Bob Bowman

written by JOSH GESSNER | The Athletter

This is Bob Bowman.

The man behind Michael Phelp's world records.

He taught Michael a technique that made him the greatest of all time...

Here's that technique:

Right before the race, headphones in...

Michael performed a technique.

Visualization.

But how he performed it was extremely unique:

Visualization is basically seeing a series of events in your mind.

For Michael, he imaged himself competing in the pool.

From the age of 12:

Michael was competing not just in the pool - but in his mind too.

What made his visualization unique:

Michael imagined every possible scenario.

Positive and negative.

• The perfect race

• His suit ripping

• His goggles falling off

That way when it came time to compete:

He was ready for every small thing that could go wrong.

Most of us are taught to only imagine the positive.

Michael did the opposite.

Bob Bowman's 2 rules for visualization:

1. Vivid imagery.

2. Rehearsed consistently.

Let's cover both:

1) Vivid Imagery.

Visualization works because of this thing called neuroplasticity.

It's basically the brain's ability to adapt to new experiences.

Visualization triggers neuroplasticity by:

Activating similar parts of the brain as physical practice.

The more vivid the experience, the more activation.

2) It's best when done consistently.

The vizualizations have to get ingrained into your subconscious:

So that it takes over during competition.

Michael had a visualization routine since he was 12.

Every night he would go to bed, playing his mental imagery video tape.

The amount of reps he's performed is mind boggling.

During my professional career I experimented with visualization.

I would imagine myself dominating...

And also how I would handle adversity.

It played a huge role in me overcoming the yips.

So... how do you get started?

To get the most out of visualization, I researched the best methods.

Turn out, it's similar to training a muscle:

The Visualization Workout Program:

• 15-20 second intervals

• 50-75 reps

• 3-5 times a week

For me, I would imagine myself making 1 pitch at a time.

For athletes, I would make it part of your daily routine.

Set aside 10-15 mins a day and imagine both positive and negative outcomes.

Take any edge you can get.

Main Lesson:

Visualization is incorporated by the world's best athletes and performers.

It produced incredible results for them...

It might do the same for you.

That’s it for today, thanks for reading!