Virtual Reality Training is Proven to Aid Sports Performance Through Visualization
Everybody should adopt the practice of visualization.
From athletes to entrepreneurs, and everything in between. Some of the world’s most successful human beings practice the art of picturing themselves in the future surrounded by an abundance of success.
It’s not enough to simply think about achieving success. Rather it is imperative that you put your mind through a vivid simulation of what your ideal future should hold.
Speaker and Maximum Performance Strategist, Matt Mayberry documented how he would prepare his mind for an athletic event:
“We were led through a series of visualization techniques and practices led by a sports psychologist. Right away, I started to experience the incredible benefits of taking the time to picture myself succeeding before actually playing in the game. I visualized every little detail, from walking into the locker room, tying my cleats and having conversations with my teammates and coaches.
“I would picture myself having the “perfect” game, executing the defensive game plan and making big plays. The more vivid I was, the better I seemed to play. I couldn’t believe it. Before the game even started, I had already played the entire game in my mind. This made a tremendous difference because it greatly increased my confidence and comfort level.”
Mayberry has used that same tactic when preparing for speeches and presentations. You see, visualization works in all scenarios, not just sports.
According to a study conducted by TD Bank, one in five small business owners used a vision board or other visual representation when starting their business and 76% of those business owners said that their business is where they envisioned it would be when they started it.
Furthermore, 82% of small business owners that used a vision board from the get-go reported that they have accomplished more than half the goals they included on that board.
While vision boards, pictures, and your imagination are great, none compare to the simulation virtual reality can provide in terms of visualization.
One of the reasons Mayberry and all of those small business owners use visualization is to give them an added kick of confidence. If they simulate in their minds that they will be successful then they will have a better chance of believing it and an even greater boost in confidence levels.
Virtual Reality Will Become the Ultimate Visualization Tool…
It has already given the U.S. Olympic Ski and Snowboarding teams the confidence they needed when gearing up for the Olympic games.
“The feedback we have from our athletes suggests that the biggest benefit of using VR is building confidence,” said Troy Taylor, High-Performance Director at U.S. Ski & Snowboard. “They feel they know the courses they will race on better, so when they come to ski on it during a race they enter the start gate with an increased confidence level. That is a big part of competition, having the confidence to attack parts of the course where you can find time, so that’s a clear benefit.”
PGA Tour player Rickie Fowler, who partnered with Success Series to create virtual reality golf lessons, knows all about high-pressure situations and sees the potential in VR for other verticals.
“The way we shot it and how close the cameras are, it’ll feel like you can reach out and almost interrupt the swing that I’m about to make,” Fowler said. “Virtual reality is pretty cool to see, through video games to movies, and to now see what’s possible with us being able to connect on a different level with fans who want to learn not just golf but other platforms and other sports.”
Imagine the ability to simulate a high-stress event and practice it over-and-over until you are comfortable. Said event could be a speech or making a clutch play in a game…regardless it is difficult to simulate the true vision of those events with just pictures or your imagination alone.
To truly capture that moment you’ll want to experince the 360 degree view along with the sounds and other details that accompany the event you wish to simulate. Only through VR will you truly capture the moment.
Virtual/Augmented/Mixed reality will allow people to step outside of this world into a new dimension. One where they can truly envision themselves as successful.
Virtual reality will never truly replace a live event. But what it will become is a powerful asset to teams, athletes and maybe even business owners (someday) to train their mind in the art of visualization.
