Visualization

[cathal]

I honestly believe it is a big help. It's documented as helping professional athletes as well.

[hurricane]

I like to use visualizations for both kata and fighting. If I use it for kata, I go through the forms, perhaps when I am at work in a boring meeting or something. As for fighting, I use it more like bushido_man, for a scenario when being attacked in the street. As I have never been attacked, I can't tell how well visualization works for this kind of fights. But as for kata, I would say it helps a lot. Because you can not only picture the form itself, but also think of possible applications, I mean, there is really no limit to your imagination.

[Rick_72]

Whenever I practice kata I visualize an opponent....I block out everything, and everyone in the area I'm practicing and actually put myself in a fight. Its not hard to do with some good concentration. When your not demonstrating, just doing kata alone, you can slow down and actually visualize bending limbs and such with the tuite in your kata.

[bushido_man96]

Sometimes I do an "action visualization," where I actually kind of walk through physically what I am visualizing: parrying the hand, guiding the arm into my other hand, wrapping it around into a chicken wing, shoulder locking them, sweeping the legs out, taking them down....stuff like that.

[tkdan]

Bruce Lee used to talk about visualisation in a different way. Rather than visualising an attacker, he would visualise the whole situation from a third person perspective as if he were someone watching. This is something that most can't do, but he believed it was one of the ultimate keys to being an ultimate warrior.

That is interesting. I've read some of Bruce Lee's writings but I don't remember coming across this. I wiil have to give it a try.

[TigerCrane]

Interesting... I would imagine that quick thinkers would have an easier time visualizing.

[bushido_man96]

Interesting... I would imagine that quick thinkers would have an easier time visualizing.

Just like anything, practice makes perfect.

[50inches]

I think it works wonders for me.

Some techniques that I have never even practiced, for example leg catches or combos, have worked instinctivly for me in sparring, because I have seen other people do them and vizualized my self doing them.

[boyo1991]

its helpful away from the mats, cuz i visualize with my eyes closed, and if you do that on the mat, you wont know what hit you until they throw water on ya...

[future_black_belt]

I visualize my forms when I am in line waiting somewhere (I can't just randomly do my form while a ton of people are watching ((besides in a tournament)) ).