The Science of Visualization:Why Rehearsing In Your Head Works, Inside and Outside Of Sport

In Short:

Researchers call “visualization” mental practice or mental imagery: rehearsing a skill in one's mind without physically doing it. Researchers have studied this for decades, and studies show that mental imagery reliably improves performance, especially when combined with physical practice. It has been shown to help athletes, surgeons, students, and, most notably, the Navy’s Blue Angels rehearse every second of their flights in their heads before takeoff.

The catch is that how you visualize matters. If you only picture the win, it can actually backfire by lowering your effort. You need to practice the process: the specific steps, the setting, and the hard moments.

The most useful way to use visualization is to be as specific and realistic as possible.  

Want the full breakdown? Keep reading.

The Full Story:

Before big games and matches, many athletes will play the entire thing in their heads first. The warm-up, first point, the feel of their equipment's grip, the way they'll bounce back after a hard moment. If you've ever done something like this, you have already used one of the most studied sports psych tools.

I was introduced to visualization during my tennis career, but it has carried me through many other parts of my life as well. I would visualize before each match, but now I also visualize before each exam, before lab, before each shift I work, and before each clinical. It not only helps me emotionally by helping me gather my thoughts and feelings, but it also improves my performance.

Why Does Rehearsing in Your Head Work?

The leading explanation for why this works is called motor simulation theory. Neuroscientist Marc Jeannerod proposed this idea, suggesting that imagining an action uses many of the same brain networks and mental processes as actually doing it (Jeannerod, 2001). Basically, he thought that mental rehearsal may be a lighter version of real practice. Your brain is running through the program, but without sending the full command to your muscles.

Although this is a heavily researched topic, scientists still debate exactly how imagery works. A 2017 review argued that underlying mental mechanisms are still poorly understood and need more research (O’Shea & Morgan, 2017). The evidence that it helps is much stronger than our understanding of why.

What The Research Shows

It improves performance:

In 1994, a major meta-analysis by Driskell, Copper, and Moran found that mental practice improves performance. In 2020, a team that included one of those original authors repeated the analysis with 37 newer studies published between 1995 and 2018. They found that mental practice still has a small but positive effect on performance. Many factors influenced how much it helped, such as how long people practiced, the type of task, and what type of imagery they used (Toth et al., 2020). The main idea: visualization is a supplement to physical practice, but not a replacement.

It can build strength:

I found this particularly fascinating. In one study, people who spent twelve weeks imagining contracting a finger muscle got measurably stronger, despite never physically training it. People who did physically train gained more, but the imagery group still improved (Ranganathan et al., 2004).

It works outside sport:

In a randomized study, novice surgeons who did thirty minutes of mental rehearsal before virtual reality laparoscopic procedures performed better on every procedure than surgeons who watched an online lecture instead. Those who had better imagery skills also tended to perform better (Arora et al., 2011)

Elite performers rely on it:

Before every demonstration, the U.S. Navy’s Blue Angels sit around a table in their briefing room, many with their eyes closed and heads down. The flight leader calls out each radio command in the same rhythm and timing as it would happen in the air. As he does, the pilots move their hands through every maneuver, gripping an imaginary stick and throttle (Newdick, 2021). They fly the entire show in their heads before ever leaving the ground. I’ll clip the video below; it is very cool to see.

Here is the key part: picture the process, not just the trophy

This is where visualization is most often misunderstood. I am sure people are familiar with the advice to “visualize your success,” but research suggests that picturing the outcome alone isn't enough and can even hurt.

In a study of college students preparing for an exam, those who visualized the process, meaning where they would study, how and when, studied more and earned higher grades. Students who only pictured themselves getting a good grade did not do better than students who didn't visualize at all (Pham & Taylor, 1999).

Related research by Gabriele Oettingen suggests that indulging in positive fantasies about an outcome, without thinking about the steps or obstacles, can actually reduce effort (Oettingen & Mayer, 2002). This is because your brain gets a small taste of the reward early, which can reduce the drive to work for it.

So, the most useful visualization is realistic. It includes the hard moment, like the bad call, the double fault, or the brain fart during an exam question, and sees you responding the way you want to.

So how do you visualize like an athlete?

The PETTLEP model suggests imagery works best when it is as close as possible to the real experience (Holmes & Collins, 2001).

1. Physical - Take the same position you would be in. Wear the same shoes, stand in your ready stance, and actually hold your equipment.

2. Environment - Picture the actual room, stage, or court, with its lighting and sounds.

3. Task - Imagine a specific skill, not just a vague sense of “doing well”.

4. Timing - Run it at real speed, not in slow-mo.

5. Learning - Update your imagery as your skills improve.

6. Emotion - Include the nerves, and see yourself staying steady through them.

7. Perspective - Try both first person and third person, seeing yourself from all perspectives.

A simple way to start is by spending five minutes before practice or before a big moment running through it from start to finish, at real speed, with your eyes closed. It can take practice and time to fully use your brain's ability to visualize, but starting small will help build the skill!

Beyond sport

These same principles work for a job interview, presentation, a difficult conversation, or an exam. Picture the room. Walk through what you will do and say, step by step. Imagine the moment it gets hard, like a tough question or losing your train of thought, and see yourself pause, breathe, and keep going.

Note: Not everyone “sees” clear pictures in their mind; that is totally normal! Imagery can also be about feel, sound, and movement. If you can rehearse the rhythm of a serve or the words of your opening line, you are still doing it.

To sum it up

Visualization is not magic, and it won't replace work. But realistic mental rehearsal is a well-supported way to get more out of the practice you are already doing. The people at the top of their fields use it for a reason.

Educational content from a student. Not medical advice.

Sources

• Arora, S., Aggarwal, R., Sirimanna, P., et al. (2011). Mental practice enhances surgical technical skills: A randomized controlled study. Annals of Surgery, 253(2), 265–270.

• Driskell, J. E., Copper, C., & Moran, A. (1994). Does mental practice enhance performance? Journal of Applied Psychology, 79(4), 481–492.

• Holmes, P. S., & Collins, D. J. (2001). The PETTLEP approach to motor imagery. Journal of Applied Sport Psychology, 13(1), 60–83.

• Jeannerod, M. (2001). Neural simulation of action: A unifying mechanism for motor cognition. NeuroImage, 14(1), S103–S109.

• Newdick, T. (2021, August 10). Watch the meditative-like ritual the Blue Angels go through before every flight demo. The War Zone.

• Oettingen, G., & Mayer, D. (2002). The motivating function of thinking about the future: Expectations versus fantasies. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 83(5), 1198–1212.

• O’Shea, H., & Moran, A. (2017). Does motor simulation theory explain the cognitive mechanisms underlying motor imagery? A critical review. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 11, 72.

• Pham, L. B., & Taylor, S. E. (1999). From thought to action: Effects of process- versus outcome-based mental simulations on performance. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 25(2), 250–260.

• Ranganathan, V. K., Siemionow, V., Liu, J. Z., Sahgal, V., & Yue, G. H. (2004). From mental power to muscle power: Gaining strength by using the mind. Neuropsychologia, 42(7), 944–956.

• Toth, A. J., McNeill, E., Hayes, K., Moran, A. P., & Campbell, M. (2020). Does mental practice still enhance performance? A 24 year follow-up and meta-analytic replication and extension. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 48, 101672.