Athletes asked to visualise their routines

In addition to the physical exercises, I Have Talent Sports Academy has given its members to do during the lockdown, it also gave them visualisation homework.

The Praegville academy’s managing partner, Leandri Willis explained that two weeks before the lockdown she had a mental session with the athletes.”I taught them how to visualise before their event. We wrote down five points that they need to focus on before they run or jump.

“It is important for an athlete to see the action taking place before they do it. I think the biggest challenge is mentally, our athletes are still primary schoolchildren and for them to understand that they can’t go out, play with their friends, come to the academy and train, is very difficult.”

And so to overcome that challenge, the young athletes must write down five points visualising what they need to do.

For example, a long jump athlete would write as follow:

•  I’m going to do my best and everything my coach taught me
• I will run as fast as I can, take off quickly off the board
• I will do the ‘Super Mario’ technique and hold it
• I will kick out and use my arms while in the air
• I will land and not look back.

“The athlete must repeat the five points in different positions, visualising how they go through the motions,” Willis concluded.

The academy is also running the online Rekkie Tekkie Challenge, where athletes can take videos of themselves jumping over elastic bands while wearing tekkies, and share the videos online with the #rekkietekkiechallenge hashtag.

Details: I Have Talent Sports Academy janneman@ihtalent.com; 073 448 3414.

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