SEE it, BELIEVE it, ACHIEVE it!
Using Visualization in Your Training
Also known as mental imagery, meditation and rehearsal, visualization is a tool that you can use in your everyday training to improve the quality of your movement, increase the power of concentration, reduce the pressure of testing situations all while building confidence in your technique.
Generally speaking, visualization is the process of creating a mental image of what you want to see your body do (visual) and/or how you want your body to feel as you perform a technique (kinesthetic). Using your mind, you can call up these images over and over, enhancing the skill through repetition or rehearsal, similar to physical practice. While imagining these scenarios, you should try to imagine the detail and the way it feels to perform your technique.
Everyone will use visualization differently. You will find the techniques that are best for you. I will give you an example of how I use visualization when I learn a new technique.
Let’s say I am learning a new pinion or concentration in class. The first time I go over a new technique in class is by far the most difficult. Perhaps there are moves I have not performed before, or I am combining old moves together and the transitions feel uncomfortable. Whatever the case, learning and remembering are the first obstacles I have to face. So after class, I follow this routine…
First - As soon as I can, I write down my new technique, step by step with as much detail as I can remember. Hopefully I am able to jot something down before I leave the dojo. (Remember, as you practice and advance, your technique will change and you may add more details to what you have written down.)
Second - By the time I get home and have let the new technique “sit” in my mind for a while, I perform the technique again at home. Going over my notes as needed if I forget.
Third - I will make any changes to my notes if I find errors or can clarify or add details. After I have edited my notes, I will re-write the entire technique.
Last - When I go to bed, I turn the lights out and lay quietly with my eyes closed. I now go through the technique slowly in my mind as though I am looking at myself in the mirror. (I tend to imagine myself at the dojo) Not only am I envisioning what my technique looks like, I am also “feeling” what the technique feels like. What muscles am I using? How are my feet placed? What are my hands doing? I will rehearse this in my mind 2 or three times before going to sleep.
When I follow these steps the same day I learn a technique, I find that when I wake up in the morning, I can remember without having to go back to my notes.
On days that I do not learn a new technique, I use visualization for everything else. I tend to use visualization at night when I am going to bed, when the house is quiet and dark. But, you could use it at any time during the day. When you are stuck in traffic, waiting in the doctor’s office, on the tread-mill or tanning by the pool. I always try to visualize at least one part of my training. Perhaps I will run through all my pinions or concentrations. Or maybe I want to concentrate on techniques I am having a hard time with at the time, like self-defense punches. Regardless, I will use visualization every night for at least one aspect of my training.
Visualization can also be very helpful when you are injured and cannot train at 100%. Using this technique can help you “keep” your technique and not forget a skill before you can return to training.
Perhaps you have never used visualization in your day to day training. If not, I challenge you to use it the next time you learn a new skill. Or, start using it every day before class to mentally rehearse your material. There are a ton of helpful websites that can help you use visualization to improve your everyday performance.
Mind. Body. Spirit. As one.
-Ms. Jessica
