Pre-Dive Visualization

[Apnea Boy]

I have actually a very simple question about this:
I suppose to do it only on breath hold, or I can breathe while I do the visualization of the dive?

sorry about the poor English

[laminar]

Hi,

there are no rules to visualization. whatever works best.

Be sure to visualize a successful and relaxing dive! At breakfast, walking around, while you breathe, etc...

[Apnea Boy]

How you do it?
(On B.H or not?)

it's improved your dive?

[laminar]

There are so many things to visualize. I would choose one skill to concentrate on at first and then add more when it's working for you.

Most people visualize to relax, learn a new skill, or to get rid of nervousness before a competition.

For example, if you wanted to concentrate on equalizing well to improve your equalizing efficiency - read this first if you haven't already: www.liquivision.ca/frenzel.doc (there are versions in other languages at www.liquivision.ca/liquivisiondownloads.html) - then you could concentrate on seeing yourself equalizing perfectly every time, your chin to your chest, body vertical, diving slowly to yourself enough time, and performing any skills you need to equalize effectively when it gets difficult.

Another example, which I've used for both constant weight and static apnea, before and during the breath hold, is to start from my toes and work up through every muscle, visualizing them relaxing and getting soft like jelly and being surrounded by a warm green glow. It doesn't really matter what you do, as long as it's simple.

Basically, decide how you want to feel when diving or identify which skill is most important to you and then practice it mentally. You can tell yourself how to feel if you concentrate and repeat it enough times. And chances are, you WILL feel that way during the actual dive.

You can visualize out loud, telling yourself how you will feel at a certain moment or what you will do. That can be effective. You can make a recording of how you want to make dive and listen to it with ear phones. Elite athletes often do this.

For example, I spent a whole winter imagining how to do a move in windsurfing and performed it on my second day back on the water in Spring without having ever tried it before! I was so surprised.

I use visualization for all my competition dives and even recreational dives, especially to remind myself to relax and accept the breath hold.

Good luck!

[Apnea Boy]

About equalizing' i have no problem equalizing at any point/

i want to start Pre-Dive Visualization to help me break the 40m depth block that i have.

I'm afraid to pass the 40 even in my mind/

[Bill]

A friend of mine who is very good with words told me "If you think you can do something or you think you can't, you're probably right". Might not be original but it says a lot about visualization.
I like to hold my breath, that way the training is closer to the performance. Even when visualizing static, it seems better to use sections and hold your breath than do the whole static while breathing.
Aloha
Bill

[Apnea Boy]

If you think you can do something or you think you can't, you're probably right"

this is so true about free diving/

[gmw]

Great discussion.. I was a world-class cyclist on the velodrome and benefitted greatly from visualization in training and in competetion. I worked with a sports psychologist at the olympic training center, and one of the main functions of visualizing, we believed, was to strengthen neuropathways related to the task- essentially programming yourself to successfully execute the event far more than would be possible with the time/energy restraints with actual physical training. You can create que's also that link the visualization with a certain movement (touching different fingers together i.e. like track and field sprinter Gail Devers) just before the event. You can see these techniques applied to freediving in the movie "The Greater Meaning of Water" that just came out, that I directed. I included many of these advanced training techniques in the movie. Best of luck to you!

[QazzaQ]

I've posted this link before, but here goes again:
good hints for visualising the dive and solving the related problems

http://www.divingfree.com/ask/

-EeroS