“I visualize things in my mind before I have to do them. It’s like having a mental workshop.” Jack Youngblood, American former professional football player

Imagery, along with goal setting, positive self-talk, and relaxation methods are popular in the field of sport psychology and mental skills training.

Imagery can be a helpful tool in the football mental game.

Since imagery appears abstract and involves the mind, there are groups of believers and non-believers. This has led to the technique being under-utilized and practiced in the sporting world.

What is Mental Imagery Anyway?

Imagery is a type of mental processing.

It allows you to store information about what you perceive and do, using all of your senses.
Imaging techniques allow parallel processing of vast amounts of information not possible with analytical thinking, which relies on serial processing.

Imagery involves mentally seeing your performance as you want it to be.

It allows you to practice in your mind before you perform, and to see yourself perform at your best.

Imagery helps you clear your mind of distractions, focus on what you are going to do and be fully prepared to do it your game.

How to Use Mental Imagery?

It starts with visualizing your best game, hearing the gallery applause, holding the trophy, and giving interviews.

You can program your mindset for great success by following these football psychology techniques:

1. Visualize overcoming obstacles. Give yourself a clear picture of your ability to pick yourself up. Imagine himself grinding out a good shot after a poor start, knowing that the capacity to do that is critical to your long-term success in football.

2. Make the obstacles specific. Mentally rehears scoring a rushing touchdown or defensive plays to help your team score.

3. Limit self-criticism. It is easy to beat yourself up or get down for mistakes. Top performers spend very little time doing that. They are fully immersed in the next play, and they let the past be the past. After a mishap, quickly shift to preparing for the next play.

4. Practice patience. Success rarely happens all at once, and building this mindset is key to picking yourself back up. You’re not going to have everything be easy and successful right away.

5. Collect memories of success. When you practice mentally, your brain is wired to succeed. Remember all the victories big and small.

6. Relax. When you have prepared as well as you can physically and mentally, you will perform well and bounce back quickly. Relaxing helps you let all of the preparation and self-belief flow and be in the present.

7. Manage expectations. To control your emotions, play without expectations. Follow the process of preparing as well as possible and staying present. Believe in yourself and conquer.

8. Give yourself positive feedback. When you battle through adversity, remind yourself that you can do it. Repeat positive mantras and affirmations.

Sports psychology for football shows that imagery affects your nervous system in similar ways as the actual performance.

The brain interprets the movements you imagine, exciting the same muscle patterns used as if you were actually performing the skill or competing.

If you combine imagery techniques with physical conditioning, your football confidence will be richly awarded; your game will soar to the next level, and you will outperform your competition.

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