This week, my focus was on “visualization,” a concept I learned about in a sports psychology online course. Visualization is, “The process of creating a mental image or intention of what you want to happen or feel in reality. An athlete can use this technique to ‘intend’ an outcome of a race or training session, or simply to rest in a relaxed feeling of calm and well-being.” 

I have been an athlete my whole life, yet never actually thought about what I specifically wanted to achieve beforehand. On Wednesday and Thursday, I rode my dirt bike. Each day before I went out, I meditated and visualized for 30 minutes in order to highlight three specific skills: speed control, sharp turns, and correct use of the clutch. These are some of the hardest things to master in the art of dirt biking and motorcycling. The goal of my project is to better understand the psychology behind extreme sports and I accomplished this in the past week by putting what I learned to the test. Would visualization actually help me improve these skills? The answer is yes. After going over the movements in my head before even getting on the bike, my mind had already processed the steps I needed to take to be successful. Usually, I would figure these things out in the moment, leaving little time to think through my actions. 

I learned that just like being prepared and practicing for a test or presentation in school, being prepared and practicing these skills made all the difference. I took hours of footage on my GoPro, as well as a few photos and iphone videos to document my work. I have pulled out some examples of myself practicing these skills. I have to point out, though, that the changes in my habits are extremely technical and it may be hard for someone who doesn’t ride dirt bikes to notice. 

In conclusion, I think I had an extremely productive and impactful experience with my senior project this week.