The Importance of Visualization in Tournament Preparation
WPH Instructional, Tucson, AZ
The WPH is thrilled to continue the WPH Tournament Preparation Series, taking you inside the tournament preparation required to achieve optimal performance. In the WPH Tournament Preparation Series, you will learn what it takes for the sport’s best to condition themselves for the physical and mental rigors of pro level competition.
On this edition of the WPH Tournament Preparation Series, our experts and current and former pro players will discuss Visualization, specifically how they envision their matches in the days and weeks leading up to a tournament and during tournaments.
Defining Visualization and Illustrating Visualization’s Benefits
According to Peak Performance Sports (HERE), visualization in sports is a way of conditioning your brain for successful outcomes. Peak Performance Sports asserts that the more you mentally rehearse your performance, the more it becomes habituated in your mind, while eliminating the competitive anxiety that cripples many athletes. Much like a walk through or a warm-up for the body, visualization is a preparation experience for the brain.
Eli Straw of Success Starts Within (HERE) believes that visualization is about imagination and the ability to create mental scenes, in which you are the director with the outcome dictated in the manner you decide. Straw believes that visualization 1) reduces stress and anxiety, 2) helps you manage pressure, 3) helps during injury recovery, 4) promotes relaxation, 5) improves skill mastery, 6) expedites injury recovery.
Inner Drive HERE believes that visualization allows athletes to build and stay confident, motivate them by creating a vision, grows muscle strength by enhancing cortical output signal, increased focus of attention, reduces fear, enables athletes to be more positive, disciplined, organized and more aware, and helps to manage pain and performance endurance.
For more on Visualization, visit Dr. Dan Zimet’s WPH Wrap Around Visualization HERE
How Several of the Current and Past Handball Pros Benefit from Visualization
6-Time R48 Champion and 2022 R48 Player’s Champion Martin Mulkerrins
Visualization is very powerful and I use it to better my own performance and when I am teaching different shots or serves to students or other players I often say “picture it”. I think a lot about Handball, different shots and how I can include them in my own game. I find that having access to footage from matches can be great from a visualization perspective. It is not always the most “fun” aspect of training but video analysis can help with “skill rehearsal” as you can see how opponents play and visualize what shots to play against them. Usually I try to focus on myself when I watch back matches I played so that I can identify areas for improvement and visualize or “picture” those serves/shots/movements. When I am preparing for a match, I have my game plan for each opponent and visualization is helpful in preparing to implement the plan i.e. serves, shots etc.
Current R48 #12 and 2023 Race 4 Eight Rookie of the Year Mark Doyle
Last spring I started to work with a sport psychologist in school in Mankato and she worked on some visualization techniques with me. She had me visualizing my morning routine and warm up routine the day of a big game and such. Also years ago I remember watching a handball instructional video and it talked about visualizing yourself hitting your serve and visualizing where the ball ends up as you are in the servers box about to serve the ball and I find that helps me when I’m struggling to get my serve where I want it in a game.
I think the visualization helped me in the way that it was something I knew I could control. Doing the routine I had planned, I then knew I would be ready as I could be for the game. That kind of thing helps ease any nerves on the day of a big game.
Current SR48 #3 Kyle English
Visualization is the first thing they teach you in football: “visualize the win.” I used to envision myself scoring touchdowns on the bus or plane ride to the games. The one thing I visualize the most now about handball is being consistent, fast and powerful. I also visualize myself being able to execute my game plan, which is to control the middle and make the other one chase the ball. It helps me to mentally focus going into a match, which in turn, helps me physically focus during the match
Former Pro Tour Stalwart and Ironman John Libby
During the last week before a tournament, I would stop playing handball for four days before my start date. I learned visualizations techniques while playing college football and I would apply these concepts in the days leading up to the tournament. Visualizing the perfect serve, the perfect ceiling ball, the perfect pass shot and back wall kill shot hundreds of times is an excellent way to stay mentally sharp and focused.
2012 World Handball Champion Aisling Reilly
I would used visualization techniques quite regularly, not just during games, but during my “off court” training sessions. When I got tired during runs or thought I couldn’t go anymore, I would literally visualise winning the last point in a game over and over again, making it all worthwhile in my head. Leading up to a tournament and the night before games I would visualise the shots I had been practicing for months, pass, back wall, serves etc.
Current R48 #3 and 2023 Race 4 Eight Sportsmanship Award Winner Leo Canales
The type of visualization that I do is watching film. I make sure to watch my play from the previous tournament and try to see what I can improve on.
Current R48 #13 David Walsh
I suppose I visualize often without overthinking it. It definitely plays a key part in preparation. I would visualise my emotions in different situations, staying calm, I rarely get ahead of myself. On the flip side, during big games I would always refer back to my training sessions, imagining I’m in my home court playing.
I would visualise different playing scenarios. My first serve going in, what my second serve is going to be. Hitting the ball cleanly right and left. Offensive and defensive play. Rally winners. And visualising winning the game helps with motivation.
Thank you to the pros for sharing how visualization has helped them.
Stay tuned for upcoming WPH Tournament Preparation Series features.
Read more of WPH Tournament Preparation Series HERE
David Fink
WPH Senior Writer