do you "visualize" ?

[MELK-MAN]

.. if not your missing out on a powerful tool. Do you find yourself putzing around the pits and your bike right up to the time you have to do a track day session or race? Have you found yourself missing 1st call and rushing to suit up? How was that race or session vs. others where you had time to relax and if nothing else, focus a bit on the task at hand..
Well, taking that a step further is visualizing. Taking 5-10 min prior to a session to close your eyes, think about turn 1, turn 2, etc. Not just what the track looks like either, every shift, throttle input, brake markers, the whole nine. I bet the first few times you try, you can not even get all the way around the track before your brain frys and you are looking for the bottle opener. Seriously.. it is hard. But, if you can focus on the task at hand, i assure you the results will be worth the trouble. 8)

[Xian_13]

Well...

Anything is worth a try.
And this sounds like a good one.

XIII

[EX#996]

I did that when I played drums and showed horses.  It's an invaluable tool.  A person would be amazed at what improvements can be made by doing this.

 ;)

[ecumike]

Looks like someone's been reading TOTW  ;)

[Bernie]

I work with a guy who was a multi-time college national champion skeet shooter.  He uses visualization to an incredible degree.  I have spent alot of time talking to him about it, and it amazes me how he really can see exactly what is going to happen before it does.  In skilled hands, it is a very powerful tool.

[dylanfan53]

My 18 yr old is a scratch handicap golfer.  The week before last at TPC Sawgrass he finished one under par from the Championship tees, with a birdie on the island green 17th (if you follow golf you know that one).
I asked him how he draws the ball at will.  He said he just sees a draw and hits it.  I asked him how he fades the ball around trees.  Same answer.  Just visualize the flight path you want and hit it.
I asked him why that doesn't work for me...he says, "because you first have to be able to get the clubhead on the ball."  :-[
I'm sure visualization works fine...as long as you know what you're doing in the first place.  ;)  
  

[Baltobuell]

I think it's kind of a "If you can dream it you can be it" kind of thing. Cause if you can't even dream it, you sure aren't going to be it. Minds eye is incredibly powerfull. Dream BIG!

[CCS424]

I think the key to all of this is preparation. Be ready 10 minutes before you have to be, stretch, sit relax, clear your mind, visualize the race. Let's face it, we all know going in what our main obstacle is....we partied too hard in the pits the night before, "so and so" is here and I've never beaten him/her, I don't have the right gearing..blah, blah blah.

I think the point Melk is making is that if we take a moment, put all that crap out of our mind, and visualize the perfect lap... Man, all of a sudden all the excuses are gone and we have a game plan. I think though that the key is that this doesn't prepare us for the perfect race, it prepares us for the im-perfect race. Once you have visualized a complete lap, or race strategy, it's done, the pressure is off, now you can deal with reality and be fast while conquering obstacles during the race without being thrown off, there is no surprise too great, you are ready to adapt.

Wow, good stuff. To be perfect is to adapt, and you cannot adapt until you know where to jump off from. It is like a dyno pull, without a baseline run, the rest is just meaningless numbers. Melk is talking about a mental baseline run. Wow, I didn't know you could be that that deep and still be in North Florida... right on. Have those Gators been getting to you, are you becoming one with the swamp land creatures?

[spyderchick]

To expand, it's also about positive energy as well. If you give your self "negative talk", you will begin to believe it. You have to give yourself something to work with as a starting point. It goes something like this: (using your home track as an example)

( tell yourself) I know this track like the back of my hand, I'm having trouble in turn 3

(sit and visualize) I'm on the track, turn 1 goes smoothing, shifting, braking and entry are really good in 2, exit is spot on, coming into 3 I'm... (then visualize your crappy laps)

Here you analyze, visualize what a perfect execution will feel like. Do this for the entire track, analyzing your best corners and your worst. Use the confidence of the best cornering technique to improve your problems on the track. You'll start to understand where you tense up, where your eyes are (not far enough through the turn?), body position, what point you're braking too early, getting on the gas too early or late at the exit, it's endless but useful.

Use this before you go to sleep as well, especially before a weekend. We actually "learn" improved motor skills in our sleep, but you need 6.5-7.5 hours for it to work, because any shorter than that and your brain doesn't get into the state it needs to do it's problem solving, cognitive adjustment.

When applied in a positive way, visualization can help you overcome obstacles. If you're telling yourself you suck and then listing the reasons why, (even if you don't say it out loud), is negative visualization, you've just never called it that before.

 

[251am]

  Yeah, it's powerful alright. RRW article not to long ago about just that. They interviewed King Kenny about it. He mentioned a particular instance of needing to drop a second on his laps. He found it in visualizing.

[MELK-MAN]

Wow, I didn't know you could be that that deep and still be in North Florida... right on. Have those Gators been getting to you, are you becoming one with the swamp land creatures?

LOL.. I live in Tampa, but have been there a fair share. ;D
Good posts above, expanding on this topic even deeper.

[Chuck]

The best race I ever ran was when I had to start from hot pit lane.  I was running 2 seconds a lap faster than anything I'd ever run at that particular track.  I think it had alot to do with being furious that my bike wouldn't start on 3rd call.  I don't recomend running late for your races on purpose, nor do I think twisting the throttle in anger is a good idea but it worked on that particular day.  I even eeked a podium finish  :o

I think I'll give this a try...