Visualisation - believing is seeing

Visualisation

“Visualisation” (or mental imagery) is the process of creating a scene in the player’s mind of what they want to happen and how they are going to achieve it.

The technique has been used at many different levels by athletes in many sports to help them focus on the outcome they desire and the route by which they are going to achieve it. It is a very effective way of bringing each individual’s focus back onto the task at hand.

In a stop-start game like rugby, it can be hugely beneficial to help players “zone in” after a break. You can use very simple visualisation techniques on and off the pitch to improve your players' concentration and performances.

Visualisation in training

Taking backs moves as an example, these simple practical ideas can be applied to any other facet of the game. Get your players to run through the team’s full repertoire of moves without a ball. This will feel very strange to start with, but it will allow them to concentrate on their angles, movement and timing without having to worry about catching, passing and throwing. This will ingrain their individual movements into them which will make off field visualisation easier.

Once they have their own movements perfected, move everyone around so they can experience the same move from another position. This gives them more insight into how the move works and how each individual’s actions affect everyone else. Once the players have become comfortable with what they are doing, get them together and discuss something totally irrelevant. Then get them to run the move again and see who has been able to focus back in and who hasn’t.

Visualisation away from training

Using visualisation in training gives players a mental picture of their actions, which they can use when they are away from the training pitch. This is where visualisation can be such an effective tool.

Your players can spend time individually visualising their actions wherever they are. You should see a rapid improvement in their performance of set piece moves as they improve their personal visualisation skills.

Encourage players to visualise things during breaks at work or while on the bus. It’s important they can focus in on the important details and ignore any distractions.

Visualisation during games

This is more advanced and requires your players to be comfortable with the process. It requires your decision makers to make their set-piece calls as early as possible, so they will need to have confidence and experience in what to call and where and when.

As soon as the call is made, players spend two or three seconds visualising the move and their part in it. It is then a case of executing the move as visualised.

Defence is a key area of the game where players often switch off mentally, sometimes with disastrous consequences. The same visualisation techniques can be applied here before and during games.