{"id":273,"date":"2009-10-30T12:57:16","date_gmt":"2009-10-30T12:57:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/?p=273"},"modified":"2025-08-08T01:29:15","modified_gmt":"2025-08-08T05:29:15","slug":"how-athletes-can-use-mental-imagery-to-help-them-succeed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/how-athletes-can-use-mental-imagery-to-help-them-succeed\/","title":{"rendered":"How Athletes Can Use Mental Imagery To Help Them Succeed"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"600\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/helping-young-athletes-grow-from-mistakes-new-kids-sports-e-book.jpg\" alt=\"Youth Sports Psychology\" class=\"wp-image-3449\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/helping-young-athletes-grow-from-mistakes-new-kids-sports-e-book.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/helping-young-athletes-grow-from-mistakes-new-kids-sports-e-book-300x150.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Using_Positive_Mental_Imagery_For_Success\"><\/span>Using Positive Mental Imagery For Success<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2><div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_84 ez-toc-wrap-center counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/how-athletes-can-use-mental-imagery-to-help-them-succeed\/#Using_Positive_Mental_Imagery_For_Success\" >Using Positive Mental Imagery For Success<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/how-athletes-can-use-mental-imagery-to-help-them-succeed\/#Using_Mental_Imagery\" >Using Mental Imagery<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/how-athletes-can-use-mental-imagery-to-help-them-succeed\/#Related_Articles_on_Kids_Mental_Game\" >Related Articles on Kids&#8217; Mental Game:<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/how-athletes-can-use-mental-imagery-to-help-them-succeed\/#Improve_Your_Mental_Game_From_Anywhere_In_The_World\" >Improve Your Mental Game From Anywhere In The World<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Too often, when young athletes prepare to compete or perform, they imagine in their minds the bad things that might happen to them\u2014like getting beat out by a competitor or missing a critical shot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">What they need to do instead is <strong>visualize success<\/strong>, says Steven Balzac, a <strong>psychology<\/strong> professor and former nationally ranked fencer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>\u201cWhat you imagine is what you get,\u201d<\/em> says Balzac. <em>\u201cIf we imagine <strong>success,<\/strong> we prepare ourselves for <strong>success<\/strong> because that\u2019s what\u2019s in our heads.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But how exactly can sports parents help young athletes do this?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Begin by identifying what <strong>success<\/strong> looks like in your young athlete\u2019s sport, says Balzac.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If there\u2019s a person in your child\u2019s sport who\u2019s <strong>successful,<\/strong> have your young athlete watch that person\u2014on TV, in videos, or in person.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>\u201cWhen I was a competitive fencer, I would watch the really accomplished guys fencing and imagine what they were doing,\u201d<\/em> says Balzac. <em>\u201cI would then shift the image of them doing it to me doing it.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This technique helped Balzac execute moves in the same way the accomplished fencers executed them, he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Hold on, you might say. Not so fast! First of all, your young athletes might not find it so easy to imagine playing like pros!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In fact, they might fall into the trap of imagining just how different they are than the accomplished athletes. They might see themselves doing everything wrong\u2014while the accomplished athletes did everything right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Using_Mental_Imagery\"><\/span>Using Mental Imagery<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That\u2019s common in young athletes, as we mentioned above. Often, they\u2019re more likely to imagine negative things about themselves\u2014not <strong>positive.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When we ask motocross racers to <strong>visualize success<\/strong>, they\u2019ll sometimes create images in their heads of their competitors, and think of all the ways their competitors are more skilled than they are!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If your young athletes can\u2019t just jump into imagining themselves playing like pros, they can try to do it in steps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Balzac helps young athletes get into the proper <strong>mindset<\/strong> by telling a story, scene by scene, he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>\u201cSometimes you have to walk them through it and find a piece of it they can execute in their minds, and then go from there,<\/em>\u201d he explains. <em>\u201cBuild from there.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While he\u2019s doing this, he\u2019s careful to assume that most young athletes use <strong>imagery<\/strong> in different ways. Their <strong>imagery <\/strong>may not involve <strong>visual images,<\/strong> but sounds, smells or touch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To help kids understand what they <strong>focus<\/strong> on when they imagine things in their heads, he asks them what happens when they dream. Do they remember the words, and not the images? Do they remember tastes, or colors or touch?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>\u201cTheir responses give me plenty of information about what works for them and what doesn\u2019t,\u201d<\/em> he says.<em> \u201cIf I\u2019m working with a group, I might describe the scene in different ways. I might ask them to see the beach and feel the waves and smell the seagulls. I build up the scene with different hooks in it.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Once your young athletes feel more comfortable imagining themselves performing like athletes they admire, be careful about one thing:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">They may set up in their minds a very strict idea about how they should perform, and then become frustrated if they aren\u2019t able to do it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Remind them that they don\u2019t have to perform exactly the way they imagined.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-dots\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"related-articles-on-hockey-mental-game\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Related_Articles_on_Kids_Mental_Game\"><\/span>Related Articles on Kids&#8217; Mental Game:<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/how-young-athletes-can-use-mental-imagery-to-boost-performance\/\"><strong>How Young Athletes Can Use Mental Imagery to Boost Performance<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/positive-mental-imagery-for-young-athletes\/\"><strong>Positive Mental Imagery for Young Athletes<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/how-young-athletes-benefit-from-mental-imagery\/\"><strong>How Young Athletes Benefit From Mental Imagery<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\" id=\"block-f49818fa-7c7a-4ee3-b5ee-66581aad2c71\">*Subscribe to\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/sports-psychology-podcast-by-peaksports-com\/id152566009\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>The Sports Psychology Podcast<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0on iTunes<br>*Subscribe to <a href=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/show\/0ynyaalKxbnNmsoeL8gF5X?si=8224669de9b3435b\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>The Sports Psychology Podcast<\/strong><\/a> on Spotify<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-css-opacity is-style-dots\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Improve_Your_Mental_Game_From_Anywhere_In_The_World\"><\/span><strong>Improve Your Mental Game From Anywhere In The World<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/mental-training-for-young-athletes.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-6868\" style=\"width:138px;height:auto\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We\u2019re certain that, as a parent,&nbsp;you want to help your child develop confidence and discipline in sports and life.&nbsp;And as a sports parent, you\u2019d love for your children to reach their potential in sports.&nbsp;But encouraging your child to <strong>strive for greatness without pressuring them<\/strong> can be a challenge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You can get expert mental coaching with us from anywhere. Meet with us via Zoom, Skype, FaceTime or phone call. With today\u2019s video technology, we are able to connect with athletes and coaches all over the globe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Call Us Today to Schedule Your Free 15-Minute Session.<\/strong><br><strong>Find Out How Your Athlete Can Benefit From One-on-One Mental Coaching!<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Using Positive Mental Imagery For Success Too often, when young athletes prepare to compete or perform, they imagine in their minds the bad things that might happen to them\u2014like getting beat out by a competitor or missing a critical shot. What they need to do instead is visualize success, says &#8230; <a title=\"How Athletes Can Use Mental Imagery To Help Them Succeed\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/how-athletes-can-use-mental-imagery-to-help-them-succeed\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about How Athletes Can Use Mental Imagery To Help Them Succeed\">Read Sport Psychology Tip<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3448,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[13,7,6],"tags":[85,257,253,84,117],"class_list":["post-273","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mental-training","category-sports-psychology-for-kids","category-youth-sports-psychology-blog","tag-mental-imagery","tag-mental-training","tag-youth-sports-psychology-blog","tag-visualization","tag-youth-sports-psychology","resize-featured-image"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t<!-- All in One SEO Pro 4.9.7.2 - aioseo.com -->\n\t<meta name=\"description\" content=\"When young athletes prepare to compete or perform they may imagine in their minds the bad things that might happen to them. 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