Visualization

In sports psychology, visualization is an important technique.  Many athletes use visualization to help them perform better in competitions.  Watch the video below to get a better of how a gymnast uses visualization to help her to learn her routine.  (While it is more a documentary style, it's brief and you do get to listen to the British narrator!)

This type of visualization can also be applied to agility.  Before a run or doing a complex sequence, it is a good idea to first think of the path your are going to take, the hand and body cues you are going to give, and the crosses you will use.  You can then go over this path in your mind, slowly at first, without your dog.  Does it seem to make sense?  If not, you can make the adjustments in your brain before you make the mistakes on the course.  Next, it's a good idea to then go through course/sequence again, this time putting your dog into the picture and adjusting as necessary. Last, but definitely not least, throw in the speed and distraction factors.  As you work through the course each time in your brain, you should be able to problem solve and find the best way to direct your dog through the course.  Like Rebecca in the video, you can then replay this mental film over and over so that your runs will be more successful.

Want to learn more?  Check out this blog post by Susan Garrett Visualization; Can You See It?