If there was a way to sweep aside obstacles in your life, your hand to hand combat and your opponents on the tatami mat, would you like to hear about it? Yes?

Well there is a way of using the human mind and its creative faculty in such a way that you can tip the odds in your favour in pretty much any fighting competition or with any goal you are pursuing. It’s called creative visualization. It’s not magic or mumbo jumbo but a real and effective guidance system for the body that can be utilized by almost anyone. I say almost anyone because there will always be a few people who will refuse to see the benefit of this technique. That’s fine as I am not talking to those people. I am talking to people who want personal success and who want to better themselves as much as possible.

Visualization taps into the human imagination. Through relaxation we can harness the power of our imagination to vividly picture any upcoming situation we are facing and have it turn out with a positive result – the outcome we want.

Whether that is winning a martial arts competition through skill or performing a fighting technique perfectly or passing a club grading, we can significantly increase our chances of success using the power of our mind.

How does this work? Let’s look at technical performance. In order to get better at any physical skill we have to practice it over and over again. If we are engaged in a martial arts training technique we would practice that move over and over again with our partner or by ourselves. Over time it would come together.

By visualizing that technique in our minds eye and seeing every aspect of it being performed perfectly each time we can create a pattern of behaviour, a new memory, if you like, of perfect success. We are creating the success before the act.

If we apply this technique to an upcoming competition then we would vividly imagine ourselves performing each move effectively and moving perfectly against our opponent. We would experience the feeling of success and enjoy the sensation of victory before it happens. This isn’t wishful thinking; it is powerful creative thinking and planning. It’s a bit like working out a path to success beforehand rather than just hoping you’ll find the way the on the day.

To use the technique of visualization in your life here is what you have to do:

1. Decide on your goal – winning a competition, passing a test, perfect performance of technique.
2. Set aside 15 minutes to half an hour for practise.
3. Relax yourself as much as possible – lie down and turn off the phone and minimise all the distractions that you can. You should be comfortable knowing that you won’t be disturbed.
4. Slow down your breathing and let of any unhelpful thoughts – you want to clear your mind as much as possible to create room for your new images. Don’t strain your mind as you can quickly develop a headache with this powerful technique.
5. Begin to picture the result you want to happen – see yourself performing how you want to perform and reacting and moving perfectly. You can either watch yourself as if on a screen or see it happening through your own eyes. I use a combination of both.
6. Get the feeling of success – try and feel the emotion of victory or the satisfaction of performing well. This is an important part of the technique. You should feel excited and positive during the session.
7. After you have visualized for ten to 15 minutes, gently let go of the images and sensations and bring yourself back to full conscious awareness.

The technique should be practised every day for a minimum of two weeks. Make sure you stick with the same goal – don’t chop and change as this will negate any progress. In my experience martial artists are good at this technique as they already have highly developed levels of concentration and focus. The best proof of this type of technique is always to see for yourself – so go try it.