Motor Imagery: Mentally Rehearse Today's Skill

Lying down or seated calmly, students mentally rehearse, in first person, the technical skill practiced in class, such as a shot or a serve, at real speed and with all its sensations. Imagined practice right after physical practice helps lock in motor learning.

How to play

1. Explain that imagery activates brain areas similar to real movement and that elite athletes use it (1 min).
2. Three slow breaths and a quick release of the hands, shoulders and face (1 min).
3. First visualization of the skill in slow motion, phase by phase, noticing contact points, tension and path (1 min).
4. Five mental reps at real speed with a successful result, such as the ball going in (2 min).
5. In pairs, each student explains which phase was hardest to picture clearly (1 min).

Rules

• Always first person, through your own eyes, not as if watching a video.
• Every imagined rep ends with a correct execution.
• Silence during the visualizations.

Variations

Adaptations

• Autism: get the skill's phases in writing or with pictures as a guide.
• Visual impairment: focus on the touch, sound and balance sensations of the skill.
• Injured students who couldn't practice: base the imagery on what they watched in class.

Learning goals

• Use motor imagery as a learning tool.
• Identify the key phases of the skill practiced.
• Improve focus and calm after exertion.

Teacher tip

Use it in technique-focused lessons, right after practice. Injured students can get a lot out of it throughout the unit.

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