Ideomotor training is a constant active representation of a certain action, while a person feels the effect of the exercise on the muscles. This approach is used in training athletes for the treatment of psychological conditions or rehabilitation. In the article, we will examine in more detail the essence of training, who needs it and how to perform the exercises correctly.
Essence
The ideomotor method of training is the active presentation of motor skills, which contributes to better mastery of them, consolidation and improvement of technology. At the moment of performing the movements, it is important to tighten the muscles and make movements as accurately and accurately as possible, but do it mentally.
Before starting training, a person must fully master the skill in theory, that is, know the sequence of actions, present them in detail. Next, the external realization of the skill begins: repeating the imaginary, fixing the result.
It is believed that the method significantly increases the level of endurance of the athlete, contributes to the preservation of knowledge during long breaks between workouts, makes it possible to master a new skill that has not been tested before.
Who needs training?
Ideomotor training is a set of exercises that a person performs using his imagination. The complex helps people with good physical shape, for example, athletes who have coordinated muscle function. For beginners, the method will be less useful.
Who needs training:
- athletes to improve skills;
- people in the rehabilitation period after injuries, operations;
- people to stabilize the psychological state.
If a person controls his muscles, then training helps to develop new skills or improve previously learned ones. Trainers note that with constant exercise, an athlete increases speed and accuracy.
Also, exercises are useful in the absence of training for objective reasons - injury, suspension, illness. If an athlete needs rehabilitation or a break, then ideomotor training can partially replace work in the gym. They help to remember the movement and keep the muscles in good shape.
Sometimes this method helps to calm down, for example, before a serious serve in volleyball. To come back to normal, the athlete presents the ideal movement several times and performs it correctly.
In sports
Ideomotor training, as a method of self-regulation, is used in preparation for sports competitions. The athlete presents his movements mentally from the side, which gives him the opportunity to better master the exercise.
In sports, many criticize this approach, calling it useless. But those who trained for a long time and learned to control their muscles, consider the method effective and necessary.
It’s easier for some people to imagine a fixed image, and for others, the whole movement. But it is important to always note your feelings and control the work of muscles. The development of the skill of the mental representation of movements allows you to quickly reproduce the exercise in reality.
Athletes, gymnasts, acrobats especially need such training, because it is important for them to be aware of the position of the body in space.
In rehabilitation
Ideomotor exercises are especially necessary during the rehabilitation period. They allow lying on the bed to represent the execution of movements. Doctors note that such training is effective and shortens the period of stay in the hospital.
The method is recommended for athletes after sprains, fractures, operations. Also, the method is popular in rehabilitation after a stroke, paralysis of a part of the body. A person does not just lie in bed and recalls how he walked or ran. He must concentrate and mentally reproduce his feelings, imagine them as real as possible. If during the run you could smell flowers, then it should be present during ideomotor training. The athlete must imagine how he scored a goal or threw the ball that he felt at the same time.
Trainers and doctors also recommend verbalizing ideomotor training in rehabilitation. When a person speaks his sensations, they become real. Training in combination with passive exercises helps to quickly restore muscle to normal.
Principles
Ideomotor training is a mental representation of movement.
For efficiency, you should adhere to a set of principles:
- The accuracy of the mental image - the more accurate, the more often the movement is performed without errors.
- Communication with the muscles. Training is effective only if the sensations are complete and the muscles and feelings of the person are connected.
- The use of verbal descriptions of the exercises performed. Studies have proven that verbal formulations increase the effectiveness of training. To do this, each exercise is discussed out loud.
- Slowed down presentation of a new skill will help a person understand how to perform it correctly.
- The correct position of the body. The authors of the methodology recommend presenting the implementation of a new element of training in a pose as close as possible to the actual position of the body. At the same time, a person concentrates faster and connects thought processes with muscles.
- Involuntary movements. Sometimes during training a person begins to unconsciously move - this indicates a full-fledged connection of the mental and muscular systems.
For the effectiveness of training, special simulators are used, with the help of which a person learns to concentrate in various poses.
Stages
Each person can master the ideomotor method, while the study takes place in several stages.
Stages of mastering ideomotor training include:
- Elementary. A person should start by learning to clearly represent his goal - a specific movement. Therefore, before starting a workout, you need to perform the exercise several times - so the brain will remember the sequence of actions and sensations.
- Training. At this stage, a person verbally arranges his movements in a real exercise, and then transfers the training into a mental representation. At the moment of the verbal description of the movement, they pronounce themselves at the moment when the movement takes place directly. A person describes what needs to be done and his feelings at the moment.
- Automation. The most difficult part in training is the reproduction of muscle-joint tendon sensations. First, a person conducts real training, then learns to create tension in the muscles, then in the joints. Only after this sensation can be reproduced by consciousness.
How to do?
Ideomotor exercises in training a physical condition should be carried out according to the instructions:
- Close your eyes and drop all thoughts, relax, take a deep breath with your nose and exhale through your mouth.
- Introduce your own body, feel the muscles, starting from the bottom.
- Focus on the part of the body for which you are training.
- Start doing exercises at a slow pace, do not think about the result.
- Mentally make a movement several times, saying the details. At this stage, muscle tension and cramps can occur.
- After the exercise, present the result (muscle relief, limb movement, restored functionality).
If the training is carried out during the rehabilitation period, then it is necessary to consult a physical therapy doctor.
Guidelines
Ideomotor training in sports involves solving certain problems, in which the coach helps the athlete:
- Athlete's interest in this type of training. A person must develop a responsible attitude to exercises, realize the need and effectiveness. Tools - conversations, positive attitude. Errors - incomplete representation of movement, a vague image, inability to concentrate.
- Analysis of training sessions. A trainer who oversees the training helps, explains the wrong actions and points out errors.
- Search for highlights in motion. The athlete must understand the movement completely, in this he is helped by sketches and visual aids.
- The development of the ability to induce musculoskeletal ideas and real sensations. For this, methods of introspection and self-control are used. It is important to focus on the presentation of power components, the implementation of movement in space. A retelling of the workout and sensations performed is also applied.
Ideomotor training is a set of exercises, the effectiveness of which depends on the psychological state. A person should be able to concentrate, coordinate the work of muscles and mentally embody sensations.