder, closer. They were next given three throws at any target of their choice - starting with their backs to the targets, taking a bounce off the wall and turning and throwing across the hall.

In the first round there was 1 hit in 24 throws.

I then asked them to continue visualizing and we would proceed to the second round of throws. This time they were to throw with their eyes closed.

In the second round there were 9 hits in 24 throws, with 5 of them being on the single stump.

This "magical" outcome was a total convincer for them that visualization is a very powerful tool indeed, even and more especially after just 15 minutes or so. As I said at the time - "think of all the other ways you can use it, how beneficial it might be for you?!" Needless to say their imaginations began to run riot!

The point I made to our other coaches was this:
when you normally field a ball and throw it in this is a dynamic situation, where the eyes are actively searching for the target but only once the ball is in your hand. This information gathering process has time constraints on it as the throw has to be made as soon as possible - consequently the data the brain processes to allow the body to adjust to executing an accurate throw is not always 100% perfect. In essence its a bit of a rushed job.
However, by visualizing the position of the target(s) beforehand and enhancing the data by making the targets bigger, brighter, bolder, nearer, you are now enhancing the quality of the hurried data being gathered in real time.
Plus, if you rely solely on that almost hot-wired and 'clean' data (by throwing "blind") then you get even better results.

Needless to say, I'm not advocating all fielders throw "blind"! But if they can activate powerful mental processes to enhance their physical actions, then the accuracy of the outcomes is increased considerably.

Visualization is as powerful as your imagination allows it to be. Whether its hitting physical targets, building confidence by re-experiencing a perfect past performance, or seeing yourself delivering the perfect presentation sometime in the future - the benefits are the same. You can practice your visualization skills too, as there are many adjustments and fine tunings that can be brought into play in all the submodalities.

Peter