ABSTRACT
Imagery, visualization, and mental rehearsal are all terms that refer to seeing with the mind’s eye – that is, the ability to form a controlled mental image that can be manipulated to improve performance. Mental rehearsal is using imagery or visualization to practice a skill or performance using only a practitioners' mind. Interestingly, scientific studies have shown that when those who are skilled in imagery mentally rehearse a performance, the electrical signals between muscles and neurons are the same as when that performance is actually physically executed. The most effective imagery is vivid and involves as many senses as possible including visual, auditory, olfactory, gustatory, tactile, kinesthetic, and the emotions associated with the experience. Much of the time soccer players find themselves in a tight space from which they have to figure a way out. The gymnast is encouraged to imagine a steel bar extending from one hand, through his shoulders into the other hand.
