Focus Like A Champion
A Page from Dr. D. Coffey’s Mental Performance Playbook

Using imagery in your mental preparation is pivotal to establishing a positive mindset and improving overall focus.

Visualizing is the practice of complete concentration on your thoughts about a particular scenario and your reactions to that specific scenario. Since you maintain control of your thoughts, you direct the course of imagining each scenario and your perfect response to the situation. This fortifies mental toughness by keeping your thoughts and focus entirely on your best response to any circumstance.

No time is wasted on thoughts of failure, shortcomings, or loss. All mental energy is spent building a zone like focus on positive responses to adverse situations.

When you formulate an imagery exercise, it is essential to understand there are two types, and both offer different advantages when utilized properly.

• Internal imagery refers to the experience of visualizing an athletic performance from your perspective. It is the most common and incorporates all your senses. What does it feel like to catch the pass or kick the game-winning goal? What do some distractions, such as crowd noise, sound like, and how does that affect your concentration? As you envision different obstacles, you can plan your most positive response. Visualize how your body “feels” during your perfect response. When you face your true competition, you merely act out an already-planned reaction. This diminishes the power of any surprise obstacle, as you have already lived out your response in your mind.

• External imagery requires you to look at yourself and your performance from the outside as if you were watching from the audience. Visualizing externally builds mental toughness by allowing an objective viewpoint and eliminating excuses or emotions. It’s not how you felt or how hard you tried, but instead, it is like watching a film as you meet your performance potential. External imagery creates confidence by allowing the mind to “see,” but more importantly, believe you possess the capacity for success.

Elite athletes use imagery exercises to create a planned response to any situation. This alleviates stress, which diminishes the ability to focus. Mental preparation is critical to developing a zone-like focus. It’s better to look ahead and prepare than to look back and regret.

The key to creating effective imagery exercises is in the answer to these questions:

• What is/are my biggest obstacle(s)?
• What is my biggest fear?
• What does the best me look like?

The answers to these questions will drive the process of visualizing; however, most importantly, the answers will help you design the mental response needed for a clear image in the mind.

Mental toughness occurs as your mind works through adverse or difficult situations. Your fears lessen once you face them and develop a plan for overcoming them.

Anything standing between you and your full potential should be processed first in the mind. This creates a positive mindset, which provides the capacity for developing a zone-like focus; hence, the focus is on necessary goals, not unnecessary fears.

ACTION PLAN FOR SUCCESS
Find a quiet place where you will not be interrupted for 20 – 30 minutes.
Ask yourself the questions above.
See yourself positively responding to the question.

All The Best!
Dr. Delice Coffey
Psychologist & Mental Game Coach

IG – instagram.com/drdcoffey FB- facebook.com/drdcoffey
Website – MindsetSportsPsychology.com
YouTube – YouTube.com/c/DrDeliceCoffey

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