You Can Be Anything You Want

We have all heard about the importance of imagery in sports. Laura Wilkinson, an Olympic diver, used imagery in lieu of her daily diving practice when recovering from a broken toe. Wilkinson claims that she broke her toe one month before the Olympics and used imagery on a daily basis. It apparently worked for her; she won the gold!

Imagery can be used to create a visual image of how an athlete feels performing a specific task. It can also be used to create a state of mind and a state of arousal. In its entirety, imagery allows an athlete to use all their senses to practice the experience of performing well. When immersed in imagery, an athlete can experience the sound of the racquet hitting the ball, the feel of the racquet in their hand, the sensation of their feet moving quickly, and the feeling of being confident and alert. Just as stroke repetition creates muscle memory imagery allows practice for the athlete to experience all that they want to experience. It is even possible to practice performing well in a pressure situation, such as a tiebreaker.

To use imagery in a match, you should practice it during clinics, lessons or practice sessions, as well as when you are not on the court. One way to practice is to imagine yourself being a real or imagined character that has the characteristics you would like to have when you are playing. This could be another tennis player that you admire, a fictional character such as a video game character, perhaps an animal or even a super hero.

Let yourself think about the traits or the character you are using and imagine how they would use them on the tennis court. If you were, to use the imagery of a panther, you would imagine yourself being quick, agile and always ready. A panther is known to have keen eyes, is able to observe his environment and react to it. Panthers are not hasty and do not make impulsive decisions. Rather, they will stalk, never fearing their prey and preparing themselves to pounce at exactly the right moment. They don't pounce prematurely and they don't get frustrated when the opportunity is not there.

Should the panther miss its prey, it does not feel unhappy or self-critical. Rather, the panther waits for the next opportunity, knowing that it will come. The panther walks with strong determination, on a light foot. The panther is always ready to advance and does not hesitate or hold back. Wise decisions predominate the panther's actions.

Using the description above, you could readily apply the panther's actions to your tennis game. Imagining yourself as a panther, feeling like a panther, thinking like a panther and moving like a panther. It is important that you find your own image, one that you can relate to. I have known players that have tried a variety of different images that have worked successfully, including a race horse, a rabbit, a video game character and even Colin Powell!

Find an image that's right for you and practice using it to develop a new part of yourself on the court.