Secrets of the sporting elite

Think of an elite athlete at the top of their game, just before they perform. They close their eyes. What are they imagining in those final seconds? Watch them closely, and chances are that you’ll see them go through some of the motions of their event.

These strange movements are proposed to prime the many neural pathways involved. Imagining successful performance therefore helps an athlete to deliver the planned action.

It might be a gymnast mentally running through a vault, a footballer imagining scoring a penalty or a Formula 1 driver anticipating the twists and turns of the circuit. Some athletes might overtly rehearse their motions while imagining the event. This is called dynamic motor imagery. Whereas, for others, it may be a more covert rehearsal of the task.

Motor imagery is where a person rehearses physical movement in their head before physically carrying out the action. It can be a helpful tool to support athletes in achieving their potential or developing their skills. It simulates the required physical activity in their minds, and is used in sport psychology, as well as in training, recovery, and rehabilitation.

The seven steps to motor imagery success

PETTLEP, a formalised framework for motor imagery, was pioneered by researchers at Manchester Met. This is an acronym for:

• physical
• environment
• task
• timing
• learning
• emotion
• perspective

These seven elements are suggested to be considered by athletes, coaches and sport psychologists when using motor imagery to rehearse their actions. The model uses a multisensory approach to create mental images that mimic the real-life experience and conditions of their activity as closely as possible. As well as priming the forthcoming performance, the PETTLEP framework may also reduce performance anxiety and increase task confidence.  

PETTLEP research has a rich history, and was first presented at a British Psychological Society conference in Brighton in 1998. The original PETTLEP paper was then published in 2001, co-authored by Professor Paul Holmes and Professor David Collins. With over 1000 citations, it has become the third most cited paper in the Journal of Applied Sport Psychology’s 35-year history. PETTLEP provided the first theoretical and practical-based model for motor imagery applications for athletes.

More than two decades later, a paper exploring twenty years of PETTLEP imagery found that: “all UK institutions delivering sport psychology degree programmes, and approximately 90% of those delivering sport science, teach the PETTLEP model within their curriculum.” PETTLEP’s impact has also been explored in the Research Excellence Framework 2021 report.

PETTLEP has therefore become the foundation for teaching and understanding motor imagery in sport psychology in the UK and internationally. PETTLEP can be found everywhere from sport and exercise sciences textbooks to materials for sport psychology degree programmes.

For more information, you can listen to Professor Holmes and Dr David Wright discuss motor imagery in sport in an episode of The Sports Psych Show podcast.

Research beyond sport

While the impact of PETTLEP on sport is huge, its potential in other aspects of life could be just as revolutionary. This is especially true in the field of movement rehabilitation. PETTLEP has worked for athletes, so exploring healthcare scenarios is a fulfilling, exciting way to further develop the theory. The Manchester Met research team have published work using the PETTLEP framework to support interventions with stroke and Parkinson’s disease.

Dr David Wright is now leading an international research team, including colleagues from Manchester Met’s Institute of Sport to use the PETTLEP motor imagery model to help children and parents and guardians managing developmental coordination disorder (DCD). 

For a child with DCD, completing a movement or activity that many people take for granted could be as monumentally challenging and meaningful as an athletic event.

Imagine struggling to tie your shoelaces. The rest of your class can do it but you just can’t. You’re irritated, frustrated, and might feel ashamed for something that’s outside of your control. And then you’re introduced to a technique that has you imagining the actions and process of tying your laces whilst watching a video demonstration of the action. You practice and practice, running through video-based PETTLEP before each attempt, and eventually you master it. This motor imagery technique, combined with action observation on video, that helps international sports stars has helped you to overcome a hurdle in your own every day life too.

This is a real case study scenario, with a testimonial from a parent, thankful for their child’s brilliant results after working with Dr Wright and the Manchester Met DCD Research team.

Performing these tasks can help with independence and self-esteem, as well as practical skills and motor function. It gives healthcare practitioners a great tool that can help children early on, and adults later in life, too. Reflecting on these results, Dr Wright says: “It’s really very rewarding to see these success stories where a child has struggled previously but then managed to be successful when we’ve applied a different way of teaching them.”