Clean Run Magazine - October 2007 - 66

CARE Centers Carolina Animal Rehabilitation & Exercise Offering state-of-the-art sports medicine & physical rehabilitation for companion animals Lameness Evaluations • Conditioning Programs Aquatic Treadmill • Swim Therapy • Whirlpool Ultrasound • Acupuncture • Laser Chiropractic • Massage • Shockwave Electrical Stimulation • Deluxe Lodging have an effective rehearsal. It can be done in a few seconds or take minutes or even hours to complete. You can do it on or off the ﬁeld, while you are exercising, sitting up or lying down, while you are waiting for someone or for something to occur. It is not only easy to do but it is free. People use rehearsal for many reasons but I will discuss my favorite two. First, rehearsal aids the handler in performing a desired action or run with precision. Most handlers use rehearsal when they are walking the course to not only improve their ability to remember the course but also to maximize their mastery of movement on the course. In addition, we teach our clients to rehearse the run several times just before entering the course and again after the run. I was interested in knowing why this works and after a bit of research I discovered that when you vividly rehearse an action, neural pathways in the brain are created. These pathways are similar to small tracks engraved in the brain cells, which can ultimately enable an athlete to perform the actual task. Therefore, one of the beneﬁts of rehearsal is that it actually paves the roadways that we must travel to perform a desired task. (Porter, K., Foster, J. Visual Athletics. Dubuque, Iowa: Wm. C. Publishers, 1990) Maria Glinski, DVM, LAc Veterinary Director Two locations to serve you: CARE Center 918 Houndslake Drive, Aiken, SC 29803 SC Veterinary Referral Center 124 Stonemark Lane, Columbia, SC 29210 Phone: 803-649-4965 Fax: 803-649-3949 Email: K9rehabcenter@aol.com Not only does positive imagery improve performance, but when we think about creating error we improve the chance of error occurring as well. Shane Murphy, one of the sports psychologists at the Olympic Training Center while I lived in Colorado Springs, along with Robert L. Woolfolk and Mark W. Parrish, conducted an interesting study related to performance and rehearsal. Here is the abstract of the study. An investigation was carried out into the effect of imagery instructions on a simple motor skill accuracy task (putting a golf ball). Thirty college students were blocked on their putting ability and randomly assigned within blocks to one of three experimental conditions: (a) positive imagery, (b) negative imagery, and (c) control. Subjects in the two imagery conditions were given the identical instructions for imagining the backswing and putting stroke. In the positive imagery group, subjects imagined the ball going into the cup, while subjects using negative imagery visualized the ball narrowly missing the cup. Subjects in the control group putted without instructions. On each of 6 consecutive days a 10-putt trial was conducted for each subject. There was a signiﬁcant main effect on performance improvement for the experimental manipulation. Post hoc analyses showed signiﬁcant differences among all groups, with positive imagery producing the most improvement, the control condition producing less, and negative imagery resulting in performance deterioration. Is this proof that rehearsal (positive imagery) works? Sure looks like it. I think that it is interesting that the negative imagery group’s performance actually went down over the test period while the positive rehearsal group’s performance improved. I have observed this occurring repeatedly with my clients over my 30 years as a performance coach. Not only does positive imagery improve performance, but when we think about creating error we improve Clean Run | October 07 © GREAT DANE PHOTOGRAPHY Lovin’ the tunnel since 1997 User-Friendly Handles Heavy-Duty Straps Fully Adjustable Durable Aqualon Fabric The Original ™ w w w. tun n el b a gs. com 5 0 7 - 8 7 8 - 3 1 5 5 66

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Clean Run Magazine - October 2007

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Clean Run Magazine - October 2007