{"id":6448,"date":"2016-08-03T19:24:16","date_gmt":"2016-08-03T19:24:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/?p=6448"},"modified":"2025-06-10T05:58:04","modified_gmt":"2025-06-10T09:58:04","slug":"how-olympians-use-mental-imagery-to-improve-success","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/how-olympians-use-mental-imagery-to-improve-success\/","title":{"rendered":"How Olympians Use Mental Imagery To Improve Success"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"600\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/mental-imagery.jpg\" alt=\"Mental Imagery\" class=\"wp-image-6452\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/mental-imagery.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/mental-imagery-300x150.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Applying_Mental_Imagery_Like_Olympic_Athletes\"><\/span>Applying Mental Imagery Like Olympic Athletes<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2><div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_82_2 ez-toc-wrap-center counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-transparent ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Article Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #0769bf;color:#0769bf\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #0769bf;color:#0769bf\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/how-olympians-use-mental-imagery-to-improve-success\/#Applying_Mental_Imagery_Like_Olympic_Athletes\" >Applying Mental Imagery Like Olympic Athletes<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/how-olympians-use-mental-imagery-to-improve-success\/#And_there_many_more_uses_for_visualization\" >And there many more uses for visualization:<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/how-olympians-use-mental-imagery-to-improve-success\/#Try_this_visualization_tip\" >Try this visualization tip:<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/how-olympians-use-mental-imagery-to-improve-success\/#Related_Sports_Psychology_Articles\" >Related Sports Psychology Articles<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/how-olympians-use-mental-imagery-to-improve-success\/#The_Relaxed_Athlete\" >The Relaxed Athlete<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n\n\n\n\n<p>As Olympians gear up for the 2016 Rio games, many of those athletes have been looking for a way to land on the podium at the summer games.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>All of the athletes are talented and physically gifted&#8230; All of the athletes have devoted all of their time to training&#8230; All of the athletes are the very best within their sport.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The difference between medaling and falling short will come down to the <strong>mental<\/strong> <strong>game<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Many US athletes have turned to the power of <strong>imagery<\/strong> to give themselves an edge over the competition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You can use <strong>visualization<\/strong> or <strong>mental<\/strong> <strong>rehearsal<\/strong> in many ways:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Kayla Harrison, who is seeking to defend her Olympic judo title at the Rio Games, spends time daily imagining <strong>success<\/strong> at the Olympic Games.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>HARRISON<\/strong>: <em>\u201cEvery night I visualize myself wining the Olympics&#8230; I picture myself bombing the girl in the final and standing on top of the podium and watching the flag go up and feeling the gold medal go around my neck and hugging my coach. I visualize all of that every night.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Swimmer Missy Franklin, who won four gold medals at the London Games, uses <strong>visualization<\/strong> as a way of reducing anxiety of the unknown.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>FRANKLIN<\/strong>:<em> \u201cWhen I get there, I\u2019ve already pictured what\u2019s going to happen a million times so I don\u2019t actually have to think about it.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Diver Troy Dumais, a four-time Olympian, uses <strong>visualization<\/strong> as a way of <strong>mentally<\/strong> practicing his performance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>DUMAIS<\/strong>: <em>\u201cIf you can see yourself hitting a dive, the chances of you hitting a dive increase greatly.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Fencer Mariel Zagunis, a two-time gold medalist, uses <strong>visualization<\/strong> as a way of reviewing her game plan for her opponents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>ZAGUNIS<\/strong>: <em>\u201cIn saber fencing, points happen literally in split seconds, and tides can change and turn very, very quickly. So part of visualization is preparing yourself for every situation, so when it shows itself, you\u2019re ready for it.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"And_there_many_more_uses_for_visualization\"><\/span>And there many more uses for visualization:<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8211;To stay <strong>relaxed<\/strong> before or between events.<br>&#8211;To achieve the proper mental state for competing.<br>&#8211;To manage the physical discomfort that comes with pushing your body to its limits.<br>&#8211;To increase <strong>confidence<\/strong> prior to an event.<br>&#8211;To compartmentalize errors and move past mistakes.<br>&#8211;To rebound after a bad event.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>One the greatest benefits of visualization is <strong>mental<\/strong> <strong>preparation<\/strong>. Countless research studies have indicated that visualization can improve performance as much as 45 percent!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The more repetitions you perform, the better you become at a task. <strong>Visualization<\/strong> is a way of increasing the number of <strong>mental<\/strong> reps you perform.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As you watch the Olympics this summer, know that the feats of greatness you are viewing have as much to do with <strong>mental<\/strong> <strong>training<\/strong> as they do with the physical side of the sport.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The same type of <strong>mental<\/strong> <strong>training<\/strong> that benefits Olympians can impact your performance&#8230; All you need to do is to schedule it into your training.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Try_this_visualization_tip\"><\/span>Try this visualization tip:<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Some athletes say, <em>\u201cI don\u2019t have time for visualization.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Well that\u2019s not true&#8230;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Find downtime where you are not doing much (before dinner or practice, during commercials, before bedtime, etc.) and mentally engage in rehearsing your performance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Use a first-person perspective and feel how you want to perform. You can also use rehearsal to project yourself having a focused and confident mindset.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/the-relaxed-athlete-cd-program\/\"><strong>Learn all my secrets for pregame mental preparation here.<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-dots\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"block-979ef383-5bc7-43ee-b8f9-249663ca1a6c\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Related_Sports_Psychology_Articles\"><\/span>Related Sports Psychology Articles<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul id=\"block-05642731-8752-4dbf-9c18-5cc4d276e821\" class=\"wp-block-list has-normal-font-size\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/how-to-pros-use-visualization-to-improve-success\/\"><strong>How to Pros Use Visualization to Improve Success<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/parents-athletes-quitting-sports\/\"><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/how-visualization-helps-athletes\/\"><strong>How Visualization Helps Athletes<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/parents-helping-young-athlete-who-wants-to-quit\/\"><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/how-athletes-deal-with-stress\/\"><strong>How Athletes Deal with Stress<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-normal-font-size\" id=\"block-5726d13f-f715-4ca4-8813-2f8a9ebd8bc3\">*Subscribe to<strong>\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/sports-psychology-podcast-by-peaksports-com\/id152566009\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">The Sports Psychology Podcast<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0on iTunes<br>*Subscribe to <a href=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/show\/0ynyaalKxbnNmsoeL8gF5X?si=8224669de9b3435b\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>The Sports Psychology Podcast<\/strong><\/a> on Spotify<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-normal-font-size\" id=\"block-281f5afb-980b-4c71-9aa0-11d606b5f7c9\"><strong>Download a&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/mental-toughness-report-athletes\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">free sports psychology report<\/a>&nbsp;to improve your mental game!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-normal-font-size\" id=\"block-94138e75-d591-4645-bb1d-212cf57a8841\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sport-psychology-training-athletes\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Learn more about our one-on-one mental game coaching.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-dots\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_Relaxed_Athlete\"><\/span>The Relaxed Athlete <span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"225\" height=\"250\" src=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/03\/relaxed-athlete-small.jpg\" alt=\"Relaxed athlete\" class=\"wp-image-3919\" style=\"width:180px\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p><strong>The ability to relax and play your game under pressure is what separates the winner<\/strong> from the loser in any competition. Champion athletes train hard in practice, are motivated for the right reasons, and are able to raise their game in crunch-time with two minutes remaining in the game..<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A relaxed and confident performance begins in the mind! <strong>When you are mentally prepared to compete, you can have an optimal level of intensity AND poise!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>The Relaxed Athlete program<\/strong> is ideal for any athlete that wants to overcome pregame anxiety, worry, or excess tension and learn to perform with poise. It\u2019s also ideal for any coach or parent who wants to teach athletes to perform with poise and relaxation in competition.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"gb-container gb-container-e17df0d5\">\n\n<a class=\"gb-button gb-button-68994dee gb-button-text\" href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/the-relaxed-athlete-cd-program\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">GET DETAILS<\/a>\n\n\n\n<a class=\"gb-button gb-button-89319240 gb-button-text\" href=\"https:\/\/shop.peaksports.com\/collections\/the-confident-athlete-series-cd-workbooks\/products\/the-relaxed-athlete-cd\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">BUY NOW<\/a>\n\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Applying Mental Imagery Like Olympic Athletes As Olympians gear up for the 2016 Rio games, many of those athletes have been looking for a way to land on the podium at the summer games. All of the athletes are talented and physically gifted&#8230; All of the athletes have devoted all of their time to training&#8230; All of the &#8230; <a title=\"How Olympians Use Mental Imagery To Improve Success\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/sports-psychology-blog\/how-olympians-use-mental-imagery-to-improve-success\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about How Olympians Use Mental Imagery To Improve Success\">Sport Psychology Article&#8230;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6450,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[142],"tags":[553,477,857,481,688],"class_list":["post-6448","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sports-psychology-tips","tag-2016-olympics","tag-mental-imagery-in-sports","tag-mental-rehersal-in-sports","tag-olympian-mental-game","tag-visualization-in-sports"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t<!-- All in One SEO Pro 4.9.6.1 - aioseo.com -->\n\t<meta name=\"description\" content=\"In this year&#039;s Olympics, the difference between medaling and falling short will come down to the mental game. 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