Moving better without moving at all - mental rehearsal in sport and rehabilitation

The first talk will begin by clarifying what is meant by ‘watching movements’ and ‘imagining movements’ in sport. The talk will then cover how imagery and observation interventions have been applied in sport. Particularly, it will discuss WHO uses these techniques in sport, WHERE and WHEN they are used, WHAT they are used for, HOW they can be effectively delivered, and WHY athletes should consider using them. The talk will conclude by making recommendations for athletes to watch and imagine movements at the same time.

The second talk will cover the combined use of watching and imagining movements in health and sport contexts. The talk will be split into three sections focused on applying this method in different populations. The first section will focus on neurologically impaired populations (e.g., people with Parkinson's disease). The second and third sections will focus on athletes in individual sports (e.g., tennis and golf) and team sports (e.g., football and rugby). Each speaker will provide brief detail about the current research being conducted on this topic at the University Roehampton.