This is an example of an elite athlete using the powerful mental skill of imagery or visualization to enhance performance. While the idea that picturing oneself performing well could actually improve performance may seem new and modern, it has in fact been a mental habit used by experts for decades, if not centuries. Recently elite athletes have spoken openly about how they use their imagination to improve and execute skills, to build confidence, and to fully prepare themselves for competition. In each of these applications the athletes have assumed that if you see in your mind's eye a detailed visual image of a desired performance, and feel your body executing the performance exactly as you see it, you make that performance outcome more likely. She has made a habit of consistently using her imagination as a key training aid.
All humans use their imagination constantly, to daydream, reminisce, and fantasize.
This means that using your imagination to enhance sport, academic, and military performance does not involve learning to do anything new and different, but instead simply systematizing something you are doing anyway. Typically the images in our mind's eye occur spontaneously, without any effort on our past, and easily jump from one subject to another. Because of this, they often seem out of our conscious control. But just as Jennings and many other elite athletes have learned to direct the movies in their minds and experience improvements in their performance, so too can you.