One of the most frustrating and difficult parts about being sidelined with an injury—other than just not being able to play in the game—is not being able to practice. You end up coming back feeling like you’re a little rusty.
Now, while we can’t get you to practice physically (since you’re not able to due to your injury), we can use mental reps to simulate practice. That way, when you do return to play, you are in a much better place than you otherwise would have been.
In this article, I’m going to go over how to use mental reps to help train while you’re injured.
The Science Behind Mental Reps
Hey there, I’m Eli Straw, a mental performance coach who works with athletes from around the world on building a stronger mental game.
Studies in neuroscience have shown that when we perform mental imagery, this activates the same regions within the brain that are activated when we perform physical skills. What this tells us is that our brains are reacting in a similar way when we visualize ourselves performing skills as when we are actually practicing.
There have also been studies showing performance improvement through visualization alone—even without extra physical practices. Athletes have experienced boosts in performance and motor activity simply by visualizing.
Benefits of Mental Reps While Injured
In addition to the brain reacting in a similar way as it does during physical skills, there are other powerful benefits to using mental reps while injured:
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Keeping Confidence High: When athletes are injured or just returning from injury, confidence naturally drops. But if we perform mental rehearsal or visualization during this time, confidence can stay high.
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Maintaining Muscle Memory: Visualization trains your brain and your muscle memory. For example, a golfer can visualize putting each day, even if they can’t physically practice due to a shoulder injury.
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Reducing Anxiety and Stress: Injured athletes often feel anxious about returning, worrying about underperforming or losing playing time. Visualization helps reduce this anxiety by preparing your mind for competition.
And while we’re talking about injury here, this also applies if you have limited practice time—maybe it’s the offseason, or you just don’t get as many reps in. Even if you do practice often, visualization is an incredible supplement to your training.
How to Use Mental Reps: A Step-by-Step System
To get the most out of visualization, you want to treat it like physical practice. That means creating a structured, step-by-step system you can use daily. Here’s how to do it:
Step 1: Set Your Intention
Before you begin, decide what you’re going to visualize. This could be at bats against a lefty pitcher, playing defense in basketball, or going through a golf putting routine. The goal is to be clear and specific, just like setting an objective for physical practice.
Step 2: Relax and Focus
Get into a comfortable seated or lying position. Take a few deep breaths to relax, quiet your mind, and focus your attention.
Step 3: Begin Visualization
Visualize your skill or scenario as clearly as possible. Bring in emotion, feel yourself being successful after each repetition, then reset and go again. Continue for 5–10 minutes.
A Real Example
A year ago, I worked with a college golfer who wasn’t getting to practice much during his season. We created a structured mental practice plan for him:
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A set number of tee shots
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Iron shots
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Chipping
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Putting
He went through this mental routine every single day. Because it was specific and structured, it was far more effective than just sitting down and saying, “I’ll try to visualize some shots.” He knew exactly what to rehearse, and it helped him stay sharp even without physical practice.
Making the Most of Mental Reps
Your intention could be a set routine you repeat daily, or you might switch it up. For example:
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One day, visualize a certain game scenario.
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Another day, visualize a pressure situation.
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The next day, visualize how you’ll handle mistakes and bounce back.
The main goal is to mentally rehearse both physical and mental scenarios. The more repetitions you give your mind, the more second nature these skills, reactions, and behaviors become.
When you do return to play, you’ll have less anxiety, greater confidence, and a mental edge that keeps you performing at your best.
Final Thoughts
If you’re injured, or even if you’re just not getting a lot of practice time, start adding mental reps into your daily routine.
Visualize your skills. Visualize how you’ll handle pressure. Visualize bouncing back from mistakes. Doing this every single day is a powerful way to prepare for games and continue improving as an athlete.
If you’re interested in one-on-one coaching, where we’ll work on visualization along with other key mental skills, click here to schedule a free introductory coaching call to learn more.
I’ve also created two online courses:
And if you’re more of a reader, check out my books:
Thank you for reading and I wish you the best of success in all that you do.
