Mental practice by way of imagery has proven to be an effective tool to positively influence cognitive, emotional, motivational, and behavioral outcomes in the context of sports. Importantly, the athlete`s imagery use and imagery ability have shown to influence the positive effect of imagery training interventions. However, little is known about whether and how imagery use, imagery ability, and imagery interventions are useful tools particularly in the context of gymnastics. This chapter provides an overview of recent models of imagery in sports and research findings pertaining to imagery use, imagery ability, and imagery interventions in general, and for the context of gymnastics in particular. Furthermore, we give a brief overview of characteristics and the related effectiveness of imagery intervenions. Building on these findings, implications for the application of imagery in gymnastics training environments are discussed.
© Copyright 2016 Gymnastics Performance and Motor Learning. Principles and Applications. Published by Nova Science Publishers. All rights reserved.