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might mean feeling the cold air, hearing the cheering crowds,
and imagining going down the slope with speed and precision.
In some cases, the athletes actually move their arms and legs as
they would during their event, while simply standing in their
room or waiting in a line. Olympic skier Emily Cook told
The
New York Times
, “We’re all up there flapping our arms. It looks
insane, but it works.”
Imagery techniques are not just for competition. Sports
psychologists sometimes have athletes imagine seeing a broken
bone or other injury heal. They might also help the athletes deal
with the fear of failure. After working with sports psychologist
Nicole Detling, Cook developed an image to help overcome fear.
She imagined her fear as a big red balloon, which in her mind
she popped with a pin.
Sports psychologists also give athletes techniques for
relaxing before an event. These can include deep-breathing
exercise, and progressive relaxation. Sports psychologist JoAnn
Dahlkoetter also encourages athletes to stay focused on the
present moment, whether during training or a competition. As
she wrote in the Huffington Post, “Instead of replaying past
mistakes, or worrying about the future, let past and future events
fade into the background. Be right on, right here, right now ….
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R
ealities of the
W
orkplace