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Seeing Is Believing! How To Use Visualisation Techniques

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By Steve Ward

Seeing Is Believing! How To Use Visualisation To Improve Your Adventure Racing

Have you ever had one of those situations when you have thought about and imagined something going wrong in a race…and it has? Have you ever really been focussed on a race, and you’ve thought about and seen yourself performing well, having a great race…and you have?

Visualisation and Mental Rehearsal are one of the most heard of, and most popular mental training techniques, but how can they improve your adventure racing performances? It is important to realise that we visualise all of the time, seeing ourselves doing something before we actually do it. However, most of us use it negatively, and imagine bad things that could happen. It is important to recognise that we are like guided missiles, and we move towards that which we regularly imagine with feeling – so it is important to keep these thoughts and feelings positive.

How does visualisation work? Visualisation has a measurable physiological impact on the body in the muscles. Neurologically, and at a cellular level, the mind cannot not tell the difference between a real experience and an imagined one. Think about when you have had a nightmare, a real fright. Was the fear any different to in reality? No. Your heart was pounding, you had clammy hands, and maybe you have jerked an arm or leg in a dream…your body responds just as though it was real. With visualisation it is possible to programme in desired skills and movements, behaviours, and emotional responses prior to doing them, grooving in at a cellular level, creating a muscle memory. The great thing about visualised practise though is that you can do it perfectly every time!

Using Visualisation To Improve Your Adventure Racing Performances

You can use visualisation in the lead up to your races, and during the race itself to enable you to enhance your performance. Here are some suggested uses:

• In the months, weeks, days leading up to the race visualise achieving your goal. Hear what you say to yourself, and what others are saying; feel how good it is to achieve this success ... this is excellent for maintaining motivation and for building confidence.
• Prior to a race (in the days leading up to, and pre-start) spend some time visualising yourself performing really well; focus on how well you are competing and how you are feeling. Focus on what you need to do to perform well – the process of racing well.
• If you want to improve or practise a particular skill then this can also be done visually. In America research has proven that for skill development, visualised practise is almost as effective as physical practise! You will form the necessary neural pathways in the brain to enable you to perform the skill.
• If you are feeling over anxious prior to an event, spend a few minutes visualising being in a relaxing, calm place, where you feel confident and positive.
• During injury, when you cannot train physically, train visually – it helps to stave off those feelings of frustration, and can still enable you to make improvements to your performance.
• When you are tired imagine being recharged by an energising white light. This is excellent for between stages/legs and for use just before going to sleep, or on waking. If you are tired during a discipline then you can imagine being pulled along from one object to another (e.g.. trees, rocks etc) by an invisible elastic cord. Sounds odd – but it really works!

How To Visualise

· I have provided a brief guide of how to visualise below. It is important to recognise that visualisation is a skill, and just like a physical skill it will take time to master. With regular practise you will be able to develop the ability to visualise more clearly, get a more intense experience. Keep it simple to begin with (5-10 minutes at a time) and then as you become more confident and familiar with the process then you can make you visualisations longer.

· 5 Steps For Visualisation

· 1. Make sure you know what the goal/purpose of the visualisation is.
2. Begin with a short relaxation and mind calming exercise. This helps to direct your attention inwardly to the task at hand. It also helps to access the creative part of your brain.
3. Use all of your senses – see, hear, feel, smell… Make the images big, bright, colourful, clear, close-up; the sounds loud; the feelings strong! Intense, and enjoyable!
4. See things from your body, through your eyes – associated.
5. Practise perfectly. Mentally you can get things right every time, and you want to do this to program your neuro-muscular circuits for success.

· It is also worth pointing out that visualisation practice will also improve your concentration and focussing abilities, particularly your ability to block out distractions. By performing a short relaxation before hand, you will also be able to develop your ability to relax more quickly and more easily. I have provided a relaxation technique below, which you may wish to use before your visualisations, and also on its own as a method of relaxing your mind and muscles, and for enhancing recovery.

· Progressive Tensing and Relaxation (Progressive Muscular Relaxation)

· Begin the relaxation by focussing on your breathing, particularly the out breath. Feel the weight of your body. Let the tightness seep out. Feel yourself becoming more relaxed and comfortable.

· Tighten each of the body areas for a count of 1…2…3…4…5 and then relax.

· Either start at the head and work down, or the feet and work up.Head/Face – neck/shoulders – arms – hands – chest/back – abdomen – thighs – calves – feet

· Feet – calves – thighs – abdomen – chest/back – hands – arms – neck/shoulders – head/face.

· You may wish to use relaxing/calm music to help you to relax.

What Next?

· Using visualisation regularly will have a positive impact on your race performances. Good times for visualisation are first thing in the morning and last thing at night, as this is when your subconscious mind is most susceptible and accessible. However, finding time at any time during the day is very valuable. Some athletes I work with perform their visualisations on the bus or tube on the way to work; others spend time visualising during their lunch breaks. You have to find out what works best for you, and my advice would be to see where it would best fit in with your normal routine, and then to make it a part of your routine.

· See…Believe…Achieve! It all starts with the seeing!