Imagery Scripts are under used in climbing mainly because very few people have an idea about what an imagery script is and what information should be in them. Again like all things to do with imagery when you look into the research the decisions are from from straight forward, a lot at my first blog on imagery will highlight some of the important consideration in terms of script content.
One of the main take home message from the last blog on imagery was the perspective you choose to use in terms of internal (viewed through your own eyes) versus external (viewed like someone watching you). Now to find out which perspective is your preference you need to try and image something both internally and externally. For example, sit down and take a few deep breaths to relax and try and imagine yourself doing the following activities first from an internal perspective then an external perspective.
1. Kicking a Football.
2. Climbing your favorite boulder problem.
3. Belaying someone on a top-rope.
For each activity and each perspective, note down which was the most vivid, and which was the most easily controllable. Hopefully one perspective either internal or external will be the come out best, this is your ‘preference’, if you find you don’t have a preference then concentrate on an external perspective, as this has been shown to be better in climbing based tasks.
Whatever your preference is you need to add in the Kinesthetic imagery, which is the feelings and sensations the activity induces. This should include sounds, touch and smells. If you’d like to try the exercise below, to help you to understand the concept and practice you preferred imagery perspective, combined with kinesthetic imagery.
This time we will be making a cup of coffee. What you need to do is first read through the script, and then used the props (don’t use a boiled kettle, as your eyes are closed) as you imagine the exercise, then actually make yourself a cup of coffee following the script, before finally re-reading the script and then imagining it a final time.
Picking up the spoon you feel the cold stainless steel on you hand.
As you smell the coffee as you delicately scoop a pile onto the spoon.
Tipping the spoonful of coffee into the cup you hear the sound granules bouncing off the china cup.
As you wait for the kettle to finally boil you hear the water bubbling away inside and the kettle turns itself off with a final click you watch the steam rise from the spout.
Pouring the water into the cup you feel the heat from the kettle on your hand and the sound of the water filling the cup and smell the aroma of the coffee.
Pouring a final splash of milk the drink is ready.
Taking a drink from the cup you finally taste the smooth coffee and feel the warmth in your stomach.