Olympians Use This Mindset Trick to Boost Performance (and so can you)
We’ve been having a lot of fun watching the Winter Olympics. Our favorite disciplines are the “snow sports,” like Freestyle Big Air, Snowboard Slopestyle, and Giant Slalom.
Last night, we were watching the Women’s Snowboard Slopestyle finals when an athlete had a bad crash. She was ok, but because it took her some time to get down the hill, the next woman in line (a 17-year-old American) had some time to wait before her turn.
So, she crouched down at the starting gate and closed her eyes.
What was she doing?
In my experience, when an athlete closes their eyes prior to a competition, they’re doing one of two things (maybe both).
Praying
Visualizing
The use of mindset techniques, like visualization, has been extensively studied, especially among elite athletes. It’s been shown, time and time again, that the best-performing athletes have superior mental skills.
Today, I want to focus on just one of these skills and show how you can borrow this technique for improved performance in training, competition, work, and life.
The one skill that’s statistically linked with Olympic success
This incredible study is an oldie, but a goodie. It analyzed 235 athletes who competed at the 1984 Olympic Games in Sarajevo and Los Angeles. The group included gold, silver, and bronze medalists. Sports ranged from basketball, bobsled, and gymnastics to soccer, swimming, and cycling.
The sturdy showed that of 3 readiness factors- mental, physical, and technical- only one had a statistically significant link to final Olympic ranking.
Can you guess which one it was?…
No, not physical readiness.
It was mental readiness.
Mental readiness includes skills like setting clear goals, simulation training, mental preparation, and visualization.
Another study saw that 84.7% of U.S track and field athletes used mental practice or visualization before the 1988 Olympics. 41.8% of these athletes practiced mental training 2-6 times a week.
And this was back in the 1980s. Now, 38 years later, today’s Olympians are using the same visualization strategies to deliver peak performance when it counts.
What is visualization?
The most successful athletes use imagery, or visualization, to work on technical skills, improve focus, and envision themselves delivering a successful performance.
Here’s how one springboard diver does her visualization:
“At night before going to sleep, I did my dives. Ten dives. I started with a front dive, the first one I had to do at the Olympics, and I did everything as if I was actually there. I saw myself on the board with the same bathing suit. Everything was the same. If the dive was wrong, I went back and started over again.” - Highly successful Olympian- springboard diver
What we see is that her visualization was:
Specific and routine-based- She envisioned each part of her routine, in the exact order she would use in the actual competition.
Calm atmosphere- She practiced visualization at a time when her mind would be free from distractions.
Focused on skills- She focused on the technical skills she would need to use to execute her best performance. These might include body position, placement of arms, which direction she would turn, ect.
Included all senses- She used all her senses to create a realistic picture of what it would look and feel like- down to the bathing suit she would be wearing.
Athletes in the 1984 study used imagery on average for 12 minutes a day, four days a week. This isn’t something they did the night before the Olympics. It’s a daily practice they incorporated into their mental training for weeks, months, and years before the big day.
Why do Olympians commit so much time to visualization?
Because they know the incredible effect it has on performance.
How visualization contributes to improved performance
Visualization can be done in different ways and for different purposes.
Imagery can be used during training to learn new skills, improve techniques, and correct mistakes. A 2023 study found that imagery focused on developing athletic abilities and technical skills significantly enhances skill acquisition and performance.
Imagery where athletes relive past successful training sessions, competitions, or even times when they encountered adversity and overcame it, can enhance mental resilience and boost self-confidence.
Imagery contributes to motivation. When athletes can visualize their goals, and see themselves successfully achieving those goals, it increases motivation to do the work.
Imagery done prior to a competition reinforces technical skills, reduces stress, clears the mind, and boosts confidence.
“The ability to vividly imagine an ideal performance and its successful outcome increases confidence during competition, ultimately leading to improved performance.” (Aikawa and Takai, 2021)
A confident, motivated athlete with a clear mind and laser focus will perform better than an athlete who neglects mental training.
That’s what visualization does. It gives you an extra edge.
How to do a pre-race visualization
One way athletes use visualization is with the PETTLEP model, which focuses on Physical (wearing the actual gear), Environment (matching venue for competition), Task, Timing (for the actual time the competition will take), Learning, Emotion, and Perspective.
Now, some of these aren’t very feasible with triathlon. For example, you’re likely not going to visualize for 12-17 hours if you’re preparing for an Ironman. But you could do a real-time visualization of your T1 transition, for example.
Here are a few key techniques to ensure your pre-race visualization is effective.
Pick the right time
Ideally, you should pick a time when your mind is calm and free from distractions. Close your eyes, take a deep breath, and relax. In the days and weeks before an event, you can visualize the entire race from start to finish. You can also do a mini-visualization before the race starts where you focus on one aspect- like swim mechanics- to calm nerves and focus your mind.
Be specific
Try to recreate a movie that you play inside your mind. Go step by step through the race, visualizing everything you will do in order of event. Think about swimming strong and confidently, exiting the water and going to T1, riding the bike, transitioning to the run, and running across the finish line. Picture yourself wearing your race kit, riding your bike, grabbing gear, ect.
Use all 5 senses
Use sight, hearing, touch, taste, and smell to make your visualization as realistic as possible. Visualize how you plan to set up your transition area and what the gear will look like when it’s all laid out. Think about the sounds you will hear- the splash of waves, the whir of your wheels, the sound of your breath. Feel the sensation of the water in your catch, pushing power on the pedals, and your feet hitting the pavement.
Use different perspectives
You can incorporate different perspectives into your visualization. You might see yourself from a third-person perspective where you can see your running form, or you might use a first-person perspective where you see the road as it appears from behind your aerobars. This helps the visualization feel real.
Feel the emotions
Competing is an emotional experience, so think about how you want to feel- calm and confident, strong and powerful, and in control of your effort.
Stick to realism
Visualizations work best when they’re as close to real-life as possible. So, instead of visualizing a specific outcome (like winning a race or qualifying for a World Championship) focus on the steps you need to take to get closer to your goal.
How I use visualization
In the past, when I was a competitive equestrian, I used visualization all the time. I was best at events like Showmanship, Horsemanship, and Western Riding (all my World Championship disciplines) which were based on a specific pattern you needed to complete with your horse.
Timing was essential, and there were certain movements I needed to make in order to cue the horse to perform an action at a specific spot, like at a cone or in front of a judge.
I would envision how I would move, what I would say, and what it would feel like execute each part of the pattern.
Fast forward to my life as a triathlete, and I use visualization before every race, especially the big ones. I have a mini-visualization that I use for transition. For example, are you a sock/sock, shoe/shoe person, or a sock/shoe, sock/shoe person? These small details matter. If you have a plan, it helps save precious time.
I use a visualization for the swim start where I think about the different parts of my stroke, how I want to breathe, and what I want the effort to feel like. I often do a complete visualization of the entire race- from start to finish- paying particular attention to form cues and pacing strategy during race week.
Maybe you’re not an athlete at all. That’s ok. You can incorporate this technique into your life in a variety of ways.
Giving a speech in front of a crowd? Visualization is perfect for this.
What about requesting a promotion or pitching a product? It’s great for that too.
Learning a new skill? Taking a driving test? Having a medical procedure? Works for those as well.
You can use imagery in virtually any scenario where you need calm, clarity, and focus.
While most of us don’t have the strength, speed, or stamina of an Olympian, developing a strong mindset is something we can do to become the best version of ourselves, in sports, business, and life.