The best examples of using visualization in sports coaching: 3 key examples every coach should know

Let’s skip the theory and go straight to the examples of using visualization in sports coaching: 3 key examples that show up again and again with winning teams.

Coaches who use mental imagery well usually start small: a few minutes at the end of practice, a short script before games, or a simple breathing-plus-visualizing routine during timeouts. Over time, this becomes as normal as stretching.

Sports psychology research backs this up. Studies have found that mental practice can improve performance in strength, coordination, and skill-based tasks, especially when combined with physical training. For instance, the American Psychological Association summarizes research showing that visualization (also called mental imagery) can enhance motor skill learning and performance when used consistently alongside practice (apa.org).

Now let’s break down three of the best examples of using visualization in sports coaching—with concrete scripts and coaching tips you can use today.

Key Example 1: Pre-performance visualization routine for consistency

The first example of using visualization in sports coaching is the pre-performance routine. Think of this as a mental warm-up that happens right before a key action: a free throw, a penalty kick, a serve, a vault, or a sprint start.

How a basketball coach might use it

Picture a high school basketball player who struggles with free throws in tight games. In practice, the coach adds a simple visualization step:

• The player steps to the line.
• Takes a deep breath.
• Closes their eyes for 5 seconds.
• Mentally watches themselves go through their exact shooting routine.
• Sees the ball leave their fingertips with perfect arc.
• Hears the swish.

Then they open their eyes and shoot.

The visualization is short—10 to 15 seconds—but it’s specific, vivid, and always the same. Over time, the brain starts to treat this as a familiar script. When the game is on the line, the player isn’t inventing confidence; they’re replaying a mental movie they’ve seen hundreds of times.

How a tennis or volleyball coach might adapt this

In tennis, a coach might guide athletes to visualize:

• The toss on a serve staying steady.
• The feeling of driving up through the legs.
• The ball hitting the target area with pace and spin.

In volleyball, servers can rehearse:

• The exact contact point.
• The trajectory over the net.
• The ball landing in a tough spot for the opponent.

These examples of using visualization in sports coaching: 3 key examples all share one pattern: the coach anchors visualization to a specific action, not just a vague hope of “playing well.”

Coaching script you can try

Here’s a simple script you can read to your athletes before they perform a specific skill:

“Close your eyes. See yourself from your own eyes, standing right where you are. Feel your feet on the floor. Take a breath. Now watch yourself perform this skill exactly the way you want it: smooth, controlled, confident. Notice what your body feels like when it’s going right—your balance, your timing, your follow-through. See the successful outcome: the ball going where you want it, your body landing safely, your opponent reacting late. Lock that image in, then open your eyes and let your body copy what your mind just did.”

Repeat this consistently, and you’ll have one of the most effective, low-tech examples of using visualization in sports coaching built right into your routine.

Key Example 2: Pressure training – rehearsing clutch moments before they happen

The second of our 3 key examples is pressure training: using visualization to prepare athletes for stressful, high-stakes situations before they face them.

Instead of pretending pressure doesn’t exist, you bring it into practice in a controlled way.

Soccer penalty kicks under pressure

A soccer coach working with penalty takers might:

• Have players sit quietly on the sideline.
• Guide them through a short visualization of a penalty shootout in a final.
• Ask them to imagine the noise, the nerves, and even the negative thoughts.
• Then guide them to see themselves breathing, resetting, and striking the ball cleanly.

The coach might say:

“Imagine you’ve just walked up for the fifth penalty. The crowd is loud. Your heart is racing. You notice the nerves—but you don’t fight them. You take one deep breath, feel your feet on the ground, and focus only on your run-up and contact. See yourself hit the ball exactly where you planned. Watch it hit the net. Hear your teammates celebrate.”

Now, when that pressure moment arrives in real life, the athlete has already “been there” mentally. This is one of the best examples of using visualization in sports coaching because it bridges the gap between calm practice and chaotic competition.

Gymnastics and figure skating routines

In sports like gymnastics or figure skating, athletes often use visualization to run through full routines:

• A gymnast lies on a mat and mentally performs the entire beam routine, from mount to dismount.
• A figure skater sits quietly and visualizes every jump, spin, and transition with music.

Research in motor imagery suggests that mentally simulating a movement activates many of the same brain areas as physically doing it, which may support skill learning and confidence when used along with training (NIH / PubMed overview).

Baseball, softball, and clutch at-bats

Another real example: a baseball or softball hitter who struggles in late innings.

The coach might build a short visualization practice where the athlete:

• Imagines stepping into the box in the 7th inning with runners on base.
• Feels the tension—but also the excitement.
• Sees the pitcher’s motion clearly.
• Rehearses staying patient, tracking the ball, and driving it to a specific part of the field.

Again, you’re not pretending pressure doesn’t exist. You’re teaching the athlete to meet pressure with a prepared mental script.

Across these sports, examples of using visualization in sports coaching: 3 key examples of pressure training all focus on the same skills: awareness of nerves, a reset routine, and a clear picture of successful execution.

Key Example 3: Visualization for recovery, confidence, and comeback stories

The third of our 3 key examples is often overlooked: using visualization to support injury recovery, rebuild confidence after mistakes, and guide comebacks.

Injury rehab: staying mentally in the game

Athletes sidelined with injuries often feel disconnected and anxious. Visualization gives them a way to keep training mentally while their body heals.

A track coach working with an injured sprinter might:

• Have the athlete sit or lie down comfortably.
• Guide them through imagining a full warm-up: drills, strides, blocks.
• Then walk them through a race start, acceleration, and finish.

The focus here isn’t just on winning. It’s on feeling strong, stable, and confident in the injured area. The athlete might imagine their knee tracking smoothly, or their ankle feeling solid on each step.

Organizations like the American College of Sports Medicine have highlighted mental strategies, including imagery, as part of holistic injury recovery plans to support motivation and adherence to rehab (acsm.org).

Rewriting the story after a mistake

Another powerful example of using visualization in sports coaching is “mental replay and rewrite” after errors.

Let’s say a goalkeeper misjudges a cross and costs the team a goal. Instead of letting that memory loop in their head, the coach guides them through two steps:

1. Replay what happened – briefly, without judgment.
2. Rewrite it – visualize the same play, but this time they move their feet earlier, call for the ball, and catch or punch it cleanly.

You’re not erasing reality; you’re giving the brain a new reference point. The next time a similar play happens, the athlete has a successful mental model to draw from.

This approach also works in golf after a bad tee shot, in baseball after a strikeout, or in basketball after a turnover. These examples include one common idea: don’t let the mistake be the only movie in the athlete’s head.

Comeback confidence: seeing yourself succeed again

After a slump or a long layoff, athletes often say, “I just can’t see myself playing well anymore.” Visualization directly targets that.

A distance running coach, for example, might:

• Ask an athlete to remember a race where they felt strong and in control.
• Have them visualize that race in detail: breathing, stride, passing competitors.
• Then gradually update the mental movie to future races, seeing themselves run with that same rhythm again.

By stacking these mental reps, the athlete slowly rebuilds a sense of “this is who I am when I compete,” which can support confidence when combined with smart training and recovery.

This third pillar—recovery, confidence, and comeback—rounds out our examples of using visualization in sports coaching: 3 key examples that cover performance, pressure, and resilience.

Extra real-world examples coaches are using in 2024–2025

Beyond those 3 key examples, coaches are getting more creative with visualization, especially as mental training becomes more accepted.

Here are a few more real examples you’ll see in modern programs:

1. Team walk-throughs without equipment

Some coaches end practice by having the whole team close their eyes and mentally walk through key plays:

• Football teams visualize offensive and defensive schemes.
• Basketball teams rehearse late-game out-of-bounds plays.
• Volleyball teams run through serve-receive patterns.

This is especially helpful when physical fatigue is high but you still want quality mental reps.

2. Short daily “highlight reel” sessions

Many athletes now use 3–5 minute daily sessions to replay their best moments:

• A swimmer visualizes their best start and turn.
• A golfer replays their cleanest drives and putts.
• A wrestler revisits matches where they executed their strategy well.

Think of it as building a personal highlight reel in their mind that they can access before competitions.

3. Combining breathwork and visualization

In 2024–2025, more coaches are pairing visualization with simple breathing techniques to manage stress. For example:

• 4 slow breaths in and out.
• On each exhale, visualizing tension leaving the body.
• Then visualizing the next play, point, or rep.

This blend of breath and imagery lines up with broader research showing that relaxation plus mental rehearsal can support performance and emotional regulation (Mayo Clinic overview on relaxation techniques).

These newer trends don’t replace the 3 key examples of using visualization in sports coaching we covered earlier—they build on them.

How to teach visualization to athletes who think it’s “weird”

Let’s be honest: some athletes roll their eyes at this stuff at first.

Here’s how to make these examples of using visualization in sports coaching feel normal and grounded:

• Keep it short at first. Start with 30–60 seconds at the end of practice.
• Tie it to specific skills. “Visualize this free throw” works better than “visualize success.”
• Use their language. If they talk about “locking in,” use that phrase in your scripts.
• Share real examples. Mention that many Olympic and professional athletes use imagery as part of their routine. Sports psychology programs at places like the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee and major universities regularly train athletes in these methods (usopc.org).

Most athletes buy in once they notice two things:

1. They feel calmer and more prepared.
2. The mental routine makes them more consistent, not less spontaneous.

Putting it all together: a simple weekly plan for coaches

If you want to actually use these examples of using visualization in sports coaching: 3 key examples, here’s a simple way to organize your week without overcomplicating it:

• Before or after every practice – 2–3 minutes of pre-performance visualization for one key skill (Example 1).
• Once a week – A 5–10 minute pressure scenario session, where you walk athletes through a realistic high-stakes situation (Example 2).
• With injured or struggling athletes – 5 minutes, 2–3 times a week of recovery/confidence visualization (Example 3).

You don’t need fancy apps or equipment. You just need consistency, clarity, and a willingness to treat the mind as part of training—not an afterthought.

Over a season, these small mental reps add up. Athletes start to carry a library of successful images and scripts into every performance. And that, more than any motivational speech, is what helps them show up as their best selves when it matters.

FAQ: Visualization in sports coaching

Q1: What are some simple examples of visualization I can use with youth athletes?
Start with short, concrete images tied to actions they already know. For example, a young basketball player can close their eyes and see the ball rolling off their fingers into the hoop. A youth soccer player can imagine passing the ball cleanly to a teammate’s feet. Keep it under a minute and connect it directly to drills they’re about to do.

Q2: Can you give an example of a full pre-game visualization routine for a team?
Yes. Have the team sit or lie down in a quiet space. Guide them through 5–10 minutes where they imagine arriving at the venue, warming up, communicating well, executing your game plan, responding to setbacks, and finishing strong. Focus on sights, sounds, and feelings. This is one of the best examples of using visualization in sports coaching before competition because it walks athletes through the whole day, not just the highlight moments.

Q3: How often should athletes practice visualization to see benefits?
Short, frequent sessions tend to work better than long sessions once in a while. Many coaches aim for a few minutes, 3–5 times per week. The key is pairing mental imagery with real practice, so the brain and body learn together.

Q4: Do athletes need to “see” images clearly in their mind for this to work?
Not necessarily. Some people visualize more through feelings or sensations than clear pictures. That still counts. Encourage athletes to notice what their body feels like, what they hear, or what they say to themselves internally. The goal is a vivid experience, not perfect HD images.

Q5: Is there research supporting these examples of using visualization in sports coaching?
Yes. Sports psychology and motor learning research has for years examined mental imagery as a tool for improving performance, especially when it supplements physical practice. Reviews and meta-analyses in journals indexed by the National Institutes of Health describe how imagery can support skill learning, confidence, and emotional regulation when used consistently and in context with training (nih.gov and ncbi.nlm.nih.gov).