Visualisation - the key to gaining the psychological edge to improve performance
“El más disciplinado, el más motivado, el más persistente….”
These are the words used by the sports psychologist, Dr Luis Carballido, who worked with Javier Sotomayor, arguably the greatest high jumper of all time, “The most disciplined, most motivated, most persistent..”, to describe the characteristics of a young man with an enviable mentality and attitude, which formed the springboard towards a glittering sporting career littered with gold medals and world records in athletics.
The Cuban sporting system gave enormous importance to the psychological training required to win, that far outstripped most of its global competitors, and was way ahead of its time. Today seeking psychological support is far less stigmatised, far more accessible and accepted as a practice to achieve success on the sports field, in the corporate world, and in our daily lives.
Objective visualisation is one of the most powerful tools in our mental armoury, yet most of us probably rarely if ever use it. Before every jump, Javier would visualise the run up, the rhythm of the stride, as it quickened before the take off, the power of the jump and the lift of his hips to clear the bar as he soared over it. Then he would run and jump…
During several periods in his career, as is the fate of most athletes, injuries stopped him training and competing. During these times of physical inactivity, Javier was able to use only psychological training to prepare his mind, but it actually also helped to train his body! Lying still on the couch, with the AC on, protecting him from the Cuban heat, his thoughts venturing so deep, practising the jumps in his head so vividly, that his body would start to sweat, as if the sinews of his resting frame were actually straining, running, jumping and clearing the bar, that he did so beautifully over his illustrious career.
If mental training can be practised by a sportsman, it can be carried forward into the lives of the non-athlete: The boardroom presentation; the wedding speech; communication with a difficult colleague, committing to the exercise programme you’ve been putting off... and on, and on. What we all need is discipline, motivation, and persistence and a practical approach to train our minds, in order to help achieve our goals.
To meet a man like Javier is to understand that anything is possible through the power of visualisation. Whilst we can’t be the athlete that Javier was or reach the heights he did over the high jump bar, by unlocking and accessing this part of our mental strength, we can raise our bar, and lead to some extraordinary results that we never knew were possible.
Javier is available for training and collaborations to develop visualisation techniques for individuals and teams in the sporting, corporate and motivational marketplace. Email info@sharpsportsmanagement.com for all enquiries.