Motor Imagery as a Tool for Motor Learning and Improving Sports Performance: A Mini Review on the State of the Art

Motor imagery turned out to be an innovative and valid means for motor learning and improvement of sports performance. Analyzing the instrumental and neurophysiologic investigations that confirm its existence and use in daily practice, this work leads as a reflection and a theoretical analysis on the meaning of the motor imagery as a higher cortical function. Particular attention will be paid on the role of somesthestic (consciousness of the body) and proprioceptive (stimuli within the tissues of the body) input have in the construction of the motor imagery and how this is an advantageous strategy for the central nervous system in motor learning.