What if I told you there was a way to improve your athletic or skill performance by 20-25 percent? Would you consider buying whatever you figure I’m trying to sell? What if I then told you it was totally free? And that you don’t have to go anywhere other than where you already are, all you need is yourself and your imagination, and it only takes five to seven minutes of your day, three to five days a week.

Imagery changes your brain. Imagined movement activates the same regions of your brain as actual movement, strengthening neural networks for enhanced efficiency during physical movement in complex and unpredictable environments. Translation: Mental reps give your brain the same training as physical reps, without the wear and tear on your body. This doesn’t mean: I imagine myself ski-jumping, therefore, I can do it. You still have to train your body to condition your cardiovascular and musculoskeletal systems, and mental and physical reps work best when they complement each other. But mental reps–particularly when performed as multisensorial mimetic imagery–can do some things that even physical reps can’t always do: They can help you keep your skills sharp even when you’re injured; they can even help you return faster and stronger to the field........

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