As an athlete, I always thought I knew how to effectively use imagery.
Turns out I was wrong, and I needed to review more than just the basics of using imagery before sitting back down on my yoga mat to get the most out of my practice.
I wanted to mentally teleport to jiu jitsu’s most high-stress, yet most exciting scenario possible: competing in the world championships.
In order to do so, I was going to have to tighten up my imagery practice. That meant first understanding more about what makes imagery effective.
What Is Imagery?
Imagery (also referred to as visual imagery), is a sort of mental simulation, where athletes (and non-athletes alike) have the opportunities to:
- Rehearse new skills and strategies, strengthening the learning process
- Rehearse and refine already learned skills and strategies
- Build confidence and self-efficacy
- Manage anxiety and nerves related to the sport or to a specific event
Athletes of all ages use imagery as part of their practice and competition routines.
But using imagery is not just reserved for athletes. The use of imagery can be justified as a preparation tool for any stressful, high-stakes situation, whether it be preparing for an exam in school, a job interview, or an important speaking engagement.
Sounds easy enough? Well, one of the main issues with using imagery is that having an effective imagery practice is harder than it first appears.
In an article titled How to Use Imagery to be Confident, Focused, Prepared, and More, I wrote:
“There is more to imagery than just imagining confidence and envisioning victory. A successful imagery practice doesn’t just happen because you close your eyes and think about your sport.”
Vividness is a key to having effective imagery, and I realize now that’s what I was missing.
Imagery and the 5 Senses
Visualization is the act of performing imagery.
As the name implies, the main sense being used is sight.
You close your eyes and, if you’re lucky, you’re transported to a different place where you can practice, rehearse, and prepare for a future scenario.
But merely relying on one sense is not enough to give you a vivid mental image. Herein lied my problem.
Imagery is defined by mental rehearsal that involves all 5 senses.
American psychologist and neuroscientist Stephen M. Kosslyn has a brilliant description for imagery. He says imagery is:
“Seeing with the mind’s eye, hearing with the mind’s ear…”
Improving your imagery practice starts with making sure your visualization accounts for all 5 senses:
- Sights
- Sounds
- Smells
- Tastes
- Physical feelings
I made myself a visual imagery routine for the jiu jitsu world championships using this idea above.
Here’s what it looks like.
1. Sight
Sight is the most important sense in visual imagery.
But are you visualizing the right things?
Of course, you want to imagine shaking the hand of your new boss as you nail the job interview. That would mean you got the job – in this mental rehearsal fantasy world, of course.
As much as imagining success can be helpful, it’s important to dedicate some mental energy towards preparing for a solid greeting and handshake, what to say if there is an awkward pause, or how to handle a difficult question.
These are the steps that come before you get a congratulatory handshake from your new boss, so it’s important that you don’t use your mind’s eye to fast-forward past the work to get to the glory.
Likewise, the athlete is better off imagining moments mid-match, where their trained skill, strategy, and grit must be put to the test. These are the prerequisites to having the referee raise your hand as the victor at the end of the match, and that mustn’t be forgotten.
Use the Analytic Model of Imagery to help guide the content of your visualization. Here’s what it looks like, with my jiu jitsu world championship preparation in mind.
Cognitive – General: my strategy and game plan.
Cognitive – Specific: my best techniques and sequences (attacks and counterattacks).
Motivational – Specific: winning a gold medal.
Motivational – General Arousal: the feeling of focus and energy right before the referee calls me and my opponent onto the mat.
Motivational – General Mastery: the feeling of complete control and confidence.
2. Sound
The distracting sounds of a stray cat crying outside, my neighbour’s home renovations, and the suddenly extremely loud ticking of the clock in the next room made it very difficult for me to concentrate.
I put on some headphones to try to drown out the sound, but it didn’t do much to improve my concentration – even with the household sounds no longer there to distract me.
The venue for the world championships is anything but quiet, I thought to myself. Shouldn’t I be trying to recreate an environment with a roaring crowd and the chatter and movement of hundreds of competitors?
I went onto YouTube and found a match from the previous year. The crowd was loud, and you could hear coaches and teammates yelling instructions, referees making calls, and chants, cheers, and boos from energized supporters.
I closed my eyes, and the sounds of the world championships brought me one step closer to the real-life experience without ever having to leave my room.
3. Smell
I’m not sure if this is just me, but I associate the smell of laundry detergent and fabric softener to jiu jitsu competitions.
Maybe it’s the high density of freshly washed gis and belts in such a small space, or maybe it has something with so much cleaning solution being used.
Either way, when I smell that familiar smell my heart starts racing, my hands start sweating, and I get ready to grapple.
I went into the bathroom and got some freshly folded towels and threw in a few extra dryer sheets for good measure. I put these next to my yoga mat and continued my preparation.
The scent of the soap added yet another layer of reality to my imagery practice. Now I had the sights, sounds and smells of the world championships at my disposal.
4. Taste
I wear a mouthguard when I compete, and I’d be lying if I said I didn’t constantly have a slight taste of rubber in my mouth because of it.
On competition day, I’m usually sipping Gatorade or some other sugary drink prior to and in between matches.
I went to the fridge and grabbed a Gatorade and returned to my room, where I popped in my mouth guard and took a few sips of the red drink.
The sugary liquid and the rubber from my mouth guard mixed to remind me of the familiar taste of competition.
With that, I was brought one sense closer to having effective visual imagery for the world championships. But there was one more, very important factor to consider in recreating the environment for a perfect mental rehearsal.
5. Touch
I typically have two physical sensations in between matches at a jiu jitsu competition:
- My lungs are on fire, and I have a feeling that I’m not sure I’ll ever catch my breath.
- My biceps, forearms, and fingers become filled with cement, and I’m unsure when I’ll be able to perform fine motor skills again (hopefully before my next match).
While at home, I put on my gi and tied my belt. After all, this is what I would be wearing when it came time to compete.
But I didn’t stop there. I wanted to imagine what it felt like to be on the floor, getting ready for the officials to call my name for the next match.
So I went outside and did sprints until I wanted to throw up (it’s remarkable how easy it is to tire yourself out when you run at full speed for minutes with barely any rest).
Then I removed my gi top, draped it over my chin-up bar, and hung on for as long as I could bear.
Then, with my lungs burning and my forearms aching, I sat down and had the best mental imagery experience of my life.
My Takeaways
Did I take things too far? Probably.
Did all my provisions actually help improve the vividness of my imagery practice? Maybe not, but I don’t see how they could have hurt.
My main takeaway from this is that visual imagery is like any other type of preparation – you need to practice how you play.
Striving to recreate a real-life scenario as closely as possible in your mental rehearsal is difficult, but the pursuit of being as accurate as possible is what counts.
Don’t just stop at imagery – there are many tools from sports psychology that can be of aid when pursuing goals. For one, self-talk is often paired with visual imagery practices.
However it is you are preparing, and whatever it is you are preparing for, just try your best to be realistic in your approach and execution. When it comes time for the real thing, you will be surprised at how comfortable you feel in this not-so-new environment.
Enjoy reading this article? Follow me on social media for more content like this! Instagram @evanbjj, Twitter @evan_writing.
