Choose a scene small enough to rehearse
Sport contains moments you know almost by sound: the ball reaching your hands, a starter’s instruction, the first count of the music. Choose a few seconds like that. A scene with a clear beginning and end gives you something to rehearse, while imagining an entire championship can leave the actual job out of focus.
Bring your existing coaching into the scene. The movement and decisions should be ones you are learning in practice. If part of the action is unclear, that is a useful question for your coach before you make the picture more detailed. Mental rehearsal begins with a task you understand.
Keep the setting safe. Rehearse from a secure place where you can pay attention to the exercise without missing traffic, equipment movement or instructions. Closing your eyes is optional. You can look at a stationary point or write the sequence down.
Add the details that matter to the action
A few well-chosen details can make the scene recognizable: the service line, the sound that starts play, the space beside a teammate. Keep the details that tell you what to do. There is little need to fill every seat in an imagined stadium if the decision in front of you is still missing.
Let the action unfold at a pace that resembles your sport. Notice the start, your chosen action and the finish of this short sequence. If you are rehearsing a tactical decision, include the information you would use to make it, such as the position of a teammate.
A volleyball example: stand safely away from active play, imagine receiving the ball for serve, see the agreed target area, use your familiar cue and mentally run through your usual serving sequence. End by preparing for the next phase of play. Discuss technical details with your coach rather than adding new ones from an imagined ideal serve.
Try a short rehearsal script
Use the prompts below for one or two rehearsals. The number is a practical starting suggestion; stop earlier if you are simply repeating words without following the action.
- Where am I, and what tells me this moment is beginning?
- What information do I need to notice?
- What action have I practiced for this situation?
- What short cue, if any, reminds me of that action?
- What do I do immediately afterward?
Include an ordinary challenge
Once the basic scene is familiar, include one realistic interruption. A tennis opponent takes a little longer before serving. A track start is delayed. A dancer hears crowd noise before the opening music. Rehearse your useful response and return to the same task.
Keep the difficulty proportionate to the practice. You are choosing an opportunity to rehearse a response, so avoid piling several worst-case situations into one scene. For an error during play, the separate reset guide offers a concrete sequence you can add after the mistake.
For a soccer example, picture preparing to receive a pass and finding the first option covered. Rehearse looking for the next option in line with your coach’s instructions. The point is to include a decision you may need, rather than scripting a match in which every pass arrives perfectly.
If you cannot see a clear picture
Use a form you can follow. Some athletes may prefer a written sequence, the sound of a count, a description of the space or the feel of a familiar movement. For this exercise, you can describe the next action without forcing vivid images.
It is fine if the rehearsal feels more like words or rhythm than a film. Shorten the scene, keep your eyes open or describe it quietly. You are finding a way to review your plan. How clearly you understand the action matters more here than how impressive the picture feels.
Connect imagery with physical practice
At the next appropriate practice, attempt the action you rehearsed. Afterward, compare the imagined sequence with what happened. Was the timing different? Did you leave out an instruction or a decision? Update the script with your coach’s feedback.
A study by Smith, Wright and Cantwell assigned 32 male county- or international-level golfers to four practice conditions over six weeks. The group combining PETTLEP imagery with physical practice improved bunker-shot performance more than the imagery-only or physical-practice-only groups. The study offers a sport-specific example of imagery used alongside physical training.
The next physical session gives the rehearsal somewhere to go. You may notice a missing detail or find that the moment moves faster than you imagined. Use that information. For guided practice with your own sport situations, Reset’s first-access list is the route to app access as new waves open.
Sources and further reading
- Smith, Wright and Cantwell (2008): Beating the Bunker
Primary six-week golf study comparing PETTLEP imagery, physical practice, a combined condition and a control condition.