How to Coach Yourself and Others Better Coaching Through Visualisation | Page 17

1.6 How can I learn Mental Imagery
Virtually everyone can successfully use imagery. It's a question of
patience and persistence. It's just like learning to play a music
instrument or learning to fly an airplane. You put in the time, you
put in the discipline, you will be able to do it. It is the same with
imagery.
Practice, practice and practice. You will be able to do it.
How much time it will take before you begin to see results depends
on the severity of your ailment, the vividness of your imagery and
your own determination. A person who has a sprained ankle, for
example, may get pain relief in just one five-minute imagery session,
while it may take weeks for a person who has severe burns to notice
any significant pain reduction. For almost any chronic ailment, it's
going to take a lot more time for imagery to work.
Most proponents suggest practicing your imagery for 15 to 20
minutes a day initially to ensure that you're learning to do it
properly. But as you become more skilled and comfortable with the
technique, you'11 be able to do it for just a few minutes at a time as
needed throughout the day.
1.7 How to Implement Mental Imagery
There is no correct way to practice mental imagery. It is all left up
to individual preferences and the present circumstances. It can be
done "on or off the field", very short (within a few seconds or
minutes) or of a long duration; sitting up, lying down, in complete
silence, with a stereo, eyes closed or open.
A shorter version of imagery is best implemented during match play
or while executing a task. For example, a tennis player may take a
few seconds to visualize him or herself hitting the perfect serve in
the place where he or she wants. Or a quarterback can go through a
play in his mind just before calling the play.

17