Imagery In Sport Essay

Imagery is creating or recreating an experience in your mind. It involves recalling from memory pieces of information that is stored there regarding all the experiences and putting them into a meaningful image. The image should involve all the senses and rely totally on the visual. (pg 296)

Everyone uses imagery to create or recreate experiences. We also imagine picture events that may not have happened. For example, an athlete recovering from a dislocated shoulder could see themselves lifting their hand over their head, even though they can’t do it at the moment. Imagery should involve as many senses, imagery is referred to kinesthetic, visualization, auditory, tactile, and olfactory senses are all important in imagery. Kinaesthetic is the

(munroe, K., Giacobbi, P., Hall, C., & Weinberg, R. (2000) A study done in the United States Olympic training centre showed that 100% of the sport psychology consultants and 90% of the athletes used a form of imagery, 97% of the athletes believed that it helped them with their performance. 94% of the coaches of the Olympic athletes had used imagery in their training sessions with the athletes, with that 20% of the athletes used it in every training session they had (pg 297) (Murphy, S., Jowdy, D., & Durtschi, S. 1990). While most of the research has shown on practiced imagery the athletes are using imagery for competition mostly in pre-competition. Athletes use imagery all the time they use it durning and after training, outside of training and before, durning and after a competition. Athletes also use imagery when they are out injured this motivates the athlete to recover faster and they use rehabilitation exercises, imaging they are back in sport and back to themselves again (Ievleva, L., & Orlick, T. 1991) There should be more rein enforcement from coaches to use imagery when out injured as it has a better come back to sport and faster