Sports Psychology- Psychological Skills Training

1. Psychological Skills Training-Imagery

a. What is imagery?

i. Involves creating or re-creating an experience in your mind

ii. Uses all your senses to recreate image

iii. Characteristics of the imagery process

1. Modality

2. Perspective

3. Angle

4. Agency

5. Deliberation

iv. Imagery is a form of simulation that involves recalling from memory pieces of information stored from experience and shaping those pieces into meaningful images

b. Does Imagery Work

v. Psychological intervention studies

6. Has been shown to improve skills and boost confidence as well as increase in performance

vi. Scientific Experiments

7. Athletes using imagery has been shown to outperform those who have not used imagery

vii. Qualitative Evidence

8. 95% of top athletes use imagery

c. How does it work

viii. Athletes use it before during and after a competition or performance

ix. Use imagery in the pre-season before completion or closed skills

x. Functions of imagery

9. Motivational

a. Specific- Goal-oriented responses (Winning an event)

b. General- Arousal Management (Relaxation)

10. Cognitive

c. Specific-Skills (performing a routine successfully)

d. General-Strategy (strategy to win the completion)

xi. Perspective? Is it important?

11. Internal

e. From personal view

12. External

f. Watching from the outside as if on TV.

13. Most studies show it doesn’t matter if the athlete chooses to view imagery in internal or external view and most athletes switch between the two

xii. Psychoneuromuscular Theory

14. Imagining doing something before doing that activity to strengthen the bonds...