Greater Performance Through Mental Imagery and Self-Talk

Defining your target is the same as getting very clear about what you want to achieve.  If you are not clear on what you want to achieve how do you know if you have achieved it?  Quite frankly. you don't know.  Gaining clarity is the first step on the road to success.  You will create a SMART goal to help you gain clarity.

Focus is finite.  It is not unlimited.  To gain great performance it is necessary to place your attention (often call focus) in the moment on what you need to do.  A singular focus is also called being of one mind.  Being of one mind or having this singular focus is how you can get in the moment and play with greater flow.  This lecture covers focus, what gets in the way and how imagery and ST can help us with achieving greater focus.

Many people focus on what they can't control.  It may be because of fear or just not knowing.  The reality is that you have to embrace what you cannot control and focus on what you can control.  This simple act will give help you to strip away all of the unnecessary thoughts and stuff that get in your way.

Setting your goal is a critical step to your success.  Set your goal and get ready to achieve it.

Clarity is key to your success.  At the end of this video you will have created a clear and measurable performance goal.  This video walks you through the SMART goal method and the workbook to help you create your measurable goal.  From this goal you will align your mental imagery and self-talk strategies and techniques to facilitate your performance success.  The more clearly you state your goal the better you can focus your efforts to achieve that goal.  Download or open your workbook and get started.

This is the introduction to the mental imagery section.  This is where you begin building the imagery that meets the needs of the SMART goal you previously set.  Make your movie amazing!  The three keys to remember are:

1. Make it vivid

2. Use first or third person view

3. Make it function specific

This was built in Adobe Spark.  When you click on the image it will open in a new tab.  The quick tips are meant for you to really take a hold of and use.

Now it is time to create your movie.  You want to make your movie specific to the goal you set in the Create Your Target Section.  Use the infographics to help you design your movie.  Open your workbook and start creating your mental movie.

When to use imagery for the maximum benefit is important.  You want to use your imagery first thing in the morning, different points throughout the day, and prior to practice or your competition!  You are mentally strong.

This is a short overview of mental imagery.  Refer to this and the other resources when making your imagery.

Welcome to the self-talk section of your course.  We will focus on instructional and motivational self-talk.  These two strategies have proven to be effective in multiple studies. 

How you build your script matters. What is in your script matters as well.  In this video I tell you all about what works with ST.

This lecture defines how to write your self-talk script.  Remember to keep is short and make it meaningful.  Utilize your workbook to write your script after viewing this lecture.

Knowing how and when to use your imagery is important.  This video explains when to use your imagery for maximum results.  Remember to not get overly caught up in the ST or Imagery.  Your performance is what matters.

Combining your ST and imagery can feel like a very natural process.  This video has tips on how to combine them for maximum effectiveness.

I hope you have found our time together to be meaningful.  I appreciate the effort you have put forth in our class.  Keep going!

We all struggle at times.  We have all ran out of gas and felt like we couldn't do any more.  The reality is that we can.  Where you focus and what you do dictate whether you do a bit more or just stop.

Hi Coaches.  Many of your athletes probably already use imagery or self-talk.  They may not even realize they are using the techniques.  As a coach you have a unique ability to speak into how they are using these strategies.  You can do this as a natural part of the coaching process.  You are probably already doing some of it naturally.

Imagery and self-talk can be used for just about any situation.  Imagery is even a great tool for giving presentations or overcoming the fear of presenting.  Use the tools you gained in our class to overcome any obstacle!

Practicing different scenarios helps us to be prepared for eventualities that can happen in a competition.  Mentally practicing these scenarios allows you to overcome mistakes quicker and keep your mind focused on the game. 

Hi Parents.  What we do as parents does help or hinder the sports performance of our children.  This short video has some tips and powerful techniques to help us effect our childrens sports performance in a positive way.