Visualisation June: The wrap-up
Sometimes the wind is not aligned with your goals. But hey, that's part of kitesurfing. Welcome to the final entry of my Visualisation June experiment: The one where nothing happened. Yet.
Did visualisation work?
Technically: no. The handstand 360 still lives in the purely mental realm. After my third session of visualisation practice, the wind just decided to ghost me. No conditions, no sessions, no attempts. But weirdly enough, that doesn't feel like failure. I actually feel good about my mental preparation. I think I could nail the trick in real life once the wind is back.
In my mind, I can land the trick more times than I imagine myself crashing. I practice both to the left and to the right, so no matter where the wind comes from next time, I’m prepared.
What I actually learned
Even without actual water time, these visualisation sessions taught me a few surprising things:
Visualisation is harder than I thought. My initial idea was simple: just visualize it and you’re good. Boy, was I wrong. Like most things in life, this is also a skill you need to train.
With some tips and tricks from the internet, I made real progress. I learned I need a clear goal for each session. Just "winning it" isn't enough. Setting the scene helps a lot too.
Take your time learning it and take your time in each session. Don’t expect to jump right in. I slowly relax, set the scene, and only after a minute or two do I start visualising the trick.
Wandering off happens, a lot. I start focusing on the handstand 360, but then think about my next kitesurf trip, tomorrow’s gym session, or how on earth to monetize this whole adventure. But you get better at it. I now return to my visualisation quicker.
My mental model of the trick is becoming clearer. Watching videos for reference, mimicking movements on land, and choosing the perspective, either POV or third-person, really helps.
I often skip steps mentally that I absolutely need physically. For example, where my kite is during the trick. In my mind, I just nail it, but in reality, kite position is crucial.
Even thinking about new moves brings tension. It's almost as frustrating as trying a new trick on the water. Visualisation still requires piecing together the right information to succeed.
Pick a moment and commit to it. Some days I almost forgot to practice or didn’t feel like it. Building it into my night routine with a 10-minute timer made it stick.
You will have bad days. Sometimes your mind won’t cooperate, you can’t relax, you wander constantly, the trick looks off, and you question why you're even doing this. Like real sessions, you’ll have good days and less good ones. Give yourself some slack and keep showing up.
In one of the earlier posts I mentioned recording myself as a guided visualisation guru. And to be fair, I kind of like it. I’m now on version 3.0, tailored to help me focus during sessions. Though I might use AI for a different voice soon, getting a bit bored of my own.
Interestingly, there's solid science behind all this too. Research from Driskell, Copper, and Moran (1994) showed that mental practice can significantly improve motor skill performance across different sports and activities. Nice to know I’m not just imagining the benefits.
Will I keep doing it?
Honestly: yes. Visualisation turned out to be surprisingly productive, even when conditions don't cooperate. I probably should have started this months ago during those endless windless weeks. Plus, it’s a nice moment of relaxation in my day. Just a short 10-minute session, and sometimes other useful or creative thoughts pop up too.
Going into the next session (fingers crossed for this weekend), I plan to do a few extra longer visualisation rounds. Maybe one longer session the evening before. More reps, more confidence. If I crash, at least I'll know exactly which mental image didn't match reality.
Did the trick happen?
Not yet. But that just means I get to build the suspense for the next post-session write-up. Stay tuned.
No idea where to start your journey?
If you missed the full "Visualisation June" experiment, you can read the previous posts:
It definitely helps to have a bit of a guideline. My first visualisation sessions were all over the place and nowhere near helpful. But with some structure, you can go far. Visualisation might not give you wings, but it does make you realize how uncoordinated your imaginary self is.
xox Berito