Tuesday, June 17, 2014

Positive Visualization Scores at the World Cup


 
Scoring the game winning goal against Ghana is a dream for USA soccer's John Brooks.  (Photo credit: Huffington Post.)


It is near impossible for a 21-year-old newbie to shine on the grandest stage in all of sports.  Yet, that is exactly what American soccer player John Brooks did when he scored the game winning goal against Ghana during the opening game of this year’s World Cup.

In a startling post-game revelation, Brooks said that he had dreamed the very scenario that played out on the pitch.  “I told some teammates that I dreamed that I scored in the 80th minute and we won the game,” Brooks explained in a media interview. “And now it was the 86th minute and we won.”

Is Brooks’ premonition an indication of some sort of clairvoyance or divine talent?

Probably not.  It’s most likely merely a coincidence.

Yet, Brooks’ experience and his resulting success in competition is an important lesson for athletes at all levels.  By visualizing a positive outcome, you can create the expectation that when an opportunity to excel presents itself your performance will be at the optimal level.

I have written extensively on this blog about the use of visualization and hypnosis by athletes to enhance performance, improve endurance and more quickly recover from injury.  Here are a few articles worth checking out:


Talent, training, endurance and hard work put Brooks on the field during the World Cup.  It was his mental preparation though that allowed him to realize his full potential.

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