A professional high diver is giving viewers an inside look at how these athletes practice for their big moments.
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Molly Carlson is part of Canada’s high dive team and has placed second in the 2022 Red Bull Cliff Dive World Series. The massive falls these athletes take can look painful—and, in reality, they can be.
Carlson says a high diver can hit 100 KPH during their fall, equal to 60 miles per hour. Doing multiple reps of these dives risks injury. Carlson says instead of repeatedly diving, she mentally prepares by visualizing the dive.
“Many research studies have shown that the more you can visualize yourself doing something in a certain environment successfully, the more you actually train your muscles to know exactly what to do,” wrote Carlson in a recent Instagram post. “Next time you’re scared to try something, try to imagine yourself nailing it first.”
Carlson’s idea isn’t just a theory. There’s plenty of science behind it. A Harvard medical professor says visualizing helps stimulate the motor cortex, the part of the brain that controls our movement.
