Imagery Model (PETTLEP)
Imagery is a key psychological skill that is both powerful and versatile. With an impressive array of published studies, motor skill performance can be enhanced through various imagery techniques applied to sport psychology programs. In 2001, Holmes and Collins created the PETTLEP model based on theory and research from sport and cognitive psychology and neuroscience. PETTLEP is an acronym and each letter represents an important factor when conducting imagery interventions.
After successful research validating the effectiveness of the PETTLEP imagery model (a model with strong emphasis on the physical and environmental components) over transitional imagery in a study on hockey penalty shots and later on a gymnastics beam jump, it was …show more content…
argued that the PETTLEP model needed to be tested in a variety of other settings with different tasks. Previous studies had demonstrated that imagery was relatively ineffective in enhancing the performance of strength-based tasks. However, these previous studies used traditional “visualization” imagery approaches that didn’t incorporate all the aspects that the PETTLEP model emphasized specifically “functional equivalence”.
Functional equivalence involved more than just a visualization of the event. It tries to simulate the event with all senses to include the environment and emotions while conducting the physical task or event as close as possible to the actual and with the same timing, while being physically in the same, similar, or simulated environment with all the same sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and with a strong kinesthetic emphasis with haptic sensations. The focus was also on the athlete’s physical response with an emphasis on the kinesthetic response in order to maximize functional equivalence. In addition, PETTLEP prefers the perspective component to be first person as seen or done by the person doing the event (internal) instead of watching from the view as a fan (external).
Wright and Smith used strengthening bicep muscles a way to demonstrate the effectiveness of the PETTLEP model. They used 50 university students and a bicep machine made by Cybex and all participant used an imagery diary to track the study. The 50 students were divided into 5 groups.
The bicep curl was the task and it was based on the criterion for a one repetition maximum, or 1 RM, on the bicep curl machine. A pre-test was conducted along with training. After determining a 1 RM pre-test score, the participants were allowed to experience the physical sensations of a biceps workout which, for this study, included 6-10 reps using 80% of their 1 RM to failure. This is typical for the muscular system emphasis on strength/hypertrophy resistance training where 70-80% of the 1 RM is used for 8-12 rep and 3-5 sets using the anaerobic energy system to train the Fast Twitch (Fast Oxidative-Glycolytic - FOG) muscles. Then, they were introduced to response training where they focused on the physiological and behavioral responses to the scenario to be imaged. Video recording were made for each participant from an internal perspective with the camera situated over the shoulder. This gave them the perspective of them doing it and displayed their arms moving and also the timing of the event in “real time”.
The study was conducted over a period of 6 weeks where participants performed two sessions per week. Each session consisted of either two sets of physical workouts, two sets of imagery workouts, or one set of each. The control group read literature related to bodybuilding with an aim to see if whether being inspired by a body builder’s life story would increase their strength.
PETTLEP imagery group - performed PETTLEP only and in the actual environment and at the same piece of equipment as the pre-test and with a video depicting from their perspective the event. They imaged themselves performing two sets of 6-10 rep to failure while watching the video with a short rest between each set.
Traditional imagery group - preformed imagery while sitting in a comfortable chair with their eyes closed. They imagined performing two sets of bicep curls, twice per week.
Physical practice group - performed the actual physical event at the gym. They conducted two sets of bicep curls twice a week using a weight that was 80% of their 1 RM.
PETTLEP imagery/physical group combination - performed the physical event first for one set followed by a second set using only PETTLEP imagery techniques.
Control group - read literature about bodybuilding.
The PETTLEP method for this study:
P - Physical - imagery is seen as a physical process with measurable physiological outcomes.
The kinesthetic response has to be as similar to the actual as possible. The participant held the actual handles of the machine and even watched a video of them doing it. This factor in the model also includes wearing the same clothes as during the performance.
E - Environment – this factor relates to the place where the imagery will be performed. It includes the same sounds, visual stimuli and smell of the gym which need to be as identical to that experienced in the pre-test.
T - Task – the task should be appropriate to the skill level and the personal preference of the athlete. In the study, the task was the exact same as experienced in the pre-test to include the exact number of reps and sets to failure. A video of them doing it was displayed in front of them from their perspective.
T - Timing - the timing was the exact same and the video helped the participants think at real time. This is especially critical for a sport skill.
L - Learning - imagery script should be altered to reflect improvement. The research in this study was conducted over a 6-week period and the post-test would have revealed what would typically be done at this point regarding a change in the weight, for example, to continue building more strength. This is one component of the model that has not received much research attention. However, another study indicated that regular updating of imagery content to reflect progress was very successful in enhancing performance. This factor includes changes based on the progress of physical condition, skill level, and overall physical fitness.
E - Emotion - the missing link that isn’t involved in traditional imagery despite sports performance being heavily laden with emotional experiences. The participants were encouraged to think about any emotions they experienced during the actual performance and response training.
P - Perception – this refers to the viewpoint of the performer during imagery.
In this study, first person imaging was used from an internal view and as depicted in the video each participate was watching.
The performance data results:
PETTLEP imagery group: improved 23.29% which is about the same degree as the physical practice group that increased 26.56%. This is amazing, in my opinion, and validates that PETTLEP could be used for injured and fatigue athletes plus the elderly where there is a great need to reduce the effects on the muscle loss from aging or a sedative lifestyle. Could PETTLEP be used for training underutilized muscles of people with physical disabilities? Could someone stand in front of their television screen and conduct PETTLEP exercise routines while watching P90X type videos? I believe this is untouched and potentially a new frontier?
Traditional imagery group: achieved very little strength gains (13.75 %) and was not significantly larger than the control group which only gained 5.12%.
Physical practice group: improved 26.56% which is nearly the same rate as the PETTLEP only group.
PETTLEP imagery/physical group combination: improved the most of all the groups at 28.03%. This is slightly more than both the PETTLEP only group and the Physical Practice …show more content…
group.
Control group: very little improvement in strength with only a 5.12% increase.
Practical implications of these results:
The most significant finding, in my opinion, was that the PETTLEP group improved at the same degree as the physical group validating its effectiveness to be used by athletes who are injured, fatigued, or need increased strength training.
PETTLEP could be used when there are situations where the actual physical location is too costly to utilize such as court time. In addition, it could reduce injuries from overuse and overtraining.
The study also validated that PETTLEP can be used outside of sports for skills that are physical related to include musical instruments or flying a jet, for example. They have also found that imagery might be useful for brain injury and stroke rehab or help someone taking a test.
One of the reasons I’m going back to school to get a 2nd bachelors is to learn techniques to help the aging baby boomer generation stay healthy through exercise and nutrition.
I would like to experiment with my parents who do not exercise or eat healthy. I could start with basic bicep curls and have them conduct both PETTLEP and actual physical practice, as well. Maybe this experiment would generate some additional interest in changing their lifestyle because, maybe, they would feel better about themselves physically and mentally over time. I don’t know, but anything is worth a try.
Implementing these findings in my athletes as a coach :
I would first intertwine PETTLEP in my strength and conditioning program using the combination method. My program would be designed to conduct PETTLEP between actual physical sets. Once the players were convinced that this was not some crazy tool from a wild and wacky scientist, then PETTLEP could be incorporated into other programs such as batting practice for the baseball team, free throw practice for the basketball team, or blocking for the football linemen, for example.
Implementing PETTLEP would have to be a gradual process and not conducted at the same time as trying to change the culture on implementing goal setting processes. PETTLEP would only be effective if people believed in it. Changing one’s mental beliefs takes time depending on their background and experience with mental skills
training.
I’m currently trying to change the culture at my daughter’s high school. Just changing the culture to eat an athlete’s high performance diet is difficult enough without any implementation of other skills.
The simple act of designing a strength and conditioning program based on a particular sport with strengthening strategies to also prevent injury is a major culture shift from just everyone focused on how much they can bench or squat.
Implementing process and performance goals in an organization that currency focuses on the outcome is almost an impossibility in our culture that focuses on the score board.
I like the idea of PETTLEP from both a coaching perspective and as an athlete. However, it would only be practical and easy to implement PETTLEP in a sports program that was already built on the cooperative coaching style and had already successfully implemented other mental skills training programs to include goal setting. And, it would require that the previous programs had proven to be effective in achieving their short and long term objectives. Only then would PETTLEP be received as a possibility for improving their programs.
For me to engage an athlete with PETTLEP, they have to first see that it was effective for me in my own life. I would also implement PETTLEP through a dynamic relationships withg effective communication to demonstrate that something new will work for them because it worked for me first.
A young, proactive and physically fit coach using the cooperative coaching style who is technically and tactically sport in that sport and is one who lives out what he preaches to include the mastery-oriented goal setting would be the only one who could possibly implement such a program at PETTLEP. And, the coach may only be able to do so with a select few who have the internal drive with the growth mindset.
I have personally been using it this week with my personal fitness program for myself. I don’t know if it’s actually PETTLP itself or just my focus on changing up my workout routine with a process and performance mindset, but I’ve been able to increase my pull-up reps this week. I cannot validate that it was PETTLEP; however, changing up any program can force muscle confusion that contributes to overall strength development.
After successful research validating the effectiveness of the PETTLEP imagery model (a model with strong emphasis on the physical and environmental components) over transitional imagery in a study on hockey penalty shots and later on a gymnastics beam jump, it was …show more content…
argued that the PETTLEP model needed to be tested in a variety of other settings with different tasks. Previous studies had demonstrated that imagery was relatively ineffective in enhancing the performance of strength-based tasks. However, these previous studies used traditional “visualization” imagery approaches that didn’t incorporate all the aspects that the PETTLEP model emphasized specifically “functional equivalence”.
Functional equivalence involved more than just a visualization of the event. It tries to simulate the event with all senses to include the environment and emotions while conducting the physical task or event as close as possible to the actual and with the same timing, while being physically in the same, similar, or simulated environment with all the same sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and with a strong kinesthetic emphasis with haptic sensations. The focus was also on the athlete’s physical response with an emphasis on the kinesthetic response in order to maximize functional equivalence. In addition, PETTLEP prefers the perspective component to be first person as seen or done by the person doing the event (internal) instead of watching from the view as a fan (external).
Wright and Smith used strengthening bicep muscles a way to demonstrate the effectiveness of the PETTLEP model. They used 50 university students and a bicep machine made by Cybex and all participant used an imagery diary to track the study. The 50 students were divided into 5 groups.
The bicep curl was the task and it was based on the criterion for a one repetition maximum, or 1 RM, on the bicep curl machine. A pre-test was conducted along with training. After determining a 1 RM pre-test score, the participants were allowed to experience the physical sensations of a biceps workout which, for this study, included 6-10 reps using 80% of their 1 RM to failure. This is typical for the muscular system emphasis on strength/hypertrophy resistance training where 70-80% of the 1 RM is used for 8-12 rep and 3-5 sets using the anaerobic energy system to train the Fast Twitch (Fast Oxidative-Glycolytic - FOG) muscles. Then, they were introduced to response training where they focused on the physiological and behavioral responses to the scenario to be imaged. Video recording were made for each participant from an internal perspective with the camera situated over the shoulder. This gave them the perspective of them doing it and displayed their arms moving and also the timing of the event in “real time”.
The study was conducted over a period of 6 weeks where participants performed two sessions per week. Each session consisted of either two sets of physical workouts, two sets of imagery workouts, or one set of each. The control group read literature related to bodybuilding with an aim to see if whether being inspired by a body builder’s life story would increase their strength.
PETTLEP imagery group - performed PETTLEP only and in the actual environment and at the same piece of equipment as the pre-test and with a video depicting from their perspective the event. They imaged themselves performing two sets of 6-10 rep to failure while watching the video with a short rest between each set.
Traditional imagery group - preformed imagery while sitting in a comfortable chair with their eyes closed. They imagined performing two sets of bicep curls, twice per week.
Physical practice group - performed the actual physical event at the gym. They conducted two sets of bicep curls twice a week using a weight that was 80% of their 1 RM.
PETTLEP imagery/physical group combination - performed the physical event first for one set followed by a second set using only PETTLEP imagery techniques.
Control group - read literature about bodybuilding.
The PETTLEP method for this study:
P - Physical - imagery is seen as a physical process with measurable physiological outcomes.
The kinesthetic response has to be as similar to the actual as possible. The participant held the actual handles of the machine and even watched a video of them doing it. This factor in the model also includes wearing the same clothes as during the performance.
E - Environment – this factor relates to the place where the imagery will be performed. It includes the same sounds, visual stimuli and smell of the gym which need to be as identical to that experienced in the pre-test.
T - Task – the task should be appropriate to the skill level and the personal preference of the athlete. In the study, the task was the exact same as experienced in the pre-test to include the exact number of reps and sets to failure. A video of them doing it was displayed in front of them from their perspective.
T - Timing - the timing was the exact same and the video helped the participants think at real time. This is especially critical for a sport skill.
L - Learning - imagery script should be altered to reflect improvement. The research in this study was conducted over a 6-week period and the post-test would have revealed what would typically be done at this point regarding a change in the weight, for example, to continue building more strength. This is one component of the model that has not received much research attention. However, another study indicated that regular updating of imagery content to reflect progress was very successful in enhancing performance. This factor includes changes based on the progress of physical condition, skill level, and overall physical fitness.
E - Emotion - the missing link that isn’t involved in traditional imagery despite sports performance being heavily laden with emotional experiences. The participants were encouraged to think about any emotions they experienced during the actual performance and response training.
P - Perception – this refers to the viewpoint of the performer during imagery.
In this study, first person imaging was used from an internal view and as depicted in the video each participate was watching.
The performance data results:
PETTLEP imagery group: improved 23.29% which is about the same degree as the physical practice group that increased 26.56%. This is amazing, in my opinion, and validates that PETTLEP could be used for injured and fatigue athletes plus the elderly where there is a great need to reduce the effects on the muscle loss from aging or a sedative lifestyle. Could PETTLEP be used for training underutilized muscles of people with physical disabilities? Could someone stand in front of their television screen and conduct PETTLEP exercise routines while watching P90X type videos? I believe this is untouched and potentially a new frontier?
Traditional imagery group: achieved very little strength gains (13.75 %) and was not significantly larger than the control group which only gained 5.12%.
Physical practice group: improved 26.56% which is nearly the same rate as the PETTLEP only group.
PETTLEP imagery/physical group combination: improved the most of all the groups at 28.03%. This is slightly more than both the PETTLEP only group and the Physical Practice …show more content…
group.
Control group: very little improvement in strength with only a 5.12% increase.
Practical implications of these results:
The most significant finding, in my opinion, was that the PETTLEP group improved at the same degree as the physical group validating its effectiveness to be used by athletes who are injured, fatigued, or need increased strength training.
PETTLEP could be used when there are situations where the actual physical location is too costly to utilize such as court time. In addition, it could reduce injuries from overuse and overtraining.
The study also validated that PETTLEP can be used outside of sports for skills that are physical related to include musical instruments or flying a jet, for example. They have also found that imagery might be useful for brain injury and stroke rehab or help someone taking a test.
One of the reasons I’m going back to school to get a 2nd bachelors is to learn techniques to help the aging baby boomer generation stay healthy through exercise and nutrition.
I would like to experiment with my parents who do not exercise or eat healthy. I could start with basic bicep curls and have them conduct both PETTLEP and actual physical practice, as well. Maybe this experiment would generate some additional interest in changing their lifestyle because, maybe, they would feel better about themselves physically and mentally over time. I don’t know, but anything is worth a try.
Implementing these findings in my athletes as a coach :
I would first intertwine PETTLEP in my strength and conditioning program using the combination method. My program would be designed to conduct PETTLEP between actual physical sets. Once the players were convinced that this was not some crazy tool from a wild and wacky scientist, then PETTLEP could be incorporated into other programs such as batting practice for the baseball team, free throw practice for the basketball team, or blocking for the football linemen, for example.
Implementing PETTLEP would have to be a gradual process and not conducted at the same time as trying to change the culture on implementing goal setting processes. PETTLEP would only be effective if people believed in it. Changing one’s mental beliefs takes time depending on their background and experience with mental skills
training.
I’m currently trying to change the culture at my daughter’s high school. Just changing the culture to eat an athlete’s high performance diet is difficult enough without any implementation of other skills.
The simple act of designing a strength and conditioning program based on a particular sport with strengthening strategies to also prevent injury is a major culture shift from just everyone focused on how much they can bench or squat.
Implementing process and performance goals in an organization that currency focuses on the outcome is almost an impossibility in our culture that focuses on the score board.
I like the idea of PETTLEP from both a coaching perspective and as an athlete. However, it would only be practical and easy to implement PETTLEP in a sports program that was already built on the cooperative coaching style and had already successfully implemented other mental skills training programs to include goal setting. And, it would require that the previous programs had proven to be effective in achieving their short and long term objectives. Only then would PETTLEP be received as a possibility for improving their programs.
For me to engage an athlete with PETTLEP, they have to first see that it was effective for me in my own life. I would also implement PETTLEP through a dynamic relationships withg effective communication to demonstrate that something new will work for them because it worked for me first.
A young, proactive and physically fit coach using the cooperative coaching style who is technically and tactically sport in that sport and is one who lives out what he preaches to include the mastery-oriented goal setting would be the only one who could possibly implement such a program at PETTLEP. And, the coach may only be able to do so with a select few who have the internal drive with the growth mindset.
I have personally been using it this week with my personal fitness program for myself. I don’t know if it’s actually PETTLP itself or just my focus on changing up my workout routine with a process and performance mindset, but I’ve been able to increase my pull-up reps this week. I cannot validate that it was PETTLEP; however, changing up any program can force muscle confusion that contributes to overall strength development.