Mental Imagery in Basketball

“A key basketball skill is imagery. The best players “see” situations before they happen so they can be prepared” Dr. Jack Ramsay, American college basketball coach

Imagery is one of the greatest tools used in sport psychology for basketball to achieve goals.

Mental imagery can be used to enhance performance through mental preparation.

Imagery can also be effective when learning a new basketball skill or improving on existing skills through mentally practicing it over and over in your head.

What is Mental Imagery?

Mental imagery and visualization are not abstract concepts but quantifiable and well documents in sports psychology.

According to sports psychology, mental imagery is the “cognitive rehearsal of a task in the absence of overt physical movement.” In other words, everything that can be visualized is a form of mental imagery.

Imagery can be:

• Internal- Imagining the execution of a skill from your viewpoint
• External- Viewing yourself from the point of view of a third person

Most athletes already use mental imagery naturally, though often not in a systematic or purposeful manner.

Similar to physical skills, mental skills such as imagery needs to be practiced on a regular base so it is second nature when the pressure is on.

Imagery Techniques For Success

All top-performing athletes know the importance of imagery. They are aware that they must first succeed in their minds before they can succeed on the court.

Imagery is not something you can do one time and expect it to be effective. It is a skill that needs to be developed over time.

It requires consistent practice and commitment. Practicing about 10 to 15 minutes every day, if not more, will firmly embed those images in your mind.

By seeing yourself succeed you program and prepare your subconscious to move towards success.

Here are some basketball psychology techniques you can use to master mental imagery in basketball:

• Communicate your basketball goals: Those who write down their goals regularly achieve success at a significantly higher level than those who do not. By doing this, you can more easily imagine them for some on-the-go inspiration. Share your goals with teammates to help hold you accountable
• Imagine your final goal: Continuously reimagining and repeating those goals to yourself will help with the visualization process. Learn how to focus your mind on your goal. After that, your goal is the only thing in your head that gets your full focus.
• Envision the whole process required to achieve your goals: Get as detailed as possible, concentrate on the entire process of achieving your goals. Visualize the goal setting, the planning, the preparation, your internal discussions, and the final goal. You will be best prepared for success if you visualize the obstacles you’ll face along the way and how you will overcome them.
• Feel success and experience it: Visualize yourself performing at your absolute peak and anchor the experience to the real competition. You must know the joys of success and live them every time you imagine.
• Connect to your ideal learning state: Rehearse and prepare based on your visualizations, bring them to life, start testing them in practice, achieve small wins first, and start building on these. 

There is a strong link between imagery and performance.

Imagery enhances the performance of well-rehearsed skills, according to research by Phillip Post, associate professor in the Kinesiology and Dance Department in the College of Education at New Mexico State University.

The research suggests that imagery is effective in enhancing learner’s skill acquisition of tasks that contain greater cognitive elements, such as tasks that require decision making or remembering a sequence or pattern.

Mastering imagery will elevate your game to the next level.

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