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When can Mental Imagery be Effectively Utilized? Mental imagerycan be effective from the first instance that a new skill is learned tothe highest levels of performance! The goal of imagery training atdifferent stages of the skill development process can however be quitedifferent.A Performance Replay type of imagery istypically more effective when you have a reasonably good understandingof (and some degree of practice in) the skills that you are trying toperfect. If you have little or no understanding of the technique thatyou are trying to perfect, you will likely not benefit to as great adegree from Performance Imagery training. In fact, you could even beimpeding your ability to learn the skill because you are mentallyrehearsing that skill without really understanding what you need to dofrom an execution point of view to improve your performance. Your mentalimages may be all over the map – and incorrect – from a technique pointof view. Let us consider a typical scenario that is played-outon playgrounds throughout the country virtually every day…that of anovice baseball player just learning how to hit the ball with a bat.Even the youngest child has some idea of what the outcome of the skillis supposed to look like because they have watched adults or otherchildren execute the skill with some success. They generally understandthat the ball is supposed to be struck with the bat and it is supposedto take off!Typically the farther, the better! The pressure is on intheir own mind to perform because kids (and even us adults)automatically tend to measure our own self-worth by the outcome of theirperformance. Often,this self-judgment is reinforced by the behavior andcomments of some of the adults involved.When such a complexbatting skill is first being acquired however,not all children easilymaster the motor control needed to strike a ball with an implement. Forsome, it may take some time to even make contact with the ball. Here aretwo possible scenarios that could describe, at the extremes of thecontinuum, the circumstances of such a learning experience:Theparent or coach becomes progressively more frustrated that the child isnot hitting the ball and the increased frustration is expressed byverbal commands that become more abrupt or long-winded and are deliveredwith a ‘harder’ tone of voice. The focus of the adult’s feedback becomesoverly technical and centers on an elbow here, a knee there, a hipelsewhere. Perhaps the catcalls by other children begin…The parentor coach uses feedback that focuses the child’s mind on the relaxedrhythm of the swing and on the fun challenge of swinging through, simplytrying to make contact with the ball.Progress is realized byfirst having the child just tap the ball with an easy motion and littleback swing and proceeds in gradual increments that allow success. Effort and the willingness to try are verbally rewarded and reinforced rather than only the outcome of the attempt – whether or not or how far the ball flies…Thetwo scenarios above are offered only to provide a backdrop to brieflyconsider the performance consequences that could result in response tothe type of imagery that very likely would be produced in the child’smind in these situations.In the first scenario, the sense offailure that the child may feel at never properly ‘connecting’ with theball (fueled by comments like“Get out there and whack that ball a mile,son!” and the real or imagined frustration shown by the parent or coach;catcalls by peers;etc.) leads to emotional anxiety and imagery that isassociated with not being able to get the job done. The imageryassociated with this mindset depicts fear, clumsy movements, poor rhythmand timing, etc.This failure-dominated imagery naturally leads tophysical tension –remember the pendulum – and this makes the task ofhitting the ball with a relaxed swing that much more difficult. Doesit mean that in these high-pressure situations, the child won’t be ableto hit the ball? Obviously not. But the physical reactions that aregenerated by the negative imagery created in their mind in response tothis situation, will make it more difficult for them to be successful inexecuting the task properly. The poor kid can’t wait for his/her turn tobe over so that can extricate themselves from this pressure-filled,failure-focused situation. For many children, repeated exposure to thistype of pressure leads them not to even want to play anymore and whenthey do try, they often pre-determine the outcome of any attempt bysabotaging their performance every time… “See, I told you I couldn’t doit!” But how is the second scenario different? In the secondscenario, input or feedback from the coach or parent serves to implantdominant thoughts into the child’s mind that are associated with beingrelaxed, having fun, playing with an easy rhythm or flow to theirmovements, etc. These are underlying feelings and behaviors that wouldincrease the likelihood that the child would more effectively learn theskill from a technical point of view, because this is the mindset thatpredisposes them to more easily acquire the nervous system training(often called ‘neural grooving’) that will lead them to perfect theskill of swinging a bat and striking a ball overtime.Moreover, because the focus of the feedback (and it’s associated mental imagery) is directed to the effort theyput into the task and their willingness to try rather than the outcomeof the attempt, the consequences from the child’s point of view are notdire but in fact are rewarding…so long as they give it their all. Wheneffort is reinforced and rewarded, especially in the early stages ofskill acquisition, kids are more than happy to come back and tryagain…and with practice, most everyone can continue to develop theirskills and improve their performance.Think back to the firsttime you yourself tried to learn a complex physical skill, even as anadult. What mindset predisposed you to learning that skill moreeffectively? It is likely that a relaxed,focused, and eager mentalpredisposition would help you to learn the skill more easily. What doyou think the prospects of acquiring that skill would be however, if youwere physically tense, tentative, and worried excessively that you wouldnot be able to learn the skill or that you might come across as an‘uncoordinated boob’ to others who might be watching you? Do you reallythink that our children are any different?When a young playerfirst attempts to acquire a complex skill, the focus of their mentalpreparation should be oriented toward Psychological Imagery, with afocus on being relaxed, loose, and having fun. This is something thatthey can usually get their head around fairly easily without yet fullyunderstanding what the technical aspects of the skill are. As theirtechnical proficiency improves,training typically responds well to amix of Psychological Imagery and a progressive introduction ofPerformance Imagery. As their skill level improves, the coach or parentcan cue them to gradual improvements in technique when these aredemonstrated and when they are successful in executing correctly, getthem to describe how they think it looked and how it felt doing it thatway. The idea is to focus on the look and feel ofwhat success or ‘excellence’ is like. As the kids becomemore accomplished and skillful, both Performance Imagery andPsychological Imagery are used extensively. Are There Any Potential Pitfalls to Using Imagery?Youshould be aware however that there are potential pitfalls when you usePerformance Imagery in particular, to supplement actual practice. Thefirst pitfall relates to the quality or ‘accuracy’ of the imagery youassociate in your mind with the physical performance. Let us assume forthe sake of discussion that you are working on the execution of yourgolf swing, but don’t really have a good understanding of what thatswing should look like from a technical point of view. Whetheryour imagery is ‘faulty’ or not, your body will attempt to replicate thephysical actions that derive from that imagery. That is why I mentionedpreviously that Performance Imagery is not as effective (and may even becounterproductive) in the early phase of learning a new skill. Once youhave a better understanding of the technique involved, then PerformanceImagery can have a beneficial effect. This seems straightforwardenough.  A less obvious pitfall however, involves usingPerformance Imagery associated with the correct technical execution of askill… but only under ideal conditions. I can illustrate what I mean bythis with the following example, again related to the golf swing. Letus assume your skill level is good and that you have a good sense ofwhat technique is required when making the perfect Tee shot.In yourmental practice (imagery training), you replay the look and feel of whatyou consider the perfect shot from the Tee and you do this frequently.You mentally ‘groove’ the perfect Tee shot! Then you find yourself outon the course and have to dig a shot out of a bunker with a short iron.If the only shot you have mentally practiced is the Tee shot, it will behard for you to adapt your shot to the different technical profilerequired for a bunker shot.So the imagery you use needs to be related to the process ofexecution but it is also important that you allow for diversityand spontaneity in your mental imagery. Don’t make the mistake of“playing and replaying” your actions under a set of constant – and ideal–conditions. Some individuals imagine the same ‘ideal’ situationeach time and if you run only one scenario in your mind, you maybe influenced to perform according to the limiting neural imprint setin your mind by the repetition of that one motor program. If you dothis,you won’t be as prepared to be dynamic and adaptable as youaccommodate the variety of conditions and situations that confront youduring such actions. Instead, picture hitting the ball correctly fromdifferent lies, on the fairway or in the rough, in the sand trap, etc…and in each case build an imagery library that reflects excellencein execution, regardless of the situation. The same thing applies tothe coach and parent who is trying to direct the use of imagery bychildren trying to perform complex skills. As their proficiencyimproves,introduce variations in the imagery model that they canpractice based upon the differing demands inherent in performing thesetasks.Encourage kids to mentally rehearse situations that theymay often find are problematic, that demand versatility and adaptabilityon their part, and that challenge their skills to the fullest. The morethey“see themselves” in these difficult situations and the more theysee themselves being successful in dealing with these challenges, themore they establish a mindset that facilitates their correctperformance when these situations arise in reality. When the imagerythey develop is correct and clear, their potential to push the “limits”of their skills and capabilities is increased. Under thesecircumstances, it can help to exaggerate the images to some degree. Forexample, a golfer might “see” the cup as being 12 inches in diameter,making it impossible not to drop their putt into the center of the cup.They can slow the action of the putt down so they can increase theprecision of their shot. Once their imagination is under control, theycan start to execute the action with precision and confidence.