TRYBE Tales - Weekly Wellness Edition

Wellness Wisdom Drops

FROM TRYBE

“What you can imagine you can create” - Einstein

You miss 100% of the shots you don’t imagine (not Michael Scott)

🧠 The Hard Stuff

Enter the realm of mental rehearsal, where visualization stands as a formidable tool in sports (and life) - with the greats like Michael Jordon, Serena Williams, Tiger Woods, Tom Brady and more swearing by this technique. And there’s a lot of science to back it up. Here’s the TL:DR on different studies they’ve done on this stuff:

• Three groups of basketball players were split up and tested on how many free throws they could make

  • Group 1: Practice free throws every day for an hour

  • Group 2: Only visualize themselves making them free throws

  • Group 3: Do nothing (control group)

• The results after 30 days:

  • Group 1: 24% improvement

  • Group 2: 23% improvement

  • Group 3: No improvement

That’s 23% improvement WITHOUT TOUCHING A BASKETBALL PEOPLE!! 🤯 The reason behind this is good old neuroplasticity - the remarkable ability of our brain to reorganize and adapt by forming new neural connections throughout life. When we engage in mental rehearsal techniques like visualization, we activate specific neural pathways associated with the movements and skills we're envisioning. In the context of sports, practicing mental rehearsal harnesses the brain's innate capacity to fine-tune its circuitry, enhancing skill acquisition and execution. Athlete’s have used this to visualize success, overcome injuries faster, prepare for obstacles and tune up their techniques. Whatever goal you’re striving for the same principles apply!

🍦 The Soft Stuff

While mental rehearsal and visualization is what we call it in the scientific realm, your spiritual soul may resonate more with the idea of manifestation or law of attraction, where envisioning your athletic (and other) success isn't just imagery; it shapes reality through intention. It's science entwined with cosmic resonance.

This fabric of potential expands beyond neural pathways and it’s a conversation about ‘energy’ and universal frequencies. Your thoughts ripple, attracting aligned opportunities of success .

Embrace mental rehearsal as a cosmic connection, inviting the universe to co-author your journey - whether you’re trying to be an olympic athlete or just keep up with your Sunday afternoon beer league companions.

 1. Guided Imagery Recording 🧠

Use pre-recorded guided imagery sessions or visualization audios tailored to your specific sport or goals - this may sound old school (and it is) but it’s a classic and if it’s on Spotify you know it’s cool. The recordings can lead you through detailed scenarios, helping you vividly imagine your movements, techniques, and outcomes.

You can find recordings almost everywhere but check out YouTube and Spotify for a whole bunch. And if you really want to level up, professional coaches can also provide one specific to you.

 2. Mirror Training 🧠🍦

Stand in front of a mirror and visualize yourself executing movements and techniques flawlessly. This tool adds a visual layer to your mental rehearsal, allowing you to see your body's alignment and posture as you envision success - this is equivalent to olympic swimmers as you see them air swimming before their runs in prep. Combining mental imagery with your actual reflection enhances your mind-body connection PLUS your confidence will gradually build because staring at your soul for many seconds on end is not an easy task.

3. Journaling 🍦

Shocking that journaling is on almost every week’s list!

Document your mental rehearsal sessions in a journal. Write down detailed descriptions of the scenarios you visualize, including sensations, emotions, and the environment. Reflect on how these sessions influence your confidence and mindset during actual training or competition. Over time, your journal can become a valuable resource to track progress and adjustments.

What is an upcoming goal I'm trying to achieve and what's one obstacle I might anticipate facing? Visualize you facing and overcoming that challenge in a visualization for 7 days.