Mental Game Forum

Hi Mel!

You can use visualization in poker for the same thing – to prepare to you improve the quality of your play.  What you did by focusing on the movement of your golf swing, was focus on a part of the swing that was weak or flawed.  So visualizing and preparing that part of the swing helped to be more likely to show in your actual swing.  The key thing here comes down to learning.  So you have a part of your golf swing that you are working to correct, and since the best way to correct is it to actually do it correctly (consistently for a while), visualization and preshot routine makes it more likely for that to happen, rather than slipping back into the old swing.

In poker, if you haven't already you'll want to organize the mistakes in your game that you are working on, or the new plays that you are adding.  Then before a session you can review them in your mind, visualizing yourself seeing the spot (where a previous mistake was or where to use the new play), thinking through the decision, and then executing. 

The key thing that many many people both in golf and poker misunderstand about visualization is that it does not guarantee you will make the correction.  It only makes it more likely.  It warms it up the plays to be put into action. 

Since it all comes back to learning, these spots are by definition not trained to the unconscious competency level where they would be automatic.  Only then can you say they are guaranteed to show up – and at that point visualization isn't needed. 

Best!

Jared

Your ramblings provide the greatest insight into what the real cause of the issues that you're facing.  Visualization is something that can help stem the tide of this, but it is limited.  To really move past feeling self defeated means you resolve the reason or reasons why you do. 

If you'd like to post more detail on the things that go through your mind, how you feel, and when it started feel free.  Also it may be relevant to mention what happens when things are going great.

Your welcome Mel.

Best,
Jared