Visualization

Here is a link http://www.utexas.edu/features/2008/11/24/athletes_minds/ that I just took off Lance Cantu's blog http://youcantu.blogspot.com. Let me start off with saying that I believe in this 100%. To premise the concept of visualization in sports and myself I need to take you back to when I was 5 yrs old. I started playing soccer at that age and I would "day dream" about scoring goal after goal, or blocking shots if I had to play goalie! When I turned 13 I use to listen to my walkman the night before my city league games and "day dream" about the goals I was I going to score and more specifically, how many it would be. Then when I made the varsity soccer team I would take my day dreaming to a new level.... I began to VISUALIZE every action, move, pass, shot.... and most importantly, every GOAL I was going to score. During Christmas break I spent everyday VISUALIZING set pieces and break away shots I was going to get... I would go practice this 2-3 times a day during MY CHRISTMAS BREAK, while all the other kids lounged around! Then on my first Varsity road trip to Houston before my first game, I visualized how I would score my first goal.... it took 4 hours to get from Copperas Cove to Houston and for the then entire trip it replayed in my head... over and over and over! 80 minutes into my first Varsity game I had netted my first varsity goal the EXACT WAY I HAD VISUALIZED IT.... a breakaway from midfield with me and the goalie,...20 yard volley into the back of the net.... Copperas Cove 1 Clear Lake 1. The funny thing about the goal was how all the seniors thought I just got Lucky... little did they know! To make a long story short I set every scoring record in my high school that may still stand today, all coming from the practice of VISUALIZATION!

Now to bring you up to speed to where I'm at today..... I no longer play soccer, I crossfit. I'm a decent crossfitter at that just because of the pure athletic ability I achieved playing soccer for 20+ years,... but I'm not satisfied with that. I want to be an elite crossfitter. My wife likes to give me a hard time about I'm not in high school anymore and I can't soly rely on the good old days, and she is half right with that assumption. It's time to ADD the VISUALIZATION practice to my training that I haven't used since my high school days! To be continued!