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Many people have made use of the power of visualization to help them perform at their peak. This technique is favourably applied in the area of competitive sports where it is known as ’mental rehearsal’.

Here’s an example illustrating the application of the technique and power of visualization

For many years, the Russians had always won and dominated the gymnastics event in the Olympic Games. The Americans trained just as hard and could not understand how the Russians were always able to perform at levels near perfection.

It was only much later that the Americans discovered that the Russians employed sports psychologists who contributed by designing mental training techniques as part of their regime.

The Russians’ used a secret technique of spending a few hours a day visualizing themselves doing the perfect jumps, twists and landings. This technique largely contributed to them to displaying performances that were always near perfection!

Today, all top athletes use the power of visualization to perform at their peak.

Another famous example, professional golf player Tiger Woods also talks about how he visualizes himself hitting the perfect ball and watching it land, even before he actually swings his club.

Mental vs. Physical Training

There was an experiment done comparing mental training with actual physical training. A group of men were divided randomly into three basketball teams. They were asked to shoot from the free throw line and their scores were recorded. For the next three weeks, each team went through a different training routine.

The first team physically trained for four hours. The second team did not shoot any hoops physically but imagined themselves shooting perfect shots for two hours a day. The third team was the control group so they were asked not to train at all.

After three weeks, the 3 different teams were retested and their scores recorded. The first team that trained physically scored an average improvement of 30%.

The second team that trained mentally also scored an average improvement of 30%. The third team showed no signs of improvement at all.

This experiment showed that mental training is amazingly as effective as actual physical practice. And if you were to combine both aspects, there could be astonishing improvements in results.

Visualization is a useful and powerful technique anyone could benefit from. Now that you are aware of this technique, use and learn it. It will definitely give you a competitive edge. Through proper study and application of this technique, we will be able to bring about greater changes and results in all aspects of our life