Visual Mental Training: For Mind, Body And Work...

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So there I am... Keystone, CO about to ride one of the sickest lines in the terrain park: High Speed Dirt to Jam Rock. Jumps, bridge rides, drops, berms and, well, high speeds await my always-at-the-ready Specialized Demo 8 II. But, am I ready? A moment of hesitation, sweat and nervousness... Crap! Will I fall this time? Crash? These thoughts bubble up into my mind. STOP IT!!! I say to myself. Then I think about the book "Way Of The Peaceful Warrior" and recall that I'm supposed to let thoughts flow in and flow out, but not hold on to them. CRAP!!! Still worried... OK, calm down, let's close our eyes Walker and visualize the terrain. Think through a series of the hardest moves and visualize success. Somehow this little voice came through my head and told me this stuff. And I listened, learned and nailed the stunts! So what is it with visualization? Why did this practice calm me down and improve my performance? Why did it give me confidence?

Well, as human beings, we devote most of our brain power to the visual. You know those big things underneath your forehead? Well, they take a lot of blood and nervers to run! Research is finding that both physical and psychological reactions in certain situations can be improved with visualization. Such repeated imagery can build both experience and confidence in an athlete's ability to perform certain skills under pressure, or in a variety of possible situations. The most effective visualization techniques result in a very vivid sport experience in which the athlete has complete control over a successful performance and a belief in this new 'self.' It is like taking the power of eyes, but in a closed and meditative environment...

Want to know more about sports visualization??? Check out the video below...



Thank you to http://www.flickr.com/photos/andycpics/62520119/ for the great pic!
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