Imagery: The Mental Skill That Gives You The Edge
Want to level up your performance without moving a muscle?
That’s what imagery is all about. It’s not just “visualization”—imagery is using all your senses to mentally create or recreate a performance. Yeah, your eyes are powerful, but so are your ears, your muscles, your skin, your nose, and even your taste buds. When you imagine at full power, it’s like playing the game in your mind—without the sweat or soreness.
Why Bother With Imagery?
Because it works—and the best athletes know it.
Over 90% of U.S. and Canadian Olympic athletes use imagery to train their minds (Murphy et al., 1990; Orlick & Partington, 1988).
Top performers use imagery way more often than average ones (Cumming & Hall, 2002).
On average, Olympic-level athletes practice imagery about 4 times a week, for 10 to 15 minutes per session.
Doing both physical training and imagery is more effective than just practicing physically (Hird et al., 1991).
Your brain literally can’t tell the difference between a real experience and a deeply imagined one. That’s why it works.
My Imagery Breakthrough (aka, How I Became a Shooter)
Back in high school, I was not a great shooter—about 60% from the free throw line and too nervous to even shoot threes. Then I went to this super weird basketball camp the summer before junior year.
On day one, they handed us two posters:
A close-up of the rim
A multiple-exposure photo of a ball swooshing through the hoop
We were told to “shoot” 20 free throws at each poster—without a ball. Just stare at the poster, close your eyes, and go through your shooting motion. Perfect form. Perfect swish. Over and over.
I kept doing it every night that fall. By the next season?
90% from the line.
Nothing else had changed—except my mind. I had done thousands of perfect reps in my head.
Why Imagery is a Cheat Code for Athletes
You can do it anywhere—on the bus, lying in bed, during class (sorry teachers).
It never gets tired—your brain doesn’t need rest days.
You always get it right—you can rehearse perfect form every time.
It works when you’re injured—keep training your mind while your body recovers.
How to Start Imagery Today
Here’s a quick routine to try:
Pick a specific skill you want to improve (free throws, a penalty kick, a clean landing, etc.)
Close your eyes and imagine it in high-def. Feel your body. Hear the crowd or the silence. Smell the gym. Go through it like it's real.
Make it perfect. Every time.
Do it for 5–10 minutes, a few times a week.
That’s it. Simple, but powerful.
Bottom Line
If you’re not using imagery yet, you’re leaving free performance gains on the table. It’s a secret weapon—used by the elite, available to everyone. Train your mind like you train your body, and you'll unlock a new level.
In the next few blog posts I’ll be going over some specifics of how to improve your imagery skills, and how and when to use them.
What’s Next?
In the next few blog posts, I’ll break down:
How to get better at imagery (even if you think you “can’t visualize”)
When to use it for maximum impact (before games, during injury recovery, right after a mistake, and more)
How to build your own mental highlight reel so you can rep your best self anytime, anywhere
Stay tuned—your mental game is about to get a serious upgrade. 🔥