Article from the Saturday Ticket
Visualization: How Closing Your Eyes Could Make You A Better Athlete
Bubba Watson won this year's Masters on the strength of a 155-foot gap wedge shot, hit out of the pine straw, that hooked 40 yards to land on the green he couldn't even see.
It was one of the most spectacular shots ever made at Augusta. It was a shot that seemed to defy all physical logic. But to Watson, who has never had a golf lesson in his life, it made perfect sense. Prior to stepping up to make his shot, he visualized the outcome. Exactly.
"I just got into the trees, saw a crazy shot in my head, and now I'm wearing the Green Jacket," Watson said afterwards.
Sheesh, if only it was that easy for the rest of us.
Truth is, Watson is among a growing number of athletes who use visualization and imagery to create successful outcomes. Amateur and professional athletes alike are embracing the latest developments in scientific research to feel better about themselves, to improve their confidence, which in turn enhances their performance.
The use of visualization is particularly prominent in sports such as golf and tennis, as well as individual Olympic sports such as gymnastics and track and field. Jack Nicklaus, who has won more than 100 PGA tournaments, admits he has never hit a shot - not even in practice - without first visualizing its outcome. Tiger Woods, legendary for his mechanical approach to his swing, has long embraced visualization. Michael Jordan and Michael Phelps are other athletes who have spoken openly about the benefits of visualization.
Visualization at its most basic level is a learned technique where a person closes their eyes and actually imagines themselves succeeding in a particular situation. Essentially, they are watching themselves from afar. An athlete, for a example, might picture watching their performance on television. Imagery, by comparison, is an extension of visualization where an individual imagines a successful outcome from their own point of view using all five senses. The more detail they incorporate, the greater their chance of being successful. A golfer, for instance, would imagine not only making a great shot, but the euphoric feeling of walking up the green as the crowd cheers enthusiastically.
"The use of visualization and imagery does not guarantee success, but it guarantees the chance to be successful" said Dr. Paul Dennis, one of Canada's most renowned sports psychologists."If an athlete is struggling mentally, if they've lost confidence and are not feeling good about themselves, then they have no chance."
Dennis has been teaching visualization and imagery techniques to amateur and professional athletes for more than two decades. He spent 20 years as the player development coach with the Toronto Maple Leafs where he worked closely with players to help them reach their potential. Dennis has also worked with Canada's World Junior Hockey team to help young players deal with the incredible pressure of performing on such a large scale. He now teaches sports psychology at the University of Toronto where he researches the latest advancements in the field.
"I train athletes to use visualization and imagery, but ultimately it comes down to what an athlete needs at a particular time," said Dennis. "As an example, when I worked for the Leafs, I worked with players based on their unique roles on the team. Some players found value in imaging the finer points of a game, such as winning a faceoff, or picking up their man in the neutral zone, while other players imaged themselves breaking down the right wing and beating a goalie with a slap shot in the top corner," he said.
"The idea was to create an expectation of success in their mind based on them experiencing the emotions associated with success."
Mike Cammalleri, now with the Calgary Flames, is famous for his use of visualization and imagery. During the Montreal Canadiens 'playoff run in 2010, television cameras caught Cammalleri sitting on the players bench a couple of hours before a game, his eyes closed and head moving from side to side. He scored a two goals in that game and later revealed he was imaging his success. Cammalleri scored 13 goals in 19 games that Spring.
Amazingly, research has found that the brain uses the exact same process during visualization and imagery as it does performing a particular task. There is absolutely no difference in brain function when visualizing success as there is in achieving it.
Virtually all Olympic athletes now incorporate some form of visualization into their training routine. Peter Vidmar and Tim Daggett, American gymnasts, were among the first to realize success using it. For years, they ended their workouts by imaging a perfect routine, actually hearing the roar of the crowd and the sound of the American anthem as they stood on the gold medal podium, next to the Chinese team, who were heavily favoured to win gold. During the 1984 Olympics, the exact scene played itself out as the American team won the gold medal in front of an appreciative home crowd.
In professional sports, athletes are way ahead of the curve when it comes to using psychology to their advantage than coaches. Most coaches are still old school, clinging to the idea that their players are well-oiled robotic machines. They don't exactly reject advances in sports psychology, but they are so concerned with X's and O's that often neglect a player's psychological needs, leaving it to player development coaches like Dennis.
In professional hockey, only a handful of coaches are on the cutting edge of sports psychology. Tampa Bay coach Guy Boucher is one of them, as is Nashville's Barry Trotz and Dallas Eakins, who coaches the AHL's Toronto Marlies.
But with so many players turning to sports psychologists for an extra edge, it's only a matter of time before coaches and general managers alter their motivational approach. After all, if a southerner named Bubba can win the Masters because he saw himself making an improbable shot, then perhaps there really is something to visualization stuff.
********
ps. from VV
I spoke about Bubba a few weeks ago right after the Masters about this very shot.
Interesting how this very technique could be very effective in trading
Visualization: How Closing Your Eyes Could Make You A Better Athlete
Bubba Watson won this year's Masters on the strength of a 155-foot gap wedge shot, hit out of the pine straw, that hooked 40 yards to land on the green he couldn't even see.
It was one of the most spectacular shots ever made at Augusta. It was a shot that seemed to defy all physical logic. But to Watson, who has never had a golf lesson in his life, it made perfect sense. Prior to stepping up to make his shot, he visualized the outcome. Exactly.
"I just got into the trees, saw a crazy shot in my head, and now I'm wearing the Green Jacket," Watson said afterwards.
Sheesh, if only it was that easy for the rest of us.
Truth is, Watson is among a growing number of athletes who use visualization and imagery to create successful outcomes. Amateur and professional athletes alike are embracing the latest developments in scientific research to feel better about themselves, to improve their confidence, which in turn enhances their performance.
The use of visualization is particularly prominent in sports such as golf and tennis, as well as individual Olympic sports such as gymnastics and track and field. Jack Nicklaus, who has won more than 100 PGA tournaments, admits he has never hit a shot - not even in practice - without first visualizing its outcome. Tiger Woods, legendary for his mechanical approach to his swing, has long embraced visualization. Michael Jordan and Michael Phelps are other athletes who have spoken openly about the benefits of visualization.
Visualization at its most basic level is a learned technique where a person closes their eyes and actually imagines themselves succeeding in a particular situation. Essentially, they are watching themselves from afar. An athlete, for a example, might picture watching their performance on television. Imagery, by comparison, is an extension of visualization where an individual imagines a successful outcome from their own point of view using all five senses. The more detail they incorporate, the greater their chance of being successful. A golfer, for instance, would imagine not only making a great shot, but the euphoric feeling of walking up the green as the crowd cheers enthusiastically.
"The use of visualization and imagery does not guarantee success, but it guarantees the chance to be successful" said Dr. Paul Dennis, one of Canada's most renowned sports psychologists."If an athlete is struggling mentally, if they've lost confidence and are not feeling good about themselves, then they have no chance."
Dennis has been teaching visualization and imagery techniques to amateur and professional athletes for more than two decades. He spent 20 years as the player development coach with the Toronto Maple Leafs where he worked closely with players to help them reach their potential. Dennis has also worked with Canada's World Junior Hockey team to help young players deal with the incredible pressure of performing on such a large scale. He now teaches sports psychology at the University of Toronto where he researches the latest advancements in the field.
"I train athletes to use visualization and imagery, but ultimately it comes down to what an athlete needs at a particular time," said Dennis. "As an example, when I worked for the Leafs, I worked with players based on their unique roles on the team. Some players found value in imaging the finer points of a game, such as winning a faceoff, or picking up their man in the neutral zone, while other players imaged themselves breaking down the right wing and beating a goalie with a slap shot in the top corner," he said.
"The idea was to create an expectation of success in their mind based on them experiencing the emotions associated with success."
Mike Cammalleri, now with the Calgary Flames, is famous for his use of visualization and imagery. During the Montreal Canadiens 'playoff run in 2010, television cameras caught Cammalleri sitting on the players bench a couple of hours before a game, his eyes closed and head moving from side to side. He scored a two goals in that game and later revealed he was imaging his success. Cammalleri scored 13 goals in 19 games that Spring.
Amazingly, research has found that the brain uses the exact same process during visualization and imagery as it does performing a particular task. There is absolutely no difference in brain function when visualizing success as there is in achieving it.
Virtually all Olympic athletes now incorporate some form of visualization into their training routine. Peter Vidmar and Tim Daggett, American gymnasts, were among the first to realize success using it. For years, they ended their workouts by imaging a perfect routine, actually hearing the roar of the crowd and the sound of the American anthem as they stood on the gold medal podium, next to the Chinese team, who were heavily favoured to win gold. During the 1984 Olympics, the exact scene played itself out as the American team won the gold medal in front of an appreciative home crowd.
In professional sports, athletes are way ahead of the curve when it comes to using psychology to their advantage than coaches. Most coaches are still old school, clinging to the idea that their players are well-oiled robotic machines. They don't exactly reject advances in sports psychology, but they are so concerned with X's and O's that often neglect a player's psychological needs, leaving it to player development coaches like Dennis.
In professional hockey, only a handful of coaches are on the cutting edge of sports psychology. Tampa Bay coach Guy Boucher is one of them, as is Nashville's Barry Trotz and Dallas Eakins, who coaches the AHL's Toronto Marlies.
But with so many players turning to sports psychologists for an extra edge, it's only a matter of time before coaches and general managers alter their motivational approach. After all, if a southerner named Bubba can win the Masters because he saw himself making an improbable shot, then perhaps there really is something to visualization stuff.
********
ps. from VV
I spoke about Bubba a few weeks ago right after the Masters about this very shot.
Interesting how this very technique could be very effective in trading
Great post. Thanks for sharing.
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