Visualization by Holden Wilson

You can do anything if you picture yourself doing it. I believe that visualization is the key to success during a sport or physical activity.

During my early years of elementary school, my favorite sport was baseball and I loved to play in the field. One thing that I disliked about the game was hitting because it was our first year in kid pitch. One of my dreams in baseball was to hit a home run just like my teammates have. I practiced hard and gave full effort but things never added up during my games.

One day after one baseball practice, my dad noticed that I was a great hitter during practice, however I wasn’t during the games when the kids are pitching. My dad told me to pretend that your coach was pitching to you during the game and picture yourself hitting a home run beforehand. When I went up to bat in the next game all I could think about was what my dad preached to me before the game. During practice in the on deck circle, all I could picture and think about was me hitting a home run and seeing my team congratulate me at home base. When I stepped into the box, my legs stopped trembling and my heart stopped beating. All I could see in front of me pitching was my coach. When I swung my bat felt ten times lighter. The crack of the bat startled me, and my legs started moving without even thinking about it. When I stomped on home base I knew this technique would benefit me for the rest of my life

Even today, I still use this to accomplish many things, including baseball. From maxing out in the gym, to making free throws in basketball, visualization has taught me and guided me to success.