Visualisation

For imagery training to work effectively you need to know what the correct technique looks like and feels like. You must know which shots to visualise for the various types of delivery and match situations.

BATTING EXAMPLE:
Task - to score 50 or 100
(a realistic target with which you feel comfortable)

Be aware of the ground you are playing on and its surroundings, the different ends you will be batting at, the type of pitch and how it will play, the possible partners you may bat with, the types of bowlers and deliveries you may have to face and the types of fields which may be set for you. Have a plan in your head of how you are going to go about your innings. Be aware of the shots you may have to play to the various types of deliveries that could be bowled at you. Have a game plan for surviving and have a game plan for attacking the bowling. Know the length of deliveries, which you can successfully score off and know your most effective and reliable scoring shots. While you are waiting to go into bat, play the appropriate innings in you head and successfully achieve your target. You may want to break your target down in to a series of smaller ones. Many batsmen find this helps them relax and focus earlier in their innings. This means they will find it easier to get over their initial nerves and function more effectively, earlier on in their innings. Many batsman set themselves targets, such as 10 singles or 10 min. This feels easier to achieve. When they have achieved it, they set another target. It could be the same or more, whatever you feel most comfortable with. You can set targets as an individual or partnership targets with whoever you are batting. Teams often set a series of targets in the same way when they are chasing. The oppositions score. Setting targets as a team is particularly useful when you are chasing a mammoth score. In these situations players can be disheartened by the total amount of runs they are chasing. This can cause panic and lead to irrational shots and loss of wickets and you go on to lose the match. Tackling a series of smaller targets always seams easier and less panic is created. Batsmen apply themselves more, less wickets fall and they normally have wickets in hand for the last 10 overs. From this position they can probably win the match.

CONCENTRATION, FOCUS GAME PLAN AND COMPOSURE UNDER PRESSURE.
The above are qualities of successful teams

NOTE: For imagery to work effectively you need to know what the correct techniques look and feel like. This can only be achieved through hours of shot repetition which allows the above information to be imprinted in the minds muscle memory.

You must also know which shots and game plans to visualise for the various types of match situations. These must be shots that suit the way that you play and your personal game plan. Be prepared for every match scenario so when you arrive at the crease you are prepared and are not nervous or panicking.

BOWLING EXAMPLE:
Task - My goal is to take 5 wickets for 45 runs off 15 overs.

To follow out the above goal I must be aware of the following information, the ground I am playing on and its surroundings, which ends I may have to bowl from,the type of pitch I must bowl on, the types of batsmen, their strengths and their weaknesses.
I must know the types of deliveries that will take wickets and the types of delivery that will contain a batsman when the slog is on. My game plan must be adapted to suit the situation.
Many bowlers break their targets down into a series of smaller ones just as batsmen do.

E.G The target above could be broken down as follows.

In my first spell of 6 overs I will get 2 wickets for 12 runs and try to go for no more than 2 per over.

In my second spell of 6 overs I will get 1 wicket for 20 runs and will try to go for no more than 3 per over.

In my last spell of 3 overs I will get 2 wickets for 13 runs and will try to go for no more than 4 per over.

You may have a given amount of wickets in your head for your bowling spells in a one day game but the amount of runs you expect to go for may vary from situation to situation so you may need to reset the target amount of runs you may go for from spell to spell. Remember make sure goals are realistic but testing.

Now you have your game plan in your head, go through a detailed visualisation of how you are going to bowl your spells, how you are going to get your wickets and how you are going to contain, when the batsmen are attacking the bowling. Recreate the feeling of all your excellent deliveries. Remember what you have read about imagery earlier on in this chapter and apply it to situations like the one above.

USEFUL PRE-MATCH IMAGERY TRAINING:

NIGHT BEFORE GAME:
Either in your room at the ground or in a quiet place, sit or lie down and spend about 10 min, or as long as you feel is needed, on imagery training.

This can be done individually or collectively as a team. As a team you could ask each player to visualise and talk through aloud with the team another players successful performance, until you have covered each player.
This would help boost the confidence of all players and add to the team spirit.

In detail using internal imagery training...

• Picture the ground and its surroundings and the ends you will perform from
• Feel the weather conditions
• Hear the sounds of bat hitting the ball or the ball hitting the stumps
• Hear the “how's that” appeals, the crowds applause and team mates praise
• Visualise yourself scoring runs and how you will get them
• Visualise yourself taking wickets and exactly how you plan to get them
• Visualise yourself saving runs taking a brilliant catch and running a batsman out
• Visualise your team playing well and see other players putting in good performances
• Visualise various stages in the match and what you would expect the scores to be, have positive targets in your mind
• Visualise all the players enjoying the various battles as the game develops and finally see yourselves winning and remember how good you will all feel

ON THE MORNING OF THE GAME:
While warming up or during a particular period of time before the match spend time going through your personal imagery training and positively visualise how you are going to perform as an individual. Some players will do this after the warm ups and just before the game is about to start.

During the 20 minutes between the warm ups finishing and the game starting, they will sit on the balcony or in the dressing room stare out at the pitch and mentally prepare themselves (confidence, targets, game plans, detailed personal performance and overall focus).

Its always a good idea to walk out on to the field before the game starts, usually during the warm ups and stand at each batting end and visualise facing a series of deliveries from various types of bowlers you are going to face.
If you're a bowler stand at the end of your run up at both ends of the pitch and visualise bowling a series of deliveries and at various types of batsmen in attacking mode and defensive mode.
By doing the above exercises, when you finally go out to bat or come on to bowl you feel that you have been there before and for a period of time therefore you will feel more comfortable, less tense, more confident, more relaxed and are in a better frame of mind to perform and be successful. The visualisation exercise has helped to relieve those initial nerves, which can effect players in a negative way. This process has got you through your most vulnerable period.

Negative thoughts make you tense, get rid of them and replace them with positive ones but never stop the adrenaline from flowing.

IDEAS FOR IMAGERY TRAINING
Imagery training can be SEGMENTED INTO THE FOLLOWING AREAS.
You can practice on one or all of the following areas.

TECHNICAL (Example)

• Possible shots
• Backfoot Drives
• Frontfoot Drives
• Forward Defence
• Backfoot Defence
• Flick off legs
• Cut/Hook/Pull

TACTICAL (Example)
Possible Match Scenarios

• Building an innings V Pace. (Bounce wicket, out-swinger)
• Milking the bowling V Pace. (Slow low flat wicket, in-swinger)
• Improved hitting V Pace bowling. (Good hard flat wicket)
• Survival V Off spin with men round the bat. (Hard turning wicket)
• Milking the bowling V Left arm spin. (Slow turning wicket )
• Improvised Hitting V Leg spin. (Bowling round on flat wicket into rough)

Imagine the scene, the various possible match scenarios, game plans which you would use, the various types of alternative deliveries the bowlers can bowl,the type of wicket and weather they are bowling over or round. Be as detailed and realistic as possible.

BEST PERFORMANCE IMAGERY (Example) Confidence building.
Best performances for Batting.
102 not out V SUSSEX at hove, Match winning innings.

Bowling
5 for 32 off 12 overs at Lords V MIDDLESEX , Match winning spell

Fielding
2 Slip catches V West Indies at Old Trafford.
1 Run out in the cover with a direct hit V WARWICKSHIRE at Edgbaston.

RELAXATION TRAINING
Sit in a quiet place and relax using a deep breathing exercise.

WEEKS MENTAL TRAINING PROGRAM
Mixed Example for 1 weeks work
10min 2 times TECHNIQUE. Front foot drives
10min 2 times TACTICAL. Attacking spin
10 min 2 times BEST PERFORMANCE. 78 not out V Sussex 1998
10 min 2 times Relaxation using deep breathing exercise.