Sunday, January 27, 2008

Mental Imagery for Golf

What is mental imagery anyways? Is it diffrent from visualization? If so, how? Can its effectiveness be verified, in a more empirical manner?Mental Imagery is an indispensible tool for athletes in every sport. It is difficult to identify a top performing athlete who does not use mental imagery to improve their performance levels.The power of mental imagery can be transferred into your golf game when applied properly. Let's briefly clarify the critical difference between visualization and mental imagery.Visualization is seeing with your mind's eye "while you are playing". Mental imagery is "feeling" with your mind's eye before you play. Ok, this is obviously generalized for the purposes of this article yet the key distinction is revealed. To benefit from mental imagery in your golf game you'll learn how to engage your emotional body while directing specific visual images in your mind. Yet you will do this before you play. Visualization, on the other hand, will be employed during each and every shot you play on the course.The outcome of using mental imagery is to get your conscious and unconscious minds in harmony. To do what I call a "prehearsal" of coming events.You step deeply into your mental images of playing excellent golf and fill yourself with what this feels like. Acting as if you are already actually doing what you are imagining. This is the heart of true peak performance training mental training.By repeating this guided mental imagery process your entire being becomes engrossed in the experience. Your mind accepts these "prehearsals" as actual events.You see, the unconscious mind does not make a distinction between a real or an intensley imagined state. Read that again if this concept is new to you. Now that you're read it again I'll repeat it! The unconscious mind does not make a distinction between a real and an intensley imagined event!This is verfiable with current neuroscience research. I cover this subject in greater length in my book. Yet you can use this powerful knowledge today. Begin thinking with feeling. Use your emotional body to sesne what your pictures should feel like. Then step deeply into these mental images and play golf in your mind! It may seem simple but by using this technique alone I dropped my handicap from the 20's into the low single digits. Without golf lessons.Begin by lying or sitting still and recalling a time whwn you played very well. Now step into this memory and really dig deeply into every nuance of this stae you were in. It will be the doorway to future peak performance states. Once you have a good feel for this memory imagine yourself in the future. Stnding over as shot that was previously challenging to you. Then make the swing. And continue your imaginary round of golf.This single technique can literally transform your game, if you are one of the few who choose to harness the incredible power of their mind.Use your mind properly and your game will improve. In fact, it is inevitable.
By Wade Pearse [ 28/11/2006 ][ viewed 65 times ]

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