“So,” I inquire of this eminent rabble, “Do you practice visualization to
improve your ultimate game?”

Everybody agrees that yes, in fact, they do practice visualization as part of a general approach to ultimate. Well, I should say everybody agrees except for Rob, who alternately thinks that the idea is absolute bullshit or that it refers to the conjuring of sexual fantasies. Regardless, he considers the entire topic hysterically funny and launches into a litany of raunchy jokes. Rob is on his fifth beer.

But there is less agreement about what visualization consists of or how to go about it. Some players go over what has just happened after a game and think about things they might have done better, while others use visualization to psych themselves up before a game, imagining a performance that they hope to achieve.

“When I’m daydreaming at work or something,” says Andy, “I’ll think about how to improve my game. I’ll take off my hat and move it around like it’s the disc in my hands.”

“I imagine myself, or someone better than me, out on the field doing certain plays perfectly,” Aaron says. “I also think about getting hot and sweaty and tired but remaining totally pumped.”

“I like to visualize hot and sweaty pumping too,” Rob adds, grinding out a little hip action for emphasis. We ignore him completely.

“I use it during a game,” says Mooney. “So, when I’m about to huck, I imagine the perfect throw just before I actually do it.”

“Really?” asks KB. “I don’t think about it at the time I’m doing it. It’s usually after a game
driving home or something and I’ll think about things I could have done better.”

“For me it’s more like channeling my energy, or focusing,” Meridith says. “Sometimes during the game or maybe before when I’m putting on my cleats, I’ll think ‘Okay – the disc is mine’ where I’m focusing on being more aggressive, say on defense, because that’s what I want to improve.”

“I guess the question really has to be, what is visualization?” says Jeff.
“I think about ultimate all the time, but does that really qualify? I mean,
isn’t it something more intentional? I think that’s where imagery adds value.”

Imagery is basically picturing things in our minds without physically doing it. Imagery can be an effective training tool for enhancing athletic performance. The principle underlying imagery is that you can create and strengthen neural pathways important to the coordination of muscles with input purely from your imagination.

Various uses of imagery in sports include: practicing specific performance skills, improving confidence and positive thinking, problem solving to correct errors, controlling arousal and anxiety, reviewing
and analyzing performance, and maintaining mental focus. Imagery can also be used as a substitute for real practice when you are injured or cannot train any other way. Imagining an activity before doing it has several advantages. First, it forces you to focus on the perfect completion of the skill. Second, it reminds you of the details involved in perfect execution of
the skill, and third, it helps you to detect faults in your actual performance.

Visual imagery works because repeated visualization can create neural patterns in the brain just as if you had actually performed the physical action. During physical practice, transmitters along a particular
neuromuscular pathway are stimulated every time your brain sends a message down that pathway. Subsequent stimulation along the pathway cumulates, so repeated physical practice leads to improvement - that is until fatigue develops and starts to produce interference. This improvement can also take place with repeated trials of imagery. The only difference between imagery and physical practice appears to be that they produce different levels of intensity. Imagery by itself is not as beneficial as physical practice is by itself. However, research demonstrates that the most improvement is made when combined with physical practice and when some specific tactics are used.

Imagine vividly
The first important tactic of good imagery is that the imagery should be as vivid as possible. The terms ‘imagery’ and ‘visualization’ can be misleading as they give the impression that only the visual sense should be used. Actually, as many senses as possible should be engaged to make the images seem realistic, including touch, sound, smell, taste, and body position. So, for example, imagine the details of sensations related to running long to chase down a huck.

Hear the sound of your cleats as you sprint down the field and the sound of your defender falling further behind you; feel the burn of your muscles as you accelerate and lengthen your stride; taste the saltiness of sweat at the corners of your mouth. Glance down for a foot check as you cut deep to the corner; look up for the disc and feel that the sun makes you squint. Finally, hear the sound the disc makes and the feel of the plastic when you clamp it tight in your grip. The more color, detail, and other sensory information you include in the image, the more effective it will be. Including the rich detail of the performance environment (orange cones, white lines, etc.) is also a good idea.

Perceive from an internal perspective
Imagine yourself from an internal perspective, rather than from a remote vantage point, watching yourself perform. Let’s say you’re imagining the perfect mark; you will be more connected to the imagery…if you envision yourself perfectly balanced on the balls of your feet, knees bent, arms outstretched, hands low…if you hear yourself breathing and then slowing down your breath…if you can see the color of your opponent’s eyes as they fake…and if you feel the slap of the plastic against the flat of your palm as you block their throw.

Practice, practice, practice
The more you practice using imagery, the better you get at it. Research shows that imagery is most effective for those who practice it regularly and consider themselves to be good imagers. Further, when practicing imagery, practice the same thing over and over. The more persistently you repeat an image, the deeper cut that neural pathways will become and the more likely that it will be your dominant response. While deliberate imagery practice sessions should be frequent, they don’t have to last very long. Imagery is most effective if practice sessions are at least 1 minute long but no more than 5 to 10 minutes.

Only imagine perfection
Practicing wrong images increases one’s tendency to perform errors. An event has to be accurately represented for the effects of imagery to transfer beneficially to a real lifesituation. This is a good reason to limit negative rumination about mistakes and instead spend your energy visualizing perfect execution.

This of course implies that you must first know what the prototype is that you are trying to obtain. For example, in order to visualize cutting hard away from your defender, it makes sense to first observe and then practice the cutting style that you are trying to achieve. It is for this reason that imagery works best with experienced athletes - because they have more first-hand experience and knowledge of perfect performance, so they are able to imagine the details of the experience more vividly. You also must be sure to imagine the entire sequence and not just the consequences of your performance. Visualizing that you have scored will not get you very far without imagining the sequence of behavior that leads up to it. One further note, mentally practicing a particular activity while actually watching the situation in which it will be performed has an enhancing effect upon the rate of learning.

So next time you’re sitting on the sideline guzzling a beer and watching a game, take a minute to imagine yourself cutting hard to the open space, stepping sideways to break the mark, or laying out to make the D.

Hang loose
Keep a focused but relaxed awareness when you
are practicing imagery. Remember that visualization works best when you are calm and relaxed.

There is not a single perfect method for practicing mental imagery. A lot is left up to individual preference and circumstances. It can be done on or off the field; standing, sitting, or lying down; with eyes open or shut; in complete silence or with some music on in the background. Imagery practice sessions that are longer and more specific are usually designed for completion in a quiet place. You should determine the specific sequence and details of the imagery beforehand: you might want to write them down. You should determine the intended outcome of the event. If you are learning a particular throw, break it down into parts and then see the final execution. If you need to be more aggressive under pressure, vividly imagine yourself being exactly that in a competitive situation.

One way imagery can be practiced is by lying down in a quiet room, fully relaxed with closed eyes. Breathe deeply. Imagine the specific sequence and details you have outlined. Focus on the most desirable performance aspects and their positive and successful completion. Vividly imagine the sequence, enhancing it further with details of the performance environment. Imagine it in slow motion at first so you are sure to include all essential details. Consider and associate a positive mood with the action. Rehearse the imagery for the particular activity, perfectly and in its entirety. Now do it again, but faster. And again, so that you are practicing at game intensity. Practice so that you are responding quickly and accurately. Deliberately rehearse the same imagery several times a week. Increase the volume of rehearsal to several times per day prior to competition. A shorter version of imagery, lasting only a few seconds, can be used during a game.

Visualization is an effective mental technique that will raise the level of your game. If your basic skills and understanding of ultimate are solid and, if you practice, imagery can improve your motor skills, increase self-confidence and enhance your field capabilities.
A hui hou.
— Dr. Leigh Jerome

Leigh is a psychologist, writer,
tremendous hostess, and avid player living in Hawaii.