Sports Psychology
Sports psychology literature contains many references to the practice of"imagery" along with physical practice. Multiple researchers have shownthat the combination of the two result in improved importance when comparedto physical practice but no imagery (Pie et. al., 1996). However, before aphysical education teacher can use imagery in his or her teaching, theteacher must understand exactly what the researchers mean by "imagery," andhow to best apply it in an educational setting. "Mental imagery" can be defined as concentrated effort to imagine andthink through the actual motor activity of an athletic skill. A figureskater might think through skating a figure eight, imagining exactly whereto shift weight and change edges. A basketball player might imagine theprocess of throwing a free throw from walking to the line, focusing on thebasket, and the exact motor movements used to sink the ball into the By comparison, deliberate practice, actually skating the figure eightsor practicing free throws with a ball and basket, has been defined byresearchers as "highly structured and purposeful, focusing on specificskills. Some research has shown that this deliberate practice must be d
Researchers havefound that athletes tend to use internal imagery more than externalimagery, and that using internal imagery actually produces a perceptionthat the muscles are actually moving. This might involve otherpeople, as in the case of wrestlers, who can only practice what they dowith a partner (Cumming & Hall, 2002). " These deliberatepractice sessions must consist of movements that very closely mirror whatthe athlete would do in competition or in a game. Some research suggests that using both internal and external imagerymay be the most effective use for enhancing performance, (Pie et. In fact, several studies have shown thathighly skilled athletes are very good at using visualization and that theirability to do this can even identify more skilled athletes from lessskilled ones (Cumming & Hall, 2002), and that the best athletes use notonly imagery but goal-setting, focusing, and planning for competition thanless-skilled athletes. Successful athletes also report using imagery to review team plays andstrategies as well as the individual player skills of the athlete, andresearchers found that this type of imagery increased motivation to win(Cumming & Hall, 2002). This research has clear implications for physical educationinstructors and makes a strong case for including the systematicinstruction in the use of imagery as part of a physical education program. Imagery has also been used not just to rehearse motor skills but ttodeal with the emotional feelings that can come with performance. For example, a skier usinginternal imagery would picture him or herself skiing down a slope, choosingwhen to shift weight, turn, plant poles, etc. Using external imagery, thatskier would imagine someone else skiing down the hill. Researchers have found that themost effective imagery takes place in the same amount of time it would taketo actually perform the skill (Pie et.
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