Visualization for Agility – Use your senses…
By: John Cullen
Course visualization is common practice among agility competitors – but have you ever considered using all of your senses while doing it? You’ll get more out of it if you do!
As we move through our environment, whether it is in our home or on an agility course, we all experience it through many different sensory inputs. These inputs, or senses, are our brain’s connection to what’s happening around us.
Think about how we experience something as simple as slicing a lemon. We can see the tiny droplets of lemon juice as the knife splits through the peel. We hear the knife quietly slide through the lemon, finishing with that unique thunk as the blade hits the cutting board. Our finger tips grip the smooth, yet bumpy peel and we feel the moisture of the juice as it flows out. Almost instantly, our nose fills up with that fresh scent of lemon and we can almost taste the bitter sourness of the fruit. So what does this have to do with visualizing an agility course? Here’s what…
One reason that visualization techniques are effective in improving performance is that they allow the brain to practice the skill being visualized. When you visualize, the brain activates many of the same areas needed to actually perform the skill. The brain believes that you are running the agility course. The amount of belief your brain has in your visualization comes down to vividness. How real is it?
Most of the time we don’t pay attention to much of the incoming sensory information our body generates. That’s a good thing since there’s more than we could possibly use. However, hidden from our conscious mind, our brain is continually using that sensory information to make sure we are able to do things like run an agility course, walk up a flight of stairs, or reach for a drink.
When we want to use visualization effectively, we want to give our brains as much of that information as possible. Think of your senses and the information they provide during a run and use that to create vivid images.
- What do you see when you’re running your course? -Obstacles, Dog, Judge?
- What can you hear? -Gate Steward, Dogs barking, Spectators?
- What can you smell? -Grass, Sunscreen?
- How does your body feel? -Muscles and joints working as you run the course?
- How does your mind feel? -Focused, anxious?
No detail is too small. Take a minute the next time you’re about to visualize your run and consider all your senses. You may not be aware of all the sensory inputs needed for a fast and clean run but your brain is. Give it what it needs and boost your performance.
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